El Cabanyal

Beach neighborhood with authentic local feel and good traditional paella restaurants. Safe during the day, rougher at night - stick to main streets and head back to central areas in the evening.

Old fishing village by the beach that's gentrifying. Colorful tiled building facades, narrow streets from the maritime past, new cafes and galleries moving in. Five-minute walk to Las Arenas Beach, which is the draw if you want beach access. Mercado del Cabanyal has locals buying fresh seafood, and you'll find some of Valencia's better traditional paella places here - Casa Carmela and Casa Montaña have been around for decades. Mix of local families, students, artists, international residents. It's multicultural and has more genuine neighborhood feel than the touristy areas. Safety is decent during the day and early evening but parts of it are rougher around the edges than Ciutat Vella or Ruzafa. Stick to main streets and don't hang around the beach late at night when it empties out. The tradeoff is you're further from the city center - need metro or bus to reach the main tourist stuff.