Are you looking for trendy (vegetarian) restaurants? Live music during the day? Numerous coffee and (vegan) lunch spots and secondhand shops? Ruzafa is the area to be!
The neighborhood of Ruzafa belongs to the district L’Eixample. This neighborhood runs south from the street Gran Vía Marqués del Turia. Ruzafa was an independent municipality until 1877 on and was not directly part of the city of Valencia. That changed: nowadays this part of town is hot! There are different names for the district: Ruzafa (Spanish name) and Russafa (Valencian version). The name originates from the time when the Moors had power over this area; the Arabic word Ruṣāfatu means ‘garden’. Back in the day the district had an agricultural character but today the district is a popular hangout for creative people.
What to see
On every street corner there is something to see in Ruzafa. But what are the absolute highlights of this neighborhood? The streets around Ruzafa tend to get busy during the evenings at summer and all have a main lead towards Mercado de Ruzafa. Here you can find a real mix of different people: traditional Spanish people chitchatting away on a bench in the small parks next to the young, hip and creative people wondering the streets at night.
Plaza de Toros
Designed in 1850, this bull fighting ring is the now one of the main features of Ruzafa. You cannot miss this attraction when entering this neighborhood; it looks like the Colosseum in Rome and can host up till 10.000 people!Next to the plaza hosts the museum of bullfighting: get to know more about the history of bullfighting, clothing, and objects related to bullfighting.
Location
Plaza de Toros
Carrer de Xàtiva 28
Website
Location
Museo Taurino
Pasaje Doctor Serra 10
46004 Valencia
Website
Opening times
Summer (1stof March till31stof August):
Tuesday to Saturday: 10.00 – 19.00
Monday, Sunday and Holidays: 10.00 – 14.00
Winter (1st of September till 28th of February):
Tuesday to Saturday: 10.00 – 18.00
Monday, Sunday and Holidays: 10.00 – 14.00
Mercado de Ruzafa
In need of fresh fruit, herbs, veggies or fish? Take a look at the market of Ruzafa! The market was built in 1957 and is regarded as the meeting place for a cup of coffee in de morning. Need to learn to speak Spanish? Try and order a fresh cup of orange juice in Spanish! The market is covered with all kinds of colors so you cannot walk by it without seeing it. 160 stands are situates in the market. Every color of the walls corresponds with a certain area of the market: blue side? There you can find the fish! This market is smaller than the Mercado Central in the old town of Valencia but because it’s less crowded, it is certainly easily to start a conversation with the locals.
Location
Plaza Barón de Cortes
46006 Valencia
Website
Opening times
Monday to Saturday: 7.00 – 15.00
Closed on Sundays
Exploring Ruzafa
What better way to explore Ruzafa than with a trendy bike! Our bike rental shop is situated in the heart of Ruzafa, at Calle Cuba 34. You are more than welcome to rent a bike and get the latest tips and tricks to explore this (and other) parts of Valencia. If you are interested to see the city with one of our tour guides we are more than happy to organize a tour for you. Ruzafa is close by the Turia River as well as to El Carmen, the old city center. Starting point for our tours is the shop: easily accessible and in the heart of Ruzafa.
Want to get to know Ruzafa by foot? With our walking route you’ll get to know the stories behind small boutiques, find out about cool concepts, extraordinary details, popular restaurants, lesser known attractions and cozy bars in this lively neighborhood.
Coffee, cake and brunch spots
Ruzafa is well known for its coffee places. Every week a new coffee shop is opening up but lately also tea shops are appearing. In Ruzafa there is a lot of attention for food: local products with a biological twist, the smaller bakeries and local entrepreneurs are putting an effort in producing quality products. In need of something sweet next to your coffee or tea? These spots will live up to your imagination:
Ubik is a small café in carrer del Literat Azorín where you can read books and drink coffee at the same time. Every Sunday there is a live music performance at 13.30. Ubik also is a cultural space where books are presented, theater is being made and expositions are being organized. So great you want to stay seated? Ubik also serves a Menu del Dia!
Location
Calle Literato Azorín 13
46006 Valencia
Website
Opening times
Monday and Tuesday: 17.00 – 00.00
Wednesday and Sunday: 12.00 – 00.00
Thursday: 12.00 – 00.30
Friday and Saturday: 12.00 – 2.00
Bluebell coffee is a hidden gem in the heart of Ruzafa. There is a small patio where you can drink a coffee and eat cake next to a huge banana plant. Their specialty coffee comes from micro branders who put extra effort in roasting the coffee. Looking for a true coffee experience? This is your place to be! A real tip is the avocado/rocket salad/poached egg sandwich!
Location
Carrer de Buenos Aires 3
46006 Valencia
Facebook
Opening times
Monday to Sunday: 9.00 – 21.00
Dulce de Leche is a romantic coffee place where you can choose between a lot of different cakes, bagels, sandwiches and juices. Also the typical Spanish breakfast, pan con tomate (bread with tomate) can be ordered here. Can be quite busy in weekends so come early to be sure of a seat.
LocationCalle Pintor Gisbert 2
46006 Valencia
Facebook
Opening times
Monday to Sunday: 9.00 – 21.30
Guayoyo offers you veggie, vegan and ecological drinks and bites. They call themselves a flexitarian café which means that most of the time you can enjoy vegetarian dishes in this café. They work only with fruit and vegetables related to the current season and in the weekend you can enjoy a delicious brunch for €8,00.
Location
Calle Denia 49
46006 Valencia
Facebook
Opening times
Monday to Sunday: 10.00 – 14.00 & 17.00 – 21.00
Dinner and a movie
Valencia is a real gastronomic city: not only traditional tapas are being served anymore but also vegetarian, sushi and South American places are popular. Spanish people dine quite late in the evening, mostly after nine o’clock. Gotten hungry after a whole day of exploring the city? In these restaurants you will get a taste of Ruzafa’s food:
CopenhagenVegetarian tapas in a modern restaurant: that is Copenhagen. All furniture is by Scandinavian design and that makes the place look really fancy. The prices are not though: a lunch menu is being served for about twelve Euros. Every day Copenhagen serves a different menu: from salads with mango and goat cheese to couscous with vegetables. Other restaurants, same concept? Try Malmö or Oslo!
Location
Calle Literato Azorín 8
46006 Valencia
Website
Opening times
Tuesday to Sunday: 13.30 – 16.00 and 20.30 – 23.30
Closed on Monday
La Tasqueta del Mercat
Situated right next to the market of Ruzafa this is the place to be for local and traditional food. Food doesn’t get much fresher than this; most of the ingredients are brought straight in from the market next door. Enjoy the menu of the day for €10,00!
Location
Calle Maestro Aguilar 2
46006 Valencia
Facebook
Opening times
Monday to Saturday: 13.30 – 16.00 & 20.30 – 23.30
Closed on Sundays
Nozomi
If you are looking for a place to eat sushi, don’t look any further. People from Valencia, Spain and even other countries in Europe travel to Nozomi to have dinner. Owners Nuria and Yosé Miguel fell in love with Japanese cuisine fifteen years ago and opened this restaurant in 2015: an immediate success! A menu costs around €35,00.
Location
Carrer de Pere III el Gran 11
46005 Valencia
Website
Opening times
Wednesday: 20.30–23.30
Thursday – Saturday: 14.00–16.00 & 20.30–23.30
Sunday: 20.30–23.30
Mondays & Tuesdays closed
Cinestudio D’or
A sweet old cinema where you get two for one: with one ticket you can see two movies. On Tuesday’s the entrance costsonly €3,00. The movies are being dubbed in Spanish so a perfect place to keep up with your Spanish. Olé!
Location
Calle Almirante Cadarso 31
46006 Valencia
Website
Opening times
Open every day from 16.30–00.30
Valencian beers
In need of something stronger than coffee or tea? There are numerous bars in Ruzafa to explore. Our favorite is Olhöps: a trendy café where local, national and international brewers get the opportunity to present their beers. Would you like to learn more about beer? Verrassend Valencia offers a beer tour: during this tour you will learn some interesting things about beer in general, several sorts of Valencian beer and ofcourse you can taste the beer as well!
During the Valencian beer tasting you are going to learn about the history of beer in general, the ingredients, and the different types of beer and about various kinds of Valencian beer. The beers will be analysed on the basis of the Beer Flavor Wheel and the beer aromas and after that it is finally time to taste the beer. In total you get to taste four different kinds of Valencian beer. You will also get to taste a picoteo (a small bite). After that there is plenty of time for some nice and unique tips about (beer)cafes in Valencia that are certainly worth a visit.
Goodnight
ABCyou is a small scale B&B where personal attention is the main standard. With only several rooms and an own coffee space you can start your day relaxed and in the middle of Ruzafa. Ten minutes from Plaza de Toros en the train station makes this B&B perfectly situated. ABCyou has twelve rooms decorated with traditional tile floors combined with trendy accents.
Location
Carrer de Martí 10
46005 Valencia
Website
Youth Hostel Ruzafais the place to be when it comes to central accommodation for a reasonable price. All rooms have double or triple beds and the location, next to the market, is very central. A great place to meet other backpackers!
Location
Carrer del Pare Perera 5
46006 Valencia
Website
How to get there
Ruzafa is only a ten minute walk away from Estacion Del Norte (the biggest train station of Valencia). Buses 7, 183 and 90 go through Ruzafaand the Gran Via divides the old city from Ruzafa. The Turia river is very easily reachable from the Gran Via or cycling down Avenida Peris y Valero.
