Is Valencia Safe? My Solo Female Experience

Wondering ‘is Valencia safe?’ – well in my experience, as a solo female traveller, it is.

Read on to find out about my experience of staying there as a solo female traveller.

Is Valencia Safe?

I visited Valencia on my first proper solo female trip in 2019. I chose it because I wanted to be somewhere in Europe so I could find my feet as a solo traveller.

I particularly chose Valencia because it’s less visited than Barcelona, which I had been to previously. I wanted to experience something a little more authentic.

I stayed in an apartment in the old town area of Valencia. I was actually on the outside of the old town, so close to the suburbs as well.

The apartment was down a small alleyway and then up 3 flights of stairs. I travelled on the metro from Valencia airport to reach the old town and then walked the rest of the way.

By the time I arrived it was dark. I felt safe, although a little confused by the street layouts so I had to telephone the owner for more directions.

During my stay in Valencia I walked all around the city area on my own, often walking 10 miles or more in a day. I visited cafes, museums, visitor attractions, parks and gardens and felt safe the whole time.

On one particular night I visited a flamenco show which finished around 11.30pm and I then walked back to my apartment. It was dark and there were groups of people around but I did not feel uncomfortable or intimidated.

I also went to a class for people to improve their English and Spanish, where I met some locals and again I felt comfortable going into a bar to do that.

I also went to the Fallas daily firework show, where groups compete to create the loudest bang with the same amount of gunpowder. It was packed with locals and at no time was I worried for my safety, or that of my belongings.

Valencia is an ideal city to explore on foot or by bike and everyone I met throughout my stay was very friendly.

Is Valencia Safe for Tourists

How Safe is Valencia?

When comparing crime levels to Barcelona, Valencia scores low or very low for most of the main types of crime including being attacked, assault and theft. For homes being broken into the level is moderate, which is the same level as people using or dealing drugs and bribery/corruption.

Barcelona only scores low on cars being stolen, with most other crimes falling into the moderate category. However, for homes being broken into, things being stolen and drugs Barcelona scores in the high category.

Valencia also scores higher than Barcelona for walking in the daytime and also at nighttime. This would reflect my experience, having visited, and walked alone in both cities.

Ref: Crime Comparison

Is Valencia Safe for Solo Female Travellers?

What Is Valencia Like?

Valencia is more than half the size of Barcelona, with a population of 791,000 (Barcelona has 1.62 million.

14.6 million people visit Barcelona each year, with a mere 2.2 million visiting Valencia.

In my experience of being there many of the visitors to Valencia were Spanish. I did not notice many UK visitors during my time there.

The old town of Valencia is quite compact and easy to explore on foot. It has pretty squares, narrow streets and a wonderful food market.

Wrapped around two-thirds of Valencia is the gorgeous Turia gardens. This park is infact an old riverbed. The river kept flooding the city, so they diverted the river and created a beautiful park. It’s a great place to walk, cycle, run and enjoy. Throughout the park there are sports facilities, along with decorative garden spaces and many locals – including plenty of dog walkers.

Is Valencia Safe – Conclusion

Valencia is a safe place to visit. As always sensible precautions are recommended, the same as when visiting anywhere in the world.

The locals are warm and friendly in Valencia, wherever you are visiting.

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