Ever thought about moving to Valencia but don’t want to tread the beaten path? If you ask locals about the best neighborhoods, they will answer Russafa, El Carmen or El Cabanyal. But Valencia has so much more in store for you. What are the best places to invest in and what do they have to offer? You read it here.
Benicalap
Have you heard of Benicalap? The chance is rather small. The forgotten district has always been ignored by government, tourism and media. Unfairly.
History
Like most of the northern Valencian neighborhoods, Benicalap finds its origin in an Arab-Andalusian settlement. The community grew into a village around the current Avenida de Burjassot, which runs through the heart of the neighbourhood. Benicalap was an autonomous municipality until the end of the 19th century, when it was annexed by the city of Valencia.
Location
Benicalap is located north of Valencia’s historic centre and the Avenida Peset Aleixandre, south of the Ronda Norte, east of the new stadium Nou Mestalla (more about this later), and west of the district of Rascanya.
Characteristics
This is a district with two faces. On the one hand, Benicalap has this local village feeling where time seems to stand still. The traditional bakeries, butchers and tailors have, unlike their interiors, hopefully renewed their products since the sixties and seventies. On the other hand, the skyline is dominated by the modern residential complexes around the Avenida Juan XXIII and the skyscrapers of the Avenida de les Corts Valencianes.
Parc de Benicalap
The Parc de Benicalap is one of the most important green spots in the city.
The park was built in 1983 and has an area of about 80,000 m². It has a wide variety of trees and plants and houses, and among other things, a theatre-forum and playgrounds.
Sports
The biggest attraction of the park is undoubtedly the outdoor pool, which has a recreational pool with several slides, waterfalls, whirlpools and a water park for children. The park also includes basketball courts, an artificial football field, two tennis courts and even a trinquete, in which the Basque country’s national sport pelota vasca is played. The Valencia rugby club, which plays its home games in the Turia Park, is named after the church of San Roque in Benicalap. Besides the traditional sports fields, the Pabellón Benicalap sports complex also features a petanque court. If you still can’t find what you’re looking for, you can work up a sweat in one of the many fitness centres that Benicalap has to offer.
Nou Mestalla
Twelve years after the start of the works, Valencia C.F. is still not playing their home games against Real Madrid and F.C. Barcelona in the new stadium. The build has been suspended indefinitely since February 2009. The cornerstone of Nou Mestalla was the sale of the current stadium. Due to the sudden implosion of the real estate market in 2008, the club was unable to sell the current Mestalla stadium. Money that was required for the new stadium.
The clock is ticking. In line with an agreement struck with the city council, the second half of the work must kick off by 2022, or the site will have to be demolished due to concrete decay. Club president Alemany is hoping to announce the sale of the old stadium in March 2019. It looks like the sleeping giant will (have to) wake up after all.
Shopping
You can go shopping in the Nuevo Centro south of Benicalap and in the Centro Comercial Ademuz. For those who prefer to support the smaller businesses, every Saturday morning there’s a market in and around the Carrer de Mirasol and the Carrer de la Serra Martés. But the most entertaining place to lose your money is at the casino northeast of Benicalap.
Ciutat Fallera
The Benicalap district consists of two neighborhoods: Benicalap and Ciutat Fallera. The smaller Ciutat Fallera has the appearance of an abandoned industrial zone, but in these factory halls the fallero monuments are built. The streets are named after legendary names that have played a significant role in the history of the Fallas festival. Ciutat Fallera even has a museum dedicated to this art: El museu de l’Artista Faller.
Food
The best restaurants are grouped on Avenida de las Cortes Valencianas, under the approving eye of the giant blue monument of the Dama de Elche. Black Label serves the best steak and burgers in a typical American style. Voltereta has a different approach: Amidst a rustic setting, you will be served a variety of dishes, from ceviche to tagliatelle to tacos. Perfect for that Instagram photo. Pay a visit to Saona from the renowned Saona group for vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options.
Investing in Benicalap
According to the latest figures from Trovimap, the average price per square meter in Benicalap in January 2019 was 1,535 €. The price per square meter in Benicalap is 17.84% lower than in Valencia.
In Benicalap you can still buy 60 square meter apartments for less than 30,000 euros. While the average price per square meter in Valencia gradually starts to lean towards 2,000 euros, in Benicalap you will be able to find apartments for 500 euros per square meter. But if you are looking for a quality flat, Benicalap also features penthouses in quiet residential complexes at half a million euros.
The diversity of Benicalap provides an attractive investment climate for all budgets.
Close the circle, invest wisely
The Blue Key services offers a one-stop solution for foreign investors in Valencia.
We help our customers find their dream property, we assist them with the legal side of the purchase (we are lawyers), we do the property management, and we rent out the property to expats through our sister company Globexs.
Do you want to know more about Benicalap in Valencia, or investing in Valencia in general? Contact us here, or send us an email ([email protected]). Also, visit Globexs.com for interesting rentals in Valencia.
