Valencia’s Cabañal, one of the top 10 coolest neighbourhoods in Europe

The British newspaper, The Guardian, has chosen Cabañal, as the third coolest neighbourhood out of other neighbourhoods that hide special charms. In first and second place came Gothenburg and Brussels. The writers of the English newspaper say they have fallen in love with Cabañal. 

Cabanyal is a fishing district located 5km from the city center of Valencia. While the rest of the city has suffered remodeling or modernisation, the residents of this area insisted on maintaining the neighbourhood as it has been since the 17th century.

After various governments tried to improve this area with the extension of the Blasco Ibáñez street to the beach. Which would have meant a demolition of more than 1600 homes that form a part of the Valencian culture and art. Despite being classified as an “area of cultural importance”, the habitants of the Cabanyal neighbourhood suffered threats with mandatory take-down orders and destruction, until the neighbourhood organisation managed to take the case to the Constitutional Court, who blocked it.

Over the last few years, a new plan has been developed: The Special Plan for Cabanyal (PEC) to rehabilitate the neighbourhood, without destroying the urban vibe like the plan before. However, many associations continue to disagree with this plan because they consider it insufficient to rehabilitate a neighbourhood without turning it into mass tourism.

The beauty of this neighbourhood lies in the architectural diversity, with facades of original art nouveau, coloured buildings and modern structures. The entire Cabanyal neighbourhood is based on the old layout of the barracks, creating plots of the same size and low height. The fabric used in this neighbourhood benefits from sea breezes, creating a unique climate where summers are more bearable.

This area is not only known for its architecture, but also for its environment and cultural diversity. As a result of its history, Cabanyal is one of the most socially active neighbourhoods, where neighbours of different ethnicities, nationalities and ages meet. This neighbourhood is one of the most studied neighbourhoods by universities, both for the social aspect and for the unique architecture.
 

In this bohemian neighbourhood we can find different cultural offers. The area already has a network that involves art groups and theater companies with numerous projects underway, such as the Teatre El Musical and the Cabanyal Íntim festival. As for the food, in the area we can try restaurants with seafood dishes, like Casa Carmela, the tapas of wine cellars in Casa Montaña, or other suggestions like Anyora or Fumiferro. For drinks, it is ideal to accompany them with the tortillas of La Peseta or with the gigantic sandwiches of La Pascuala and La Paca. Without a doubt recommend you end the afternoon and start the night at La Fábrica de Hielo, an old ice factory where there are now food trucks selling food and drinks.