Although they often used as interchangeable terms, El Carmen and the Old Town (also called Ciutat Vella) are not the same thing.

Ciutat Vella is a district in Valencia, formed by six neighbourhoods. One of those neighbourhoods is El Carmen.

El Carmen is in the northwestern part of the city centre. It is delimited by Carrer de Quart to the south, Carrer Guillem de Castro to the west, and Turia Park to the north.

If you want, you can check out our map of the neighbourhood.

In El Carme, you can find various churches, but the most famous ones are the Saint Nicholas Church and Santa Cruz Church, also known as Iglesia del Carmen.

If you want to find out more about these buildings, you can do so in the section of this article dedicated to churches.

The neighbourhood is known for its many museums. Some are devoted to documenting the ancient history of the city, like the Ethnology Museum, the Museu de Prehistòria, and the Casa-Museo José Benlliure.

Some others, like the Institute of Modern Art and Centre del Carme Cultura Contemporània, are dedicated to the preservation and investigation of the contemporary and avant-garde forms of art practised in Valencia.

You can learn more about the museums in El Carmen in the relevant section of this article.

El Carmen is extremely rich in monuments and sights. The most important historical monuments are the Torres de Quart, the Torres de Serranos, the remains of the Muralla Arabe, and the Portal Valldigna.

Other famous sites in the neighbourhood are Casa de los Gatos, Plaza del Arbol,Plaza del Tossal, Plaza del Negrito.

If you’d like to know more about this, you can read the sections of our article about the mediaeval remains and streets of the neighbourhood.

El Carmen has plenty of food options, with traditional restaurants and tapas bars all over the centre. A great spot for local food and drinks is the Mercat Mossén Sorell. You can find out more about it in the relevant section of this article.

Remember that here you can also find international restaurants and bakeries or chic and modern breakfast spots.

The most famous squares for drinks and music in El Carmen are Plaza del Tossal and Plaza del Negrito.

If you’d like to know more about them, check out the nightlife section of this article.

El Carmen is quite small but extremely rich in sights, so it is best explored on foot, or if you prefer, on a bike.

If you’d like to know more about transport in the neighbourhood, you can check out the relevant section of this article.

Valencia is an extremely bike friendly city. On the official map, you’ll see that the bike paths are all around the city’s old quarters. You can also cycle inside El Carmen itself and its pedestrian zones, as long as there is enough room for people to walk.

If you’d like to know more about traffic rules and norms in Valencia, you can check out our article about cycling in Valencia.

While there are no buses circulating in El Carmen, there are quite a few ones that drop you off nearby, like lines C1, 28, and 95.

The bus stops with the most lines are in front of the Serranos Towers and the Quart Towers. For detailed information about this, you can read our article about buses in Valencia.

There are no metro stops in El Carmen, but the closest ones are Àngel Guimerà, Túria, Xàtiva, and Colón. These metro stops are all 10-15 minutes away from this barrio.

For detailed information about the metro system in Valencia, you can read our article about it.

The tram network is mostly located north of El Carme. The closest stop is Pont de Fusta, just across the bridge from the Serranos Towers.

For detailed information about the trams in Valencia, you can read our article about it.

There are five Valenbisi stations all over El Carmen and many more in the surrounding neighbourhoods of the Old Town.

If you’d like to know more about Valenbisi, you can check out our article about it.

Generally no. If you have a rented electric scooter, you cannot park in some sections of the Old Town, where the El Carme is. You will need to park your vehicle just outside the no-park zone, which you will see on your app’s map.

If you want to know more about electric scooters in Valencia, check out our article about them. You’ll find step-by-step instructions and video guides.