Living in Quatre Carreres: a Valencia neighborhood guide

Quatre Carreres (play_arrow) is the giant southeast district that contains the City of Arts and Sciences, the Oceanografic, the old Malilla housing blocks, and a strip of new builds along Avenida Ausias March. The barrio is so large that talking about it as one place is misleading - rent in Malilla and rent next to the CAC can differ by 250 euros for the same square metres. Between Russafa and Montolivet sits En Corts, a dense 1960s grid named after a medieval fountain.

Quatre Carreres has the same name in Valencian and Castilian and means four roads; the district was named after the old huerta roads that crossed this land, though which four is not documented. According to the Ajuntament's municipal register, its seven barrios had 83,333 residents on 1 January 2025.

The flagship of the district is the City of Arts and Sciences complex itself. Living within a 15-minute walk gives you daily access to the Turia gardens' final southern stretch, the Hemisferic, the Palau de les Arts opera house, and a strip of waterfront the rest of Valencia visits on weekends. The CAC-adjacent sub-barrio of Mont-Olivet sits directly west of the complex with mixed 1970s and new-build stock. New builds along Ausias March and Carrer del Musico Gines tend toward modern 2-bedroom flats with terraces and gym access, listing in the 1200 to 1600 euro range in 2026.

Cross under the railway toward Malilla and the picture changes. The Malilla sub-barrio is mostly 1970s residential blocks with 80 to 100 square metre flats and rents in the 1,100 to 1,400 euro range. Quieter, more Spanish-speaking, with the new Hospital La Fe as the anchor employer. Transport is via metro line 10 (added in 2022, makes the southern half walkable to the centre) and EMT buses 14, 24 and 95.

Best fits depend on your sub-barrio choice. Near the CAC: professional families, design-conscious renters, anyone who wants the Hemisferic visible from their balcony. In Malilla: budget families, hospital staff, renters who want space and proximity to the new metro line without the centre-tax.

The Quatre Carreres district has seven barrios. Besides Mont-Olivet, En Corts, Malilla and La Punta, there is La Fonteta de Sant Lluís, an old huerta village named after a fountain; Na Rovella, home of the Fonteta pavilion and the Roig Arena; and Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències, the fast-growing barrio around Calatrava's complex.