Valencia gives you much of what draws students to Barcelona, from Mediterranean beaches and sun to tapas and nightlife, for noticeably less money and hassle. It has two big universities with a large Erasmus intake, the extraordinary Turia riverbed park running through the city, Calatrava's City of Arts and Sciences, and the wild spectacle of Las Fallas each March. Flat, sunny and easy to cycle, it is consistently rated one of the most liveable cities in the world.

Valencia's student scene is big and buzzing without being overwhelming. Nights start in the bars of El Carmen in the old town and the hip Ruzafa district, while Benimaclet is the studenty neighbourhood near the universities. The year's wild peak is Las Fallas in March, five days of giant satirical sculptures, deafening firecracker mascletas and all-night parties before everything is set ablaze.

• Go out in El Carmen for old-town bars and Ruzafa for a trendier, later scene; Benimaclet is the student local.
• Throw yourself into Las Fallas in March; the daily mascleta firecracker display in the Placa de l'Ajuntament is unmissable.
• Ask the Valencia group on Studcasa where the Erasmus meet-ups and best beach days are happening.

Valencia is one of the best-value big cities in Spain: budget 700 to 1,050 euros a month and live very well. Rooms cost far less than in Barcelona, the flat city is free to cycle, and the markets and menus del dia make eating well cheap. Beach, parks and festivals provide plenty of no-cost entertainment.

• A shared-flat room runs 300 to 450 euros a month, cheaper than Barcelona for a similar Mediterranean lifestyle.
• Get a Valenbisi bike subscription, around 30 euros a year, as the flat city and huge lane network make it the best way to travel.
• Shop the Mercat Central and eat the lunchtime menu del dia to keep food costs low.

Valencia's rental market is far kinder than Barcelona's, with plenty of affordable rooms, though the popular areas fill before term. Search Idealista, Badi and local Facebook groups for a piso compartido in Ruzafa, El Carmen, Benimaclet near the universities, or El Cabanyal by the beach. View before paying, but you will feel much less of the scam pressure than in Barcelona.

• Search Idealista and Badi for a piso compartido; Benimaclet and Algiros are handy for the UV and UPV campuses.
• Choose Ruzafa or El Carmen for nightlife, or El Cabanyal for a colourful neighbourhood by the beach.
• Ask the Valencia group on Studcasa which area matches your campus before committing.

Valencia is flat, sunny and made for cycling, with one of Europe's best urban bike networks, much of it running through the traffic-free Turia gardens, and the cheap Valenbisi share scheme. Metrovalencia's metro and trams reach the airport, the universities and the beach, backed by EMT buses. You may never need anything but a bike.

• Subscribe to Valenbisi and ride the Turia gardens, a 9km green artery cutting across the whole city.
• Metrovalencia links the airport, the university campuses at Tarongers, and the Marina and beach.
• EMT buses fill the gaps, and a single youth transport card covers metro, tram and bus.

Valencia has two large public universities: the Universitat de Valencia (UV), one of Spain's oldest, strong in humanities, sciences and law; and the Universitat Politecnica de Valencia (UPV), a top technical school with a huge Erasmus intake at its Vera campus. Both cluster in the north-east of the city near the Tarongers tram line, and both run extensive exchange programmes. Some courses may be in Valencian as well as Spanish.

• The UV and UPV campuses sit together in the north-east near the Tarongers stops, handy if you live in Benimaclet or Algiros.
• Check whether any of your courses are taught in Valencian; most exchange modules are in Spanish or English.

What you need depends entirely on your nationality. EU, EEA, and Swiss students need no visa; you just register for a NIE (foreigner ID number) if you stay long enough. Non-EU students staying over 90 days generally need a national student visa arranged at a Spanish consulate before arrival, then a TIE residency card once in Spain.

Start the visa process early, it's slow and document-heavy: proof of enrolment, funds, private health insurance, and often a criminal record check and medical certificate. Once in Spain, book your NIE/TIE appointment (cita previa) the moment you arrive, as slots vanish fast in big cities.

• EU/EEA/Swiss, no visa, just register for a NIE
• Non-EU over 90 days, student visa before arrival
• Get your TIE card within 30 days of landing
• Book the cita previa appointment immediately

This is the birthplace of paella, and Valencians are fierce about it: the original paella valenciana uses rabbit, chicken and beans, not seafood, and is eaten at lunch, never dinner. Beyond it, try fideua, all i pebre and the local horchata, a sweet tiger-nut drink, with fartons, plus the potent agua de Valencia cocktail. The Mercat Central is one of Europe's finest food markets.

• Eat a proper paella valenciana at lunch on a Sunday, ideally out by the Albufera rice paddies where the dish was born.
• Try horchata with fartons at Horchateria Santa Catalina, and order an agua de Valencia for a night out.
• Shop and graze at the vast Mercat Central, then admire the modernista Mercat de Colon nearby.

The Ciutat Vella holds El Carmen, the atmospheric, nightlife-heavy medieval core; Ruzafa just south is the trendy district for brunch, bars and boutiques; Benimaclet is the relaxed student neighbourhood near the universities; and El Cabanyal is the colourful former fishing quarter by the beach, now firmly on the up. L'Eixample offers elegant, central, good-value streets.

• Benimaclet for student life and proximity to the UV and UPV campuses.
• Ruzafa or El Carmen for the best nightlife, cafes and central buzz.
• El Cabanyal for a characterful, colourful base a few steps from the beach.

Valencia makes a relaxed base for eastern Spain. The Albufera lagoon and its rice paddies, the home of paella, are twenty minutes away for a sunset boat trip, and the tomato-throwing Tomatina of Bunol is close by in August. Xativa's castle, the clifftop town of Peniscola and the beaches of the Costa Blanca are easy trips, with Madrid just 1h40 by AVE.

• Take the bus to the Albufera for a sunset boat trip through the rice paddies and a lakeside paella.
• Day-trip to Xativa's hilltop castle, 45 minutes away, or the clifftop old town of Peniscola.
• Ride the AVE to Madrid (1h40), or head down the Costa Blanca to Alicante and its beaches.

Valencia is easy living, but a few local rhythms help. Eat paella at lunch, never dinner, if you want to be taken seriously, and know that the seafood version is not the real valenciana. Las Fallas in March is glorious but deafening and chaotic, with road closures and firecrackers everywhere, so plan around it. And get a bike sorted early, since it is genuinely the best way to live here.

• Order paella at lunchtime, and do not expect the authentic valenciana to contain seafood.
• Brace for Las Fallas in March, wonderful but loud, crowded and disruptive, so plan travel and study around it.
• Sort out a Valenbisi subscription or a cheap second-hand bike in your first week.