Finding a place online is actually not that hard—but finding a suitable apartment is much more challenging.
By “suitable,” I mean finding a balance between price and living conditions, under the prerequisite that the apartment allows empadronamiento (residence registration). In order to reach this balance, it took me almost a month to finally find my current shared apartment.
This post mainly records my experience viewing apartments in Xirivella, a town very close to the city of Valencia. Although I didn’t end up finding a suitable place there, I still think Xirivella is a very good option. The apartments are comfortable, the prices are relatively affordable, and obtaining the residence certificate is also quite convenient.
Xirivella is located right next to Valencia（ the third-largest city in Spain）, and there is public transportation available for commuting to Valencia. If you have a private car, daily commuting is just as convenient as living in the city itself. Of course, if you have the budget, taking a taxi is far better than driving yourself—money can solve most problems. I imagine people with that kind of budget never read travel diaries or guides anyway.
As a newcomer, buses and the metro were my only realistic options. With the help of Google Maps, I could basically find all the routes and transfer instructions I needed.
On a sunny morning in July, I set out on my apartment-hunting trip to Xirivella. The first bus ride went smoothly, and I needed to transfer to the C1 at Valencia North Station. However, I ran into a small problem. I walked around the train station and its surroundings several times but couldn’t find any bus line called C1. I assumed C1 must be a bus.
So my second survival skill kicked in immediately: asking for directions—in what I believed to be communicable “Chinese-style English.” First, I asked the staff at the information desk inside the station. They told me that C1 was not a train and might be outside. I went outside the station and noticed a metro entrance. I went down, but still couldn’t find any line called C1. Completely confused, I walked back out of the metro station.
At that moment, a very young guy appeared and proactively asked me in English if I needed help. I grabbed the opportunity like a lifeline and explained everything in one breath. He seemed to understand and asked me to follow him. He led me back to the entrance of the train station and firmly told me that C1 should be a train and that I should take it there. I trusted that he must be right.
He left with a big, helpful smile, wishing me a nice day. However, seeing the long line at the station, I worried about delays. In the end, I gave up on taking the train and chose an intercity bus instead. Fifteen minutes later, I arrived in Xirivella smoothly. The entire journey took about an hour and a half—around 50 minutes longer than what Google Maps had estimated.
When I arrived in the town, it was very quiet. The shade under the trees felt cool, bars were scattered along the streets, and small groups of people sat at outdoor tables enjoying their meals. Instantly, I felt that this was a place for peaceful daily life, with regular meals and calm seasons.
The apartment viewing itself went smoothly, but I eventually gave up on the place due to the comfort level of the room. Still, that didn’t affect my good mood at all. The young man who helped me find the C1 was shining with kindness; Xirivella gave me half a day of coolness and tranquility; and that day, I also became familiar with the surroundings of Valencia North Station—which is beautiful and absolutely worth visiting and taking photos.
找房记（I）（简体中文）
来西班牙前就看到各种自媒体探讨关于租房子的现状，有的说好找便宜，有的说很难。落地瓦伦西亚后发现，通过网络找一个房子其实不难，但找到一个合适的房子的却非常难。所谓的合适是指如何满足可以开住家证明前提下，价格与居住条件的平衡。为了达到这一平衡我几乎用了一个月的时间才找到我现在的合租公寓。本篇主要记录我在紧邻瓦伦西亚市的Xirvella市看房子的经历，虽然最后没有在Xirvella找到合适的房子，但我觉得这个城市仍然是一个非常不错的选择。因为这里的房屋舒适，价格相对便宜，当然开住家证明也很方便。
Xirivella紧邻西班牙第三大城市valencia市，有公共交通可以通勤到valencia.如果有私家车，每日通勤和在valencia市居住一样方便。当然如果金主，打车我觉得比自驾强百倍，钱可以解决大部分问题。我想金主们从来不会看什么旅行日记和攻略。初来乍到的我，公交，地铁是我的被动必选项。配合google map 基本上都可以找到我想要的出行交通线路和换乘指引。
7月的一个阳光明媚的早晨我就踏上了Xirivella看房之旅。第一段公交很顺利，要在瓦伦西亚北站换乘C1。但此次行程遇到了一个小麻烦，我在火车站，及周边转了几圈也没有找到C1线路的公交车。我认为C1应该是公交车。
于是我的第二技能瞬间开启，找人问路，用我认为可交流的中式英文。先是问了火车站内部服务台的工作人员说C1不是火车，可能在外边。我来到火车站外，发现有地铁站，进到地铁站里，里面线路也没有C1.于是只得满脸疑惑的走出地铁站。于此同时，一个非常年轻的小伙子出现了，并用英文主动问我，是否需要帮助？我像抓住了救命稻草，一阵狂输出。他似乎理解了我的意思，让我跟他走，并把我带到了火车站门口，并坚定的告诉我，C1应该是火车，去火车站坐吧，我相信他说的一定是对的。他开心的带着助人为乐的笑容，祝我一天美好后，走了。但火车站排队的人很多，我担心会吃到，我最终还是放弃了搭乘火车的想法，改成跨城巴士，15分钟后顺利达到Xirivella。整个过程用了1个半小时，比google map 预估线路和时间多了50分钟。
到了小城，很安静，树荫下也很凉爽，酒吧散落在街道两旁，三三两两的人坐在餐桌盘享用着她们的美食，瞬间给我一个这里是一个一日三餐，四季平安的好地方。
看房也很顺利，但最终因为房间的舒适度问题，我还是放弃了这个公寓。但这完全没有影响我这一天的好心情。因为主动帮我找C1站的小哥灿烂的会发光，因为Xirivella小城带给我半日的凉爽与清净，因为这一天我熟悉了瓦伦西亚北站周边的环境，而且北站非常的漂亮，是个打卡拍照的好地方。
