Valencia · El Carmen
Cafés in El Carmen
Lanes between the Torres de Serranos and the Torres de Quart, with a late café on Plaça de Sant Jaume.
Photo: Gintare K., Pexels License
El Carmen (El Carme in Valencian) is the northwest corner of Ciutat Vella, the old town, reaching from Carrer de Quart and Carrer dels Cavallers up to the old bed of the Turia.1 It takes its name from the Carmelite convent founded here in the 13th century, and it sits between two city walls: the 11th-century Muslim wall on its east side and the 14th-century Christian wall on its west.15
Two gates of the later wall still mark its corners, the Torres de Serranos to the north and the Torres de Quart to the west.23 A slow renewal that began in the early 1980s brought the IVAM museum, and the barrio is now the center of Valencia’s nightlife, which gathers on Carrer de Roteros, Carrer de Baix and Plaça del Tossal.1
Local tip: Start at the Torres de Serranos, walk down Carrer dels Serrans for a coffee, and finish at El Cafetín on Plaça de Sant Jaume, which serves until 01:30.
At a glance
11Cafés listed
2With opening hours
09:30Earliest opening
01:30Latest closing
- Opens earliest: MESTIZO, from 09:30 (Mon–Fri 09:30–15:00 · Sat–Sun 09:30–16:30).
- Closes latest: El Cafetín, until 01:30 (Daily 12:00–01:30).
- Most common features: partial wheelchair access (18%), vegetarian options (18%), brunch (18%).
MESTIZO
- Outdoor seating
- Vegetarian options
- Wheelchair access
- Brunch
Café Tertulia
Villa de La Tertulia
- Partial wheelchair access
Cafeteria IVAM
Casa Fran
- Indoor seating
- Card payment
Palau Pineda café i menjars
Pan de queso
Trapezzio Café
El Coffi del Carmen
Kali
Misú Amore
- Takeaway
- Vegetarian options
Nothing matches those filters here. See all cafés in Valencia.
The Torres de Serranos and the Torres de Quart
The Torres de Serranos were built between 1392 and 1398 to a design by Pere Balaguer, who drew on Gothic gates with polygonal towers.2 After one of the city’s main jails burned in 1586 they held imprisoned knights and nobles, and the last prisoners left in 1887. The towers are open to the public.2
The Torres de Quart took longer, from 1441 to 1493, under four master builders in turn, Pere Compte among them.3 They held women prisoners in the 17th century and soldiers from 1813, a use that helped save them when the wall came down in 1865. French cannonballs and bullets hit them on 28 June 1808, and restorers left the marks in place.3
The IVAM and the Centre del Carme
The IVAM, the Valencian Institute of Modern Art, opened in February 1989 at Carrer de Guillem de Castro 118, built around a collection of work by the sculptor Julio González.4 Cafeteria IVAM is at the same address.
The Centre del Carme occupies the 13th-century convent that named the barrio. It keeps a 14th-century Gothic cloister and a 16th-century Renaissance one, and it once housed a fine-arts museum and art school where Sorolla and Benlliure studied or taught.5 Entry to the center, at Carrer del Museu 2, is free, though some activities need booking.5 Palau Pineda café i menjars is at Plaça del Carme 4.
Brunch and daytime coffee in El Carmen
MESTIZO, on Carrer del Portal de Valldigna, serves brunch from 09:30, until 15:00 on weekdays and 16:30 at weekends, with tables outside and vegan options. El Coffi del Carmen on Carrer de la Creu also does brunch, and Misú Amore on Carrer de Dalt has vegan options to take away.
Carrer dels Serrans, the street that runs up to the Serranos gate, has Kali at no. 11 and Pan de queso at no. 19. Café Tertulia is on Carrer de Baix, Trapezzio Café on Plaça del Músic López Chávarri, and Casa Fran on Calle Virgen de la Misericordia.
Late coffee on Plaça de Sant Jaume
El Cafetín has stood in the barrio since 1980.6 It opens daily from 12:00 to 01:30 on Plaça de Sant Jaume and has Wi-Fi, so it works for a coffee after dinner as well as an afternoon break. Its 2026 menu lists an americano at €2.30, a carajillo (coffee with a shot of liquor) at €2.50 and a cappuccino at €3.7
Sources
- El Carmen (Valencia), Wikipedia (Spanish), accessed October 2026
- Torres de Serranos, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
- Torres de Quart, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
- IVAM, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
- Centre del Carme Cultura Contemporània en València, Comunitat Valenciana (regional tourism board), accessed October 2026
- El Cafetín, El Cafetín Valencia, accessed October 2026
- Bebidas calientes, El Cafetín Valencia, accessed October 2026
FAQ
El Carmen cafés: questions
When were the Torres de Serranos in Valencia’s El Carmen built?
The Torres de Serranos were built between 1392 and 1398 to a design by Pere Balaguer, as a gate in Valencia’s 14th-century Christian wall. From 1586 they held imprisoned knights and nobles, and the last prisoners left in 1887. The towers mark the north corner of El Carmen and are open to the public.
Is the Centre del Carme in Valencia’s El Carmen free to visit?
Yes. The Centre del Carme, at Carrer del Museu 2, is free, though some activities need booking. It occupies the 13th-century Carmelite convent that gave El Carmen its name, with a 14th-century Gothic cloister and a 16th-century Renaissance cloister, and it once housed an art school where Sorolla and Benlliure studied or taught.
Which café in Valencia’s El Carmen is open late?
El Cafetín on Plaça de Sant Jaume, in the barrio since 1980, opens daily from 12:00 to 01:30 and has Wi-Fi. Its 2026 menu lists an americano at €2.30, a carajillo at €2.50 and a cappuccino at €3. Carrer de Roteros, Carrer de Baix and Plaça del Tossal are the center of the barrio’s nightlife.
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