Something different: Staying in one place

Well, immediately I thought of Basque Spain. Lots of great cities. Very interesting culture. Fantastic food. Bilbao has a world famous art museum. San Sebastian has an excellent Basque museum Hondarribia, has a castle and a lovely beach (so does San Sebastian) I would also recommend a foray into Basque France. A lot of adorable little villages including Ainhoa and St. Jean Pied de Port, and Bayonne which also has an excellent Basque museum.

How about Asturias? You could base in a town like Oviedo.

Yes! Asturias. But you should have a car.

We just returned from our second trip in two years in Galicia..highly recommend! Hope to return next year.

I go every March to the area around Vejer so if you want info just say the word. Car needed.

If you haven’t yet visited Valencia, that would be my recommendation. Incredible amount to do, and weather should be great in March.

I liked Valencia a lot too. I think it will have better weather than Bilbao in March and the cost of living is significantly lower in southern Spain, important if you’re on a budget.

Valencia sounds great, as long as you understand that you cannot rent a private apartment like an Airbnb in Valencia for more than 10 days. That's the new law. And you can't get around it by moving to another Airbnb.

Personally, I would not want to spend a month in a hotel room.

Apartments can be rented for more than ten days but it becomes a seasonal rental not a tourist rental and the owners, if they are prepared to do that, have to follow different rules. Reading on FB, it seems that some will, if it's worth it, which I imagine a month might be.....

Valencia sounds great, as long as you understand that you cannot rent a private apartment like an Airbnb in Valencia for more than 10 days.

Interesting. We're in the midst of an 18-day stay in an AirBnB here. It's clearly someone's home; does that change the calculus?

https://www.holidu.co.uk/magazine/changes-to-the-new-tourist-housing-decree-in-the-valencian-community

"You may not rent out a property for more than 10 days to the same tenant."

The research I've done doesn't support the above conclusions. In any event, there are still a bunch of AirBnB accommodations available in Valencia. And I see nothing to suggest that guests are subject to any penalties, regardless of whether the property owners have fully complied with the new(ish) laws.

"You may not rent out a property for more than 10 days to the same tenant."

I also don't see how this logically means that a visitor cannot move to a different AirBNB, especially one operated by a different owner. From the perspective of the law, it seems to me that both owners would be in compliance because neither owner is renting to a visitor for more than 10 days.

I admit I am a little baffled by the whole thing. The law is very clear, but if you go to the Airbnb website it doesn't appear that the property owners are abiding by the law. You can still reserve a place for more than 10 days. According to the code on each property, these are classified as "tourist rentals" and subject to the 10-day limitation. Regardless, it's not up to the tourists to enforce the law. The onus for following the law is entirely on the property owners.

I have been planning a trip to Valencia, and I'd like to stay between 2 and 3 weeks. So I'm looking at Aparthotels, which are not subject to the 10-day limitation. And in the meantime, I'm hoping they come to their senses and repeal that pointless 10-day limitation.

Andrew, from the research I have done, the local authorities will have your passport number and know that you have simply moved to another Airbnb after 10 days. At that point, they can assess some heavy penalties on the owner of the 2nd property, who will be in violation of the new regulations.

My Google AI says the following: "In the Valencian Community, a 'seasonal rental' is defined as a rental contract with a minimum stay of 11 days and a maximum of less than one year. Unlike "tourist rentals," seasonal rentals do not require a special tourist license but are governed by the Urban Leasing Act (LAU), requiring a formal rental contract for the temporary, non-permanent use of the property."

Marty, I think you likely are misinterpreting what the local laws actually require and prohibit, aided by some websites that also have done so.

jphbucks, I hope I am wrong. The sources I have consulted, including Google AI (Gemini), and the websites that are its sources, all say the exact same thing. In Valencia, as of 2025, a rental apartment must be registered as either a tourist rental or seasonal rental. It has to be one or the other, and it cannot be both. If a property is registered as a tourist rental, it cannot be offered as a seasonal rental. And a tourist rental is limited to a maximum of 10 days at a time.

I have reached out to Airbnb with the question, and they have not gotten back to me yet.

Here is the Q and A I had with Gemini:

Q: Is it true that in Valencia, Spain, a private apartment which is offered for rent must be registered as either a tourist rental or a seasonal rental, that it cannot be both, and that a tourist rental cannot be rented to the same renter for more than 10 days?

A: Based on the regulations in the Valencian Community, which includes Valencia, the following is true regarding private apartment rentals:
Tourist Rental vs. Seasonal Rental: A private apartment offered for rent must be classified as either a tourist rental or a seasonal rental, but it cannot be both at the same time for the same guest. The key distinction is the duration and purpose of the stay.
Duration of a Tourist Rental: A tourist rental, also known as a Vivienda de Uso Turístico (VUT), is defined as a stay of up to 10 nights. If a rental to the same person exceeds 10 days, it is no longer considered a tourist rental and must be classified differently.
Seasonal Rentals: A seasonal rental, or arrendamiento de temporada, is for stays of 11 days or more. It is governed by different laws (the Ley de Arrendamientos Urbanos or LAU) and is intended for a temporary purpose that is not a permanent residence, such as a work assignment or extended studies. A tourist license is not required for a seasonal rental.

Q: What are the penalties if an apartment registered as a tourist rental is rented out to the same person for more than 10 days?

A: Renting out an apartment registered as a tourist rental to the same person for more than 10 days is a violation of the Valencian Community's regulations and can lead to significant penalties. While the specific fine is not explicitly stated for this exact infraction in the law, it is treated as a breach of the regulations for tourist use (Viviendas de Uso Turístico or VUT).
The penalties for such infractions can be severe and typically fall within the general fine structure for non-compliance with the tourist rental law. According to the regulations, fines can range from €10,000 to €600,000, depending on the severity of the offense.
Violations can be categorized as minor, serious, or very serious, and exceeding the 10-day limit could be classified as a serious infringement because it essentially changes the nature of the rental activity without the proper legal framework. This would be a particularly serious issue if the property owner is seen as trying to circumvent the law by using a tourist license for a seasonal rental.
In addition to financial penalties, other consequences could include:
Loss of Tourist License: The authorities could suspend or permanently revoke the tourist license for the property.
Removal of Listings: The property's listings may be removed from online platforms like Airbnb and Booking.com.

I suppose it is possible Gemini is hallucinating; AI's still do that sometimes. So take it with a grain of salt.

Here is the answer from Airbnb:

Me: Is it true that Airbnbs in Valencia Spain which are registered as tourist rentals cannot be rented to the same person for more than 10 days?

Airbnb: While checking your generic question of renting days limits we didn't find any restriction over it as you fully affiliated with all your document over Airbnb with your listing fully register you can rent your property up to whatever extent day you want.

Honestly, Marty, given your level of concern regarding Valencia short-term rental rules, I'd recommend you find another headquarters.

I second ekscrunchy on the coast of Galicia. I visited Pontevedra and Combarro on a day trip from Santiago de Compostela and wished I could have stayed longer. (I'd even consider moving there.)

Feel free to check out my photos from Galicia at https://photos.app.goo.gl/d5pgfjNrSn7HrXtb6 .

I appreciate that people have been so willing to share information - especially someone also named Marty, who seems to done a lot of research about certain AirBnB policies in the city of Valencia.

Unfortunately, the discussion surrounding these policies has devolved into an argument here. This is unfortunate, as I would like to assume that all involved are acting in good faith.

But please, for the record, I am not the person discussing Airbnb policies in Valencia, as I do not use Airbnb.

Thank you.

ANNND, (off topic) this is why I dislike the opportunity for different people to have the same user name.

Great point, TexasTravelMom. I have changed my name.

Like Lane, I would also consider moving to Galicia.
Five nights is about right for Santiago, and then you have SO many other small cities to choose from....with a car,, you could combine with Oviedo/Gijon/Arriondas, etc etc, in Asturias and then move on to Galicia.

There are cheap flights from Santiago to Lanzarote and we had a great trip in (I think, 2024) of about three weeks split between Santiago, Pontevedra, Isla de la Toja, and then flying to Lanzarote.

If you are an architecture aficionado, Lanzarote might be your place, not to mention the glorious wine areas and the Timanfaya Park.....who knew there were camels in Spain (??)....(not me, until we saw them in Timanfaya). Small island, very varied food stemming from the variety of immigrants who lived there now, with their different heritages...such an astounding surprising to us......extraordinarily welcoming people. The island is NOT all resorts catering to visitors from the UK. Look at towns like Haria, Famara and Teguise, among many others. Many small local inns with great food on site in the evenings.

I go in March to the South, near Vejer and combine that with one other city..Cordoba (5 nights a few years ago); Jerez (same); Sevill (a week last year) , Cadiz, etc etc. But car should be rented for the area near Vejer.

Might be a good tine to spend a few weeks on Mallorca as well if that is of interest.

We hope to spend a few weeks next spring or fall, again on La Toja/O"Grove and, as I mentioned I will be near Vejer in March.

Do you now well the area around Pedraza, Sepulveda, Roa, Campaspero, Segovia????? Especially if you are a food lover........

Or the UNESCO site of Las Medulas, and parts of Leon, including the Gaudi palace in Astorga, easy to combine with Asturias or Galicia if you rent a car????