City of Arts and Sciences
Walk it at blue hour for the photos (free). Pay to enter the Hemisfèric and the Oceanogràfic; skip the rest unless you have kids.
Santiago Calatrava's white-future complex — a planetarium, an opera house, a science museum, and Europe's largest aquarium, in a drained riverbed. The image of modern Valencia.
Malvarrosa Beach · La Lonja de la Seda (Silk Exchange) · Mercado Central de Valencia
At a Glance
- — You only want old-town Valencia
Designed by Santiago Calatrava, this futuristic cluster of white, skeletal structures rises from a drained riverbed like a vision from a different century. The complex functions as a scientific and aquatic center, though the architecture itself is the primary draw for those wandering the parkland at blue hour. While the aquarium and planetarium are worthwhile for families, the exterior experience of the white curves reflecting in the water is the city's defining modern aesthetic.
How it got here
The Turia river once carved a path through the heart of Valencia, carrying floodwaters toward the Mediterranean. After a catastrophic inundation in 1957, planners diverted the flow to a new channel south of the city, leaving a wide, dusty scar of dry earth through the urban center. Authorities transformed this reclaimed basin into a continuous public park. The current structures rose at the turn of the twenty-first century, asserting a new identity for the site upon the foundations of the ancient riverbed. This project replaced the industrial emptiness with a concrete landscape, grounding the modern city in the physical transition from hydraulic utility to architectural parkland.
Where it sits
The complex occupies the eastern terminus of the Turia Gardens, a green artery stretching across the city. The landscape shifts from the shade of palms and pines in the older sections of the park to the stark, white curves of the basins and shells. The surrounding ground remains flat, holding the heat of the Valencian summer, while winter brings breezes off the nearby coast. Paths for pedestrians and cyclists run the length of the dry riverbed, connecting the harbor to the city center. This space fills with locals throughout the day, though the sheer scale keeps the atmosphere quiet even at midday.
What to eat and drink
Valencian cuisine centers on the rice paddies of the nearby Albufera. Paella valenciana, cooked with rabbit, chicken, and garrofó beans, defines the local table. Esgarraet, a salad of salted cod and roasted red peppers dressed in olive oil, provides a sharp contrast to the starch of the rice. Orxata de xufa, a cold drink pressed from tiger nuts, accompanies the long afternoons, often served with fartons, sweet glazed pastries designed for dipping. In the colder months, the menu shifts toward puchero, a slow-cooked stew of chickpeas, vegetables, and assorted meats that anchors the traditional diet of the coastal plain.
Valencia: the whole region
A long, hot, flat coast with one excellent city at its centre and much emptier country behind it. Valencia itself earns three days on its own — the old town, the Central Market, the City of Arts, and the rice that was invented in the…
Minimum 3 days · better 5-6 days · deep 8-10 days
Pair It With
In Valencia
In Valencia
In Valencia
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Experiences worth booking ahead
- Paella Cooking Class, Wine Tasting & Central Market in Valencia5.0 (2,326)3.5 hrsFrom €70
- Valencia Old Town Tour with Wine & Tapas in 11th Century Historic Monument5.0 (3,792)4 hrsFrom €75
- Private TukTuk Tour 2 Hours of Valencia4.9 (167)2 hrsFrom €40
- Valencia: City Highlights Bike or E-Bike Tour4.5 (218)2.5 hrsFrom €23
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