City of Arts and Sciences
Calatrava's white buildings set in pools, in the old riverbed.
Duration
2 hrs – 6 hrs
Best time
Late afternoon
Open
Every day
Entry price
To confirm
The complex was built from 1998 by Santiago Calatrava, a native of Valencia, in the drained bed of the Turia. The buildings are white, set on shallow pools that double them, and their forms echo bones and eyes — the Hemisfèric is an eyelid that opens.
The project is also a political affair: the final cost ran to three times the budget, and the Palau de les Arts shed pieces of its mosaic cladding a few years after opening. It is spectacular, and it is contested in Valencia itself.
Getting there
At the eastern end of the Turia gardens. Bus 95 from the centre, or thirty minutes on foot along the riverbed.
What the price covers
the exterior and pools are free; the oceanographic park, museum and Hemisfèric are ticketed
What to bring
- Swimsuit
Rules on site
The exterior and the pools are free: only the Oceanogràfic, the science museum and the Hemisfèric are ticketed, and a combined ticket exists. The Oceanogràfic needs half a day on its own.
