The City of Arts and Sciences (in Valencian) occupies about two kilometers in the old bed of the Turia River and draws attention as soon as you approach due to the incredible architecture of Santiago Calatrava and Felix Candela dominated by blue and white colors, with large “futuristic” spaces, enormous gardens and artificial lakes and rivers in which it seems that the buildings float…a great plan to disconnect from the hustle and bustle for a while, especially if you visit Valencia in Fallas, with kids…
On our trip to Valencia as a family we couldn’t miss a visit to the City of Arts and Sciences. It is two visits in one: you can admire the outside (its architecture, the harmony of the complex, the uniqueness of each building) and the inside (the science museum, the oceanographic museum and an immense 3D cinema). If you visit Valencia with family you will have to visit this futuristic City inside the city 😉
Time for the visit and online tickets
Because it is so special in all aspects, the first piece of advice is that you book at least a day to get to know this City of Arts and Sciences. And here goes the second: take out the online tickets, because you will avoid unnecessary queues and waiting. Even if you are a large family, like us, or have any other special circumstances, you can buy them on-line with the corresponding discount and, once at the entrance, you can show the documentation that proves the discount (large family card, student card or whatever is appropriate). Only if you pay less for something promotionyou will have to buy tickets at the box office.
The City of Arts and Sciences is a complex that offers experiences related to science through three large spaces: l’Hemisfèric, the Museu de les Ciències and l’Oceanogràfic.
There is a fourth building, the Palace of Artswhich is a large concert hall and musical shows, which can be enjoyed if you attend one of those events, but which is not visitable as such. For the other three you can buy a joint ticket, which is the cheapest if you are going to visit them all.
In addition, there are two other complementary spaces: l’Umbracle (a kind of boulevard with gardens and, below, the parking lot) and l’Agoraa multifunctional space where visitors transit, rest, have fun…
How to find your way around the City of Arts and Sciences
It’s real a small city and, therefore, when you arrive you feel a little like you don’t know where to start or what you should see first. If you can, do some research beforehand, you can even download a PDF brochure in which you have summarized information.
Once in the City of Arts and Sciencespay attention to the internal signage (there are signs that guide you on how to go to each area) and, before entering any building, walk a little through space Among them, take photos, play with perspectives… Then enter the component of the City of Arts and Sciences that most attracts you.
Get a map, adjust the times to those you want to see certain shows that occur at fixed times, such as Imax movie what interests you or the dolphin show, For example; That is important, because, especially if you go during times of many visitors (bridges, holidays, even on normal weekends), you may be left without the show or the schedule that interests you. Then, come in and enjoy your visit.
Idea: if you don’t want to leave Valencia without trying the authentic paella, we recommend that you dedicate a day to this tour of Valencia with dinner at a rice restaurant. Appetizing, don’t you think?
What to see in the City of Arts and Sciences?
Let’s see what interest each of the most important spaces in the City of Arts and Sciences of Valencia has:
L’Hemisfèric: a great 3D cinema
He Hemispheric inaugurated this peculiar Valencian mini-city. It opened to the public in 1998 and, like the rest, the person responsible for its architecture is Santiago Calatrava. Under the great cover in egg shape there is a great cinema equipped with the most avant-garde technologies with 3D digital projections and Imax cinema.
We already knew the IMAX cinema in Madrid, but this one is much larger (the concave screen is 900 m2) and we really enjoyed a documentary film of about three quarters of an hour.
Science Museum: all interactive
Science, technology and environment are the three main focuses of this interactive museum which exposes all types of scientific content, making the public “play” and manipulate the exposed experiments. In addition, it has a space for the little ones and always has interesting temporary exhibitions.
If you like to experiment, understand basic physics, learn more about the human body… in this museum you will feel happy. It is like a Cosmocaixa and, in fact, it has that same philosophy, but much larger.
L’Oceanogràfic: the largest aquarium in Europe
Touring this immense aquarium you will discover the Mediterranean ecosystem and the temperate and tropical seas, the wetlands, the Oceans, Antarctic, Arctic, those of the islands, the Red Sea and, as a culmination, you can attend one of the dolphin shows in the Dolphinarium. It has a fantastic area of jellyfish and all the fish you can imagine. The tour is done through architectural elements combined with plants and large aquariums.
In another post we detail some things about the City of Arts and Sciences of Valencia specially designed to go with kids.
Photos of the City of Arts and Sciences of Valencia
With this photo gallery you can get an idea of how spectacular the entire complex is, which you can explore simply by walking through its gardens:
Gallery PluginWhere is the City of Arts and Sciences
The exact address is Avenida del Professor López Piñero 7, in the old Turia riverbed, but you can’t miss it, it looks very good. Remember that it has parking with hours from 8 in the morning to 12 at night and with a price of 6 euros for the whole day if you present a ticket to the City of Arts. On this map you can see the exact location.
Schedules and ticket prices for City of Arts
The schedules vary depending on whether it is high, medium or low season, so we recommend confirming them on the Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències website before visiting:
- High season (06/30 to 09/09): from 10 in the morning to 9 at night.
- Average (from 01/02 to 01/07, from 03/29 to 06/29, from 09/10 to 10/14
from 12/06 to 12/09 and from 12/26 to 12/30): from 10 in the morning to 7 in the afternoon. - Low (from 01/08 to 03/28, from 10/15 to 12/05 and from 12/10 to 12/23): from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (Monday to Thursday) and from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. (Friday to Sunday).
The ticket prices They depend on the spaces you are going to visit… In this link you can see the updated rates for each part of the City of Arts and Sciences of Valencia.
Video: this is the City of Arts and Sciences
We share with you a promotional video of the entire complex of the City of Arts and Sciences of Valencia, so that you can get an idea of the route you can take:
Where to eat near the City of Arts
In the three buildings (the Science Museum, l’Hemisfèric and l’Oceanogràfic) you have a large variety of places to eat. Of course, try to do it at different times than the rest, because they are usually crowded. We went during a long weekend and it was full. We saw people who preferred to go outside and come back (ask before doing so, so they know and note it for you at the entrance), because there was a line everywhere.
We gave ourselves the small luxury of eating at the Oceanografic Underwater Restaurantwhose walls are an immense aquarium full of fish that move first in one direction and then in another.
The food was very good, but the truth is that we did it above all to feel in that magical atmosphere. It goes without saying that The prices are more expensive, but they are not inaccessible either.: the children’s menu (complete, with several dishes to choose from) costs 20 euros and those for adults, between 36 and 45 euros.
