What to see in the City of Arts and Sciences in Valencia

One of the most visited museums in Spain is undoubtedly the City of Arts and Sciences, which is actually several museums located in the same enclosure.

It is a very recent complex, inaugurated in 1998, and designed by the famous architect Santiago Calatrava together with Félix Candela.

It alternates fun with culture and is one of the most emblematic images of Valencia. Its buildings are already a hallmark of the Ciudad del Turia.

What to visit in the City of Arts and Sciences in Valencia

The Prince Felipe Science Museum

The Príncipe Felipe Science Museum was inaugurated in 2000.

It has different permanent and temporary exhibitions dedicated to technology, science and the environment.

It has the shape of a dinosaur skeleton and 3 floors where adults and children can enjoy. His motto is ” forbidden not to touch, not to feel, not to think”

Its two main attractions are the 15-meter sculpture that represents DNA and the great Foucault Pendulum that is 34 meters high.

The first floor of the museum is the most interactive and you can learn while you play, something that is very enriching for children. In this way you will learn many things about the seas, the wood cycle, agriculture or electricity, among others.

It highlights an artistic representation of DNA, the Foucault pendulum and the section dedicated to climate change. And something that was very successful and the truth is that it was very curious were the incubators where you can see some chickens being born.

In it you can see a series of eggs where throughout the day you can see how the chicks hatch and live their first hours practically without moving, exhausted by the effort of breaking the shell. Without a doubt, the most interesting part of the museum.

The second floor is smaller and there are fewer meters of exposure. There we can take a journey through the life of some of the main scientists in history such as Severo Ochoa, Santiago Ramón y Cajal or Jean Dausset.

We can see their titles, photographs, elements of scientific life, etc. For us, this floor was a bit more boring and less interesting. As we said, the information that we found there could be easily found on the internet without leaving home.

And finally, we have the third floor, another quite interesting one where you can discover many facts about the human body and life.

It is also a very interactive and very curious part. The section called Forest of Chromosomes is highly recommended. On this floor you will also find the Space Academy, the section dedicated to Marvel superheroes or Valencia CF in the science and sports section.

L’Oceanogràfic, the largest aquarium in Europe

The L’Ocenaogràfic is the largest aquarium in Europe and was opened in 2002.

Its shape is that of a water lily and it has more than 100,000 square meters in which we can see 40,000 animals belonging to more than 500 different species.

The building is made up of 9 themed underwater towers interconnected both on the surface and in the lower area. They are located around a large lake and it is one of the most impressive visits in Europe. If you visit it, you will not forget it for sure.

Upon entering you have the access building under which we reach the Mediterranean ecosystem where we can see 9 aquariums with species from our sea, such as cuttlefish, octopus, lobsters, crabs and many more.

Along with that ecosystem we can see the Wetlands where we have numerous birds and tortoises. There, the red ducks stand out. To visit this ecosystem you have to go in a group with a guide, who really doesn’t know what it’s for because he doesn’t give you any explanation or anything.

Nearby we have another ecosystem with some spectacular aquariums, that of the Temperate and Tropical Seas where we can see seals, seahorses, golden or moray eels.

In the center of the Oceanografic is the aquarium dedicated to the Oceans, one of the largest in the world. There we can find some of the stars of the park, the sharks, which pass over your head when you go through the inner tunnel. It is impressive to see some of them that reach 3 meters.

In the building next door, the one in the arctic, we can see other great stars, the belugas, called the “Canaries of the Sea” because of the variety of sounds they emit. To complete the visit to the Oceanografic, we saw the building dedicated to the Antarctic, where there is a great variety of penguins, and the Islands area, where we can see a large colony of sea lions.

Next door is also the Dolphinarium where the nicest marine animals that are in this type of zoo are.

L’Hemisfèric, 3D cinema

The L’Hemisfèric was the first building inaugurated when the complex opened in 1998 and is an IMAX format cinema as well as a planetarium.

It is shaped like an eye and 3D and digital movies on science and technology topics are projected on it.

In our opinion, the L’Hemisfèric is not the most interesting part of the complex, especially since we can already find something like this in many cities.

At the entrance they give you headphones in which you can choose the language in which to watch the projection and when you enter the first thing that strikes you is that the seats are very flat, more so the further down they are.

Even if you don’t visit its interior or see any projection, the building will impress you.

The other buildings in the complex

The three previous buildings are the main ones that you can visit in the City of Arts and Sciences in Valencia, but they are not the only ones.

In addition to them we can visit the Palacio de las Artes Reina Sofía, dedicated to music and performing arts and is the headquarters of the Valencian Community Orchestra.

It has four rooms and auditoriums to offer concerts.

Another of the complex’s buildings is Ágora, a spectacular covered area where the Valencian Community Tennis Tournament has already been held.

The Puente de l’Assut de l’Or is another of the complex’s spectacular constructions, a cable-stayed bridge that has also become one of the most photographed images of Valencia. And to walk between all the buildings you have the Umbracle, a beautiful garden with various sculptures.

You can find more information on the official website of the City of Arts and Sciences of Valencia.