Valencia · City of Arts and Sciences
City of Arts and Sciences
A group of white, futuristic buildings set among pools at the end of the Turia gardens. You can walk around the outside for free, while the science museum, the planetarium and the aquarium each charge their own admission.
- 2 h 30
- Free
- Booking: not needed
- City of Arts and Sciences
Data checked on October 5, 2026
The complex was designed mostly by Santiago Calatrava and opened in stages from 1998. It holds the Museu de les Ciències, the Hemisfèric planetarium and cinema, the Palau de les Arts opera house, the Umbracle garden walkway and the Oceanogràfic. Most visitors walk the length of the complex beside the water and go inside one or two of the buildings. The official site says the science museum alone takes about three hours.
What to look for
- The Hemisfèric, shaped like an eye over a pool
- The long white hall of the Museu de les Ciències
- The Palau de les Arts opera house
- The raised Umbracle walkway
Opening hours
Always open.
The esplanades and walkways are open to walk through. Each building keeps its own opening hours, which change by season, and the Oceanogràfic has its own stop in this plan.
Source: Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències, checked October 5, 2026
Tickets and booking
Free. Walking around the outside costs nothing. Tickets for the museum, the planetarium and the aquarium are sold on the official site, singly or as a combined ticket.
Getting there
Take the tram to the Oceanogràfic stop or an EMT bus along Passeig de l'Albereda, or walk or cycle from the Torres de Serranos along the Turia gardens in about 50 minutes.
Tip
Go in the last hour of daylight, when the heat has gone and the buildings begin to light up.