Top Choice
Ciudad de las Artes y las CienciasThis aesthetically stunning complex occupies a massive 350,000-sq-metre swath of the old Turia riverbed. It’s occupied by a series of spectacular…
Must see attractions in Valencia
Top Choice
Catedral de ValenciaValencia’s cathedral was built over a mosque after the 1238 reconquest. Its low, wide, brick-vaulted triple nave is mostly Gothic, with neoclassical side…
Top Choice
Iglesia de San NicolásRecently reopened to the public after a magnificent restoration, this single-naved church down a passageway is a striking sight. Over the original Gothic…
Top Choice
Museo del PatriarcaThis seminary was founded in the late 16th century by San Juan de Ribera, a towering Counter-Reformation figure who wielded enormous spiritual and…
Top Choice
La LonjaThis splendid building, a Unesco World Heritage Site, was originally Valencia’s silk and commodity exchange, built in the late 15th century when the city…
Top Choice
BioparcThis zoo devoted solely to African animals has an educational and conservationist remit and an unusual approach. Though, as always, the confinement of…
Top Choice
Museo de Bellas ArtesBright and spacious, this gallery ranks among Spain’s best. Highlights include a collection of magnificent late-medieval altarpieces, and works by several…
Top Choice
Mercado CentralValencia’s vast Modernista covered market, constructed in 1928, is a swirl of smells, movement and colour. Spectacular seafood counters display…
Top Choice
Jardines del TuriaStretching the length of Río Turia’s former course, this 9km-long lung of green is a fabulous mix of playing fields, cycling, jogging and walking paths,…
Top Choice
Torres de QuartSpain's most magnificent city gate is quite a sight from the new town. You can clamber to the top of the 15th-century structure, which faces towards…
- M
Top Choice
Museo Nacional de CerámicaInside a striking palace, this ceramics museum celebrates an important local industry. Downstairs (which also features a decadent hand-painted 1753…
- M
Top Choice
Museo de las Ciencias Príncipe FelipeThis interactive science museum, stretching like a giant whale skeleton within the Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias, has plenty of touchy-feely things…
- Oceanogràfic
Spain's most famous aquarium is the southernmost building of the Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias. It's an impressive display, divided into a series of…
- Monforte Gardens
These under-the-radar ornamental gardens designed in the mid-19th century are a peaceful spot to escape the city. Marble statues, sculpted hedges and a…
- Playa de la Patacona
The northern stretch of Valencia's main beach has a quieter, more local scene, but still gets busy in summer. It's backed by lovely traditional houses…
- Torres de Serranos
Once the main exit to Barcelona and the north, the imposing 14th-century Torres de Serranos overlooks the former bed of the Río Turia. Together with the…
- Palacio del Marqués de Dos Aguas
Quite a sight from outside, this immoderate palace has a pair of wonderfully extravagant rococo caryatids curling around the main entrance. The exterior…
- IInstitut Valencià d’Art Modern
This impressive gallery hosts excellent temporary exhibitions and owns a small but impressive collection of 20th-century Spanish art. The most reliably…
- PPalau de les Arts Reina Sofía
Brooding over the riverbed like a giant beetle, its shell shimmering with translucent mosaic tiles, this ultramodern arts complex, grafted onto the Ciudad…
- BBombas Gens
This conversion of a handsome art deco factory that once made hydraulic pumps has created an intriguing space for modern art. There's a particularly good…