City of Arts and Sciences
Architecture by Calatrava and Candela spanning nearly two kilometres along the old bed of the Turia river, with the Umbracle as a viewing point over the whole complex.
- Opening hours
- Generally from 10:00; closing time depends on season and building. Car park daily 08:00-24:00.
- Where
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Avda. del Professor López Piñero (Historiador de la Medicina), 7, 46013 València
Valencia
See it on the map ↗ Get directions ↗
What you will see
The Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències is a complex developed by the Generalitat Valenciana that stretches along an axis of nearly two kilometres over the old bed of the Turia river. The Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias, S.A. company was founded in July 1996. The architecture bears the signature of Santiago Calatrava and Félix Candela: Calatrava designed the Palau de les Arts, the Hemisfèric, the Museu de les Ciències and the Umbracle, and Candela designed the roofs of the main buildings of the Oceanogràfic.
The buildings were opened in stages:
- Hemisfèric (1998), representing a large human eye.
- Museu de les Ciències (2000).
- Umbracle.
- Oceanogràfic (2002).
- Palau de les Arts (2005), dedicated to opera.
- Àgora (2009), which houses CaixaForum.
The Umbracle is a viewing promenade of more than 14,000 m² made up of 55 fixed arches and 54 floating arches 18 metres high, with 80 palm trees and 29 bitter orange trees. From here you can see all the buildings, lakes and walkways of the complex. Inside is the Paseo del Arte, a free-access space with large-format exhibitions, and it also houses the car park for the complex.
How much it costs
The official website does not set a price for the complex as a whole: each building has its own entrance fee. The Paseo del Arte in the Umbracle is free to enter, and Calle Menor is open free to the public with exhibitions throughout the year. Car parking at the Umbracle costs €2.30 per hour, with a maximum of €24 per day, or €7 per day if you show an entrance ticket from any building in the complex.
Opening hours
According to the official website, the complex generally opens from 10:00 and the closing time depends on the season and the building. The car park is open every day from 08:00 to 24:00.
How to get there
The address is avenida del Professor López Piñero (Historiador de la Medicina), 7, 46013 València. By metro, the official website indicates Alameda station; bus lines 13, 14, 35 and 95 of the EMT serve the area, and there is a direct line from the airport, the 150. You can also walk or cycle along the old bed of the Turia river. The car park has 661 spaces for cars.
Worth visiting if…
…you are interested in contemporary architecture or want an overview before choosing which buildings to visit. The official website recommends spending one day at the Oceanogràfic and another at the Museu de les Ciències and the Hemisfèric, and making use of the outdoor areas.
