Jardín Botánico de València
Historic botanical garden of the Universitat de València with 4 hectares of living plants and 19th-century greenhouses on Calle Quart.
- Opening hours
- Daily 10:00–20:00 (September); 10:00–19:00 (October); 10:00–18:00 (November–December); 10:00–21:00 (May–August). Closed 25 December, 1 January and on windy or rainy days.
- Where
-
Calle Quart, 80, 46008 València
Valencia
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What you will see
The Jardí Botànic belongs to the Universitat de València and occupies roughly 4 hectares in the historic centre of the city. Its origins go back to 1567, when Juan Plaza, a professor of medicinal botany, created a medicinal plant garden for teaching purposes. The current location dates from 1802, when the university bought the Huerto de Tramoyeres, which was then outside the city wall and near the Torres de Quart.
There are two structures worth seeking out. The first is the tropical greenhouse of iron and glass designed by Sebastián Monleón and built in 1862: it measures 24 metres long and 9 metres high, with a span of 8.25 metres, and is enclosed by 5,342 panes of glass. The second is the lath house designed by architect Arturo Mélida in 1897, a semi-cylindrical iron structure supported on brick columns with an irrigation pool in the centre; since 2005 a sculpture by Andreu Alfaro dedicated to Cavanilles has stood in that pool.
The scientific collections bring together plants from all continents, flora of the Mediterranean landscape and monumental trees. The site is designated a Heritage Asset of Cultural Interest in the category of Historic Garden and functions as both a university centre for research, teaching and cultural activities; its botanists work on the conservation of rare, endemic or threatened Mediterranean species.
Admission
Standard entry costs €4.00. Concession entry is €1.70 and applies to those over 65, pensioners, unemployed persons, children aged 7–16, students, large families or single-parent families, Carnet Jove cardholders and adult groups of 10 or more. Children under 7 with a family group enter free. On certain dates, such as 18 May, entry is free.
Opening hours
Open daily except 25 December, 1 January and days of wind or rain. Closing time follows daylight: in September, 10:00–20:00; in October, 10:00–19:00; in November and December, 10:00–18:00; and from May to August, until 21:00.
How to get there
It is at Calle Quart, 80 (46008 València). Buses 28, 60, 62, 63, 64, 73, 92, C1 and C2 serve the site, as do regional buses to Aldaia, Alaquàs, Manises, Torrent and the airport. By metro, Turia station (line 1) or Ángel Guimerá (lines 3 and 5).
Worth a visit if…
…you are interested in plants, the history of science or 19th-century iron and glass architecture, and want to discover a garden with origins dating back to 1567 without leaving the historic centre.
