No. 01 · Landmark
City of Arts and Sciences
Calatrava's futuristic complex of museums and an opera house
A €1.3 billion complex of sweeping white concrete buildings — Europe's largest aquarium, an IMAX, and the Reina Sofía opera.
Read more →Spain
Paella, beach city, futuristic architecture
Spain's third city — birthplace of paella, host of the wildest March festival on earth, and home to Calatrava's white-as-bone City of Arts.
When to go
April–June and September–October. Las Fallas in March.
Getting around
Bikes along the dried-out Turia river park; metro to the beach.
Don't miss
The top places to start with if you only have a day or two — the essentials before you go deeper.
No. 01 · Landmark
Calatrava's futuristic complex of museums and an opera house
A €1.3 billion complex of sweeping white concrete buildings — Europe's largest aquarium, an IMAX, and the Reina Sofía opera.
Read more →No. 02 · Landmark
9 km of park where a river used to flow
After 1957 floods, Valencia diverted its river and turned the bed into a linear park crossed by 18 historic bridges.
Read more →No. 03 · Where to stay
One of Europe's biggest fresh-food markets, in a 1928 Modernist hall
959 stalls under stained glass and iron — the city's pantry since the 14th century.
Read more →4 hand-picked
A curated mix of landmarks, neighborhoods, and museums worth your time in Valencia, Spain — grouped by type below.
Landmark
Calatrava's futuristic complex of museums and an opera house
Landmark
9 km of park where a river used to flow
Landmark
Wide city beach with seafront paella restaurants
Where to stay
One of Europe's biggest fresh-food markets, in a 1928 Modernist hall