Valencia's City of Arts and Sciences Complex Is a Must-See Attraction

One of the absolute must-see sights in Valencia is the cultural complex known as the Cuitat de Les Arts I Les Ciencies. This architecturally astonishing section of Valencia houses the largest Oceanarium in Europe, which is an absolutely stunning complex that I highly recommend to all visitors, a science museum, a multifunctional concert/sports venue, an opera house, a planetarium, and a gorgeous botanical and sculpture garden known as the Umbracle.

Everything was designed by the famous Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava in the 1990s, and it's all white. The end result is that the water features look amazing, and the dark foliage contrast nicely. This is a beautiful part of town, and it's easy to spend all day wandering the complex and surrounding gardens. It was definitely one of my favorite parts of Valencia, and I did visit a handful of times during my month living in Valencia. If it wasn't so far from my Airbnb, I probably would have visited every day.

I think the Umbracle was one of my favorite parts because it's a very pretty garden and I enjoyed seeing the plants climb the structure and seeing so many birds setting up nests in the rafters. This part of the complex is also free to visit it as its open air. You can walk around the entire outside of the complex for free, and you can buy a bundle ticket to get into the Oceanographic, science museum and IMAX theater if you want.

On top of all the gorgeous and intriguing things to visit in this complex itself, the City of Arts and Sciences Complex is also located at the very final stretch of Valencia's enormous Turia Garden so there is even more to visit in this area. Plus, being at the end of Turia Garden, you're also right next to the Valencia Marina, so you can enjoy the water, too!