City of Arts and Sciences

The City of Arts and Sciences is an ensemble of six areas built at the end of the dry Turia river bed, now turned into a public park. Like almost all sights in Valencia its name has two variations, one in Spanish (Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias), and one in Valencian (Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències).

Designed mostly by internationally renowned architect Santiago Calatrava , this city of glass and white steel is an impressive example of modern, biomorphic architecture, and has become one of Valencia’s most recognisable symbols.

The City of Arts, with its museums and cultural centres, is surrounded by promenades and pools of water. Locals and visitors alike can be found strolling in the area day and night, relaxing and admiring the otherworldly, clean-cut architecture.

The whole complex is thematically tied together by the water elements. Aesthetically, the city is brought alive by the integration of sleek, hyper-modern lines and the taste for biomorphic shapes and traditional heritage elements.

The intensity and weight of the solid, white concrete pillars and smooth surfaces come together with the suspended elements, arches, bridges, staircases and raised promenades. Everything is surrounded by the fluidity of water in the reflecting pools, shiny glass and traditional mosaic tiles.

This technique in particular, known as trencadís, is a modernist Spanish tradition, widely used over many of the concrete surfaces.

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The huge scale, the repeated sharp lines, and the integration of open spaces give the complex an alien, labyrinthic feel. At the same time the smooth, natural shapes and patterns remind us of natural, organic elements: flowers, marine creatures, the human body.

The City’s rigour and smoothness, dwarfing proportions and blinding whites, its symmetry and reflective surfaces, can easily make us feel as if we’re in the presence of something otherworldly and enigmatic, maybe from a distant future, or maybe even prehistoric.

The ensemble truly lives up to its name, allowing its visitors to appreciate the precision, the calculation, the choreography that all go into art; and the imagination, vision, and creativity that go into the craft and science of architecture.

Tickets

As the City of Arts and Sciences is a complex comprising several buildings, you should have a look at the individual tickets for each of them.

You can certainly go to the City of Arts and Sciences and just wander around the open areas, enjoying the promenades and walkways by the water as many locals do. For that there are no entrance tickets or opening times, you can come and go as you please. However, if this is your first time in Valencia, we strongly recommend you take the time to actually visit each building.

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Tickets can either be bought individually or in combinations. If you are in fact interested in visiting more than one building, we recommend these combination tickets, as they are much cheaper than buying each individually.

We also want to remind you that you have a 15% discount on the majority of City of Arts entrance tickets with a Valencia Tourist card. If you want more information about these discounts, you can check out our article about the Valencia Tourist Card.

Here we have put together a table of prices for all buildings that require a ticket in the City of Arts and Sciences.

Here we have gathered the various combination tickets available. You can get these at any of the venues for which they are valid, or at a tourist info point.

As for the Palau de les Arts, you can either get a guided tour of the building or get a ticket for one of the shows.

Opening Hours

Visiting all the six areas will probably take you an entire day, so we suggest you make a day trip out of your City of Arts and Sciences visit.

Normally, all buildings are open 365 days a year, but special occasions might imply the closure of the establishments and public holidays might change opening and closing times.

Hemisfèric

Open: Every day, 10:00 am until the start of the last session

Check the screening program  for specific times.

Science Museum

Open: Every day

Summer: 10:00 am - 9:00 pm

Spring/Autumn: 10:00 am - 7:00 pm

Winter: 10:00 am - 6:00 pm

Oceanogràfic

Open: Every day

Summer: 10:00 am - 8:00 pm

Autumn/Winter/Spring: 10:00 am - 6:00 pm

Palau de les Arts

Regular Hours: Monday-Friday, 10:30 am - 5:30 pm

Performance Days: Opens 2 hours before curtain time until show begins

Àgora

Regular Hours: Monday-Sunday, 10:00 am - 8:00 pm

Special Days: December 24, December 31, January 5: 10:00 am - 6:00 pm

Location

The complex is located south-east of Valencia’s city centre, along the south-facing side of the Turia’s final sections (tramos in Spanish). In fact, it runs between three tramos (the 14th to the last one), and two whole streets.

The City’s first building, the opera house, can be found in Avenida del Professor López Piñero. The complex runs the whole length of this street until, at the height of the Pont l’Assut de l’Or, it changes name to Carrer d’Eduardo Primo Yúfera. The Ciudad runs the entire length of this street too.

The harbour can be found not too far from the Oceanogràfic, the last building in the complex.

How to Get There

Even though the location is not central, the City of Arts and Sciences’ status as a complex of great interest and cultural value, ensures that it remains well connected to the rest of the city.

Because of its position, we recommend you get there by public transportation, taxi, or bike rather than on foot.

By Metro or Tram

There aren’t many metro stops close to the City of Arts. In fact, the closest one would be Alameda, about 1.8 km away (20-minute walk). This modern metro station was designed by Santiago Calatrava, the same architect who designed the City of Arts and Sciences itself. Lines 3, 5, 7, and 9 all stop here.

Much closer to the City of Arts, you’ll find two stops belonging to tram line 10. The stations, Ciutat Arts i Ciències and Oceanogràfic, are in correspondence with the homonymous complex and its aquarium.

By Bus

There are various bus stops by the City of Arts and Sciences. The main lines that stop in more than one spot along the street are lines 15, 24, 25, and 95, with a couple more lines making only one stop.

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Here you have a summary of the bus lines, routes, and stops you should use to reach the Ciudad de Artes.

By Taxi

Taxis are obviously the most comfortable option to move around the city, but they are also the most expensive.

This means of transport is ideal if you want door-to-door service or you are tired from walking around. Who knows, you might even get some good recommendations from the driver. It is normally quite easy to hail a taxi in the street in Valencia, but other options are also booking through a mobile app or through a phone call.

By Bike

Valencia is a very bike-friendly city, so we always recommend exploring it this way.

There are various bike lanes leading to the City of Arts and Sciences, you can check them out on the official map. On the same map, you will also see that there are three Valenbisi stations across the street from the City of Arts and Sciences.

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Remember that the complex is located by the last section of the Turia gardens, which means you can always cycle through the park to get to the City of Arts.

This complex is also a very popular stop for many bike tours offered in the city. This way you won’t be able to stop to visit each building on its own, but you’ll see how to get there from the city centre, usually going through the park.

By Scooter

Electric scooters are an ever-more popular transport solution in Valencia. They are ideal if you want to move independently around the city and you don’t want to get stuck in traffic, but you don’t like cycling or walking.

Many scooter-sharing companies offer rental plans that let you pay per minute of use and nothing else.

You can park and drive your scooter within a designated area in the city’s urban zone, and luckily for you, the City of Arts and Sciences definitely falls within these limits.

On Foot

As mentioned, the City of Arts and Sciences is a little farther away from Valencia’s centre than other sights. It is located roughly between the city centre and the harbour, about half an hour walk in either direction. This means that if you intend to quickly pop by to check it out from the outside, walking should not be your first choice.

That said, if you are going to spend your day there, we recommend doing what many locals do. That is enjoying a relaxing walk along the Turia park, starting at any point you want, and slowly making your way to the last sections, where the City of Arts and Sciences is located.

For example, walking from the Torres de Serranos through the Turia park and until the Ciudad de Artes will take you about 40 minutes (about 3 km or about 1.8 miles).

Buildings of the Complex

Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias is an ensemble of six areas and buildings that rises at the end of the dry Turia river bed, now turned Turia garden. The complex occupies an area of about 350,000 square metres (about 3.7 million square feet).

These elements are, from north to south, the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía, the Hemisfèric, the Museu de les Ciències Príncipe Felipe, the Umbracle in front of it, and on the other side of the Assut de l’Or bridge, the Àgora and the Oceanogràfic.

Palacio de las Artes Reina Sofía

The Palacio de las Artes Reina Sofía (Queen Sofia Palace of the Arts) is an arts centre dedicated to music and the scenic arts. It acts as an opera house and has hosted many cultural events such as dance performances, theatre and music in its auditoriums.

The centre, also called Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía in Valencian, is possibly the most visually enigmatic building in the City of Arts. It nonetheless retains a strong presence with its appearance, reminiscent of a sea vessel, spacecraft, or even a shark (El Tiburón), as many in Valencia call it.

This magnificent structure is surrounded by more than 71,000 square metres (equivalent to about 764,238 square feet) of landscape and water.

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The building is shielded to the sides by two laminated steel shells. What resembles a floating feather covers the top of the building. Its interior platforms are interconnected through stairways and panoramic lifts.

The Palau de les Arts is equipped with large stages and the latest technology, which helps bring to life all sorts of opera, plays, musical and dance performances.

If you want to learn more about this venue, you can check out our article about the Palacio de las Artes Reina Sofía.

L´Hemisfèric

The Hemisfèric was the first building in the City of Arts and Sciences to be completed, in 1998. It is an audio-visual space that houses a planetarium, 3D screen, and IMAX Cinema.

It was designed to look like a futuristic, mechanical eye, open to the world and the stars above. Being inside it feels like being inside a gargantuan, bionic creature. The ovoid roof contains in its interior the large sphere (the iris of the eye), which constitutes the projection room.

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At night, the figure is completed by the symmetrical reflection in the surrounding pool. Like other elements in the City of Arts, the Hemisfèric integrates and connects interiors and exteriors, by opening up the brise-soleil on the facade.

If you want to know more about this building, have a look at our article about the Hemisfèric.

Museo de las Ciencias Príncipe Felipe

Museo de las Ciencias Príncipe Felipe (Prince Philip Science Museum) is a dynamic, interactive museum with five floors dedicated to science, technology and the environment.

Most of the space is devoted to hands-on exhibitions, both permanent and temporary. The Museum also hosts major cultural and scientific events.

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This monumental building resembling the skeleton of a pre-historic whale is a colossus made up of pillars and arches, pure, defined lines, hypnotic in their repetition and symmetry.

From its terraces, you can enjoy spectacular views over the entire city and the Turia park.

If you want more info on this, we have an article about the Museo de las Ciencias Príncipe Felipe.

L’Umbracle

The Umbracle is an urban public garden, a gateway to the City of Arts. The whole construction stands on top of the underground car park dedicated to the Ciudad de Artes visitors.

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The modern construction, which stands right in front of the Museo de las Ciencias and the Hemisfèric, features a series of parallel parabolic arches.

These provide shade to a long garden of palms and other Mediterranean plants, whose colours and appearance change constantly throughout the seasons of the year. During the summer months, a section of the space also becomes an open-air nightclub after dark.

If you want to read more about this space, you can check our article about the Umbracle.

L’Àgora

The Àgora is a covered and versatile space designed to hold events such as concerts, exhibitions, seminars, conventions and even sporting events.

The glass and metal structure, with its pointed ellipse shape, is reminiscent of a giant whale, silently leaping out of the surrounding waters.

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The venue hosted the Valencia Open 500 ATP between 2009 and 2015, and it now hosts the new CaixaForum Valencia, an unconventional cultural space. The centre is dedicated to the promotion of knowledge and culture, with exhibitions focused on ancient civilisations, technological developments, and various artistic disciplines.

Lectures, performances, social events and educational workshops are routinely held here. You can expect to find aromatic plant gardens, a floating lecture hall, and fluid shapes. The space is conceived to resemble a living organism, keeping in tone with the biomorphic and futuristic appearance of the City of Arts and Sciences.

If you want to know more about this building, have a look at our article about the Àgora.

Oceanogràfic

The Oceanogràfic’s buildings almost seem to float like pond flowers in the waters of the City of Arts, their curved surfaces reflecting the nearby environment.

Inside is Europe’s largest aquarium, made up of several underwater halls, all connected through floating walkways and gardens.

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This research and leisure centre is composed of many separate areas, meant to represent the most important marine ecosystems on the planet.

The aquarium hosts around 45,000 animals from 500 different species, including penguins, dolphins, giant tortoises, beluga whales, and crocodiles. A visit to it is almost mandatory when you come to Valencia.

If you would like to learn more about this amazing centre, we have a whole article dedicated to the Oceanogràfic.

Useful Tips for Your Visit

Here you have our recommendations and tips to make sure that you make the most of your experience and you don’t miss out on anything the City of Arts and Sciences has to offer.

• Even though the City of Arts and Sciences itself is open 365 days of the year, the individual museums or buildings have their own timetables. Make sure to check that all the buildings you want to visit are open before you go to avoid any surprises when you arrive. You can do so on the City of Art and Sciences timetable page .
• Seeing as the complex has so many buildings and museums, a visit can easily take an entire day. We recommend you take breaks between one museum visit and the other by lounging around the open areas. In the warmer months, you can even try out some of the water activities in the shallow pools, like renting a water bike or a kayak.
• There are a few restaurants inside the various buildings of the complex, most of them inside the Oceanogràfic. However, you might not find as large a variety of choices as you would like, and they might be particularly busy around lunchtime.
• An alternative is going to the nearby Saler shopping centre. There you will find many more restaurants, cafes, and fast food venues than in Ciudad de Artes or the surrounding areas ( view map ).
• If you want, you can also bring your own lunch and have a picnic in the outside areas.
• We recommend you go see the incredible Pont de l'Assut de l'Or, the bridge in the middle of the complex.
• The City of Arts and Sciences, with its open spaces, its shallow waters, its massive and almost otherworldly architecture makes for a spectacular photo shoot location. If you want to take great pictures, this is the place.
• If you have time, you can take a relaxing stroll through the park to get to the City of Arts and Sciences. If you walk from the old quarters all the way down the Turia gardens, this will take you about 45 minutes.
• Every year in summer, the grounds of the complex become the venue for the Festival de les Arts , a large music, design, and gastronomy festival. During the two-day festival, both internationally recognised and emerging musicians perform at the City of Arts and Sciences.

Accessibility

The buildings of the City of Arts offer quite good accessibility.

Entrance points either have adapted turnstiles or staff available at all times to allow access. Inside routes have, for the most part, no change in levels and smooth, slip-resistant floor surfaces. Where changes in levels are present, access ramps are available. Doors and corridors are at least 120 cm wide.

There are accessible routes for persons with reduced mobility between buildings and floors. Lifts connect all floors inside the buildings, with some requiring authorisation from staff.

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Enclosed areas within the buildings (shops, bars, restaurants) either have no doors, glass doors that allow visual contact with the inside, or adapted doors. Adapted toilets for people with reduced mobility are available.

The Umbracle underground car park has reserved parking spaces. Accessible routes with adapted lifts to each building are available.

For more in-depth information about each building, you can check out the Ciudad de Artes accessibility page .

Curiosities

While we can’t possibly tell you all there is to know about this spectacular cultural complex and its components, we can give you little snippets. The rest, you’ll have to come and find out for yourself. We are certain that it will be beyond your imagination like it was for us.

Whispering Arches

In the City of Arts and Sciences you can have a conversation with someone that is 50 metres away from you (about 164 feet), without using a phone and without raising your voice above normal conversation levels.

If you place yourself at one end of the entrance arches of the Science Museum, facing the wall, you will be able to hold a normal conversation with someone standing at the other end, while being almost 50 metres (about 164 feet) away from each other.

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This is because the structure plays with sound in such a way that the acoustic waves from one end of the arch are channelled through the structure, instead of being scattered in all directions like they normally would, thus being able to reach the other end.  

Water Activities

You can do a number of activities in the shallow and ample waters that snake through the City of Arts and Sciences. Every year starting in March, the complex offers its visitors the possibility to rent water bikes, kayaks, and water balls, especially in the areas surrounding the Hemisfèric. The activities are normally available until the weather holds up, in autumn.

Water balls are large plastic balloons that get inflated with air and close hermetically once you’re inside. They are 2 metres (about 6.5 feet) in diameter and inside them, you’ll have the sensation of walking on water. The activity costs €5.00 euros for 10 minutes.

Kayaks and small boats are also available for rentals. The activity cost €2.50 per person for 10 minutes. You can, of course, rent them for however long your want. Kayaks hold up to two people, while the boats up to six.

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Water bikes are boards on which you stand that can be manoeuvred through a handlebar. They move thanks to the fins underneath, powered by your feet on the board, which you will move as you do on a step machine. The rental costs €5.00 euros every 10 minutes.

Rental hours are the same for all activities, and they go from Monday to Sunday from 10:30 am to 7:30 pm.

The Harp of Valencia

The Pont de l’Assut de l’Or is a single-pylon cable-stayed bridge. This means that the bridge has one tower (pylon), from which cables support the bridge deck, forming a harp-string-like pattern. It is precisely because of this that Valencians call the structure the Harp Bridge (Puente del Arpa), or, perhaps a bit less elegantly, the Ham Holder (Jamonero).

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To take in the composition and the back-curved pylon, it is best to admire the bridge from a distance, either side of the City of Arts and Sciences. This pylon, or mast, represents the highest point of the city, 127 metres (about 417 feet) from the ground.

To appreciate the huge scale of the bridge though, it’s essential to cross it. This way you’ll be able to see the 29 cables sustaining the 180 metres (590 feet) long deck.

The City of Arts and Sciences on the Screen

This enormous, futuristic complex creates a landscape that looks straight out of a Denis Villeneuve sci-fi movie. It has in fact been used as a film and tv location more than once.

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A Doctor Who episode, the second episode of the tenth series, Smile, was filmed here. The complex was also featured in the George Clooney film Tomorrowland. The location appears as the headquarters of the company DELOS in the third season of the HBO series Westworld.

Brief history

The astounding complex, now listed as one of Spain’s 12 Treasures , took almost ten years to complete, and cost four times the initial budget. This iconic landmark rises from what used to be the Turia river bed. We will briefly retrace the main steps of its history.

Catastrophic Flooding (1957)

After a catastrophic flooding in 1957, the Turia river was diverted to the southern section of the city. The old riverbed was turned into a lush park that snakes through the city for about ten kilometres (a little over 6 miles). The park is now a leisure area with footpaths and bike lanes.

The Inspiration (1989)

The president of the Valencian government, Joan Lerma, visited the Cité des Sciences et de l’Industrie in Paris. He was so inspired by the complex that he decided to propose a similar project for Valencia.

Early Development (1990-1995)

A project for a “City of Sciences” was officially presented to the Generalitat and renowned architect Santiago Calatrava (a Valencia native) was brought on board. This development stage included many years of political, economic, and administrative setbacks.

Foundation of the City of Arts and Sciences Limited Company (1996)

When the Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias, S.A. (equivalent to a public limited company) was founded, the Valencian Government put in place the definitive project for a cultural complex dedicated to the promotion of technology, innovation, art and culture

Félix Candela brought on board (1996)

Architect Félix Candela (Calatrava’s teacher) was commissioned to design an oceanographic park.

Beginning of construction (1996)

In July 1996, the first stages of construction began on the Hemisfèric.

Inauguration of the complex (1998)

On 16 April 1998, the City of Arts and Sciences was inaugurated with the opening of the Hemisfèric.

Inauguration of the Science Museum (2000)

On 13th November 2000, the Museo de las Ciencias Príncipe Felipe was opened to the public.

Inauguration of the Umbracle (2001)

In 2001, the Umbracle was completed.

Inauguration of the Oceanogràfic (2003)

The aquarium was opened to the public on 14th February 2003.

Inauguration of the Palau (2005)

The Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía (opera house and arts centre) was inaugurated on 9th October 2005, Valencian Community Day.

Award to the Complex (2007)

The City of Arts and Sciences was nominated one of the 12 Treasures of Spain.

Inauguration of the Àgora (2009)

The most recent building in the complex, L’Àgora, was opened in 2009 to host the Valencia Open 500 ATP tournament, although the construction works were not completely finished.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here you can find quick answers to all of your questions. Linked, you’ll find the articles or the sections of the articles that can give you more detailed information.

What is the City of Arts and Sciences?

The City of Arts and Sciences is a futuristic complex, an ensemble of six cultural venues dedicated to the promotion of art and science.

What is the City of Arts and Sciences known for?

The complex is known for its spectacular and state of the art architecture, as well as for its cultural venues and museums.

Where is the City of Arts and Sciences?

The City of Arts and Sciences is southeast of Valencia’s city centre. It is located in the Quatre Carreres district, not far from the beaches and port area.

What’s the style of the City of Arts and Sciences in Valencia?

The complex is a futuristic structure and a great example of biomorphic architecture. This is a style that uses natural and organic shapes and patterns.

When was the City of Arts and Sciences built?

Works on the site began in 1996 and the complex was inauguarted in 1998. However, the individual buildings were completed over the years, until the last one was opened in 2009.

What are the City of Arts and Sciences’ opening times?

The City of Arts and Sciences itself is always open, however, the opening times to access the individual venues vary depending on season and day of the week.

You can have a look at each of them in the relevant section of this article.

How much does it cost to visit the City of Arts and Sciences?

Access to the City of Arts and Sciences complex is free. Access to the individual venues, however, is not.

You can have a look at the various ticket options and their prices in the relevant section of this article. Discounts (including Valencia Tourist Card discounts) apply.

What is the best way to get to the City of Arts and Sciences?

The City of Arts and Sciences is a bit far away from Valencia’s city centre, so we suggest you get there by bus or tram. If you have free time to spare, you can also consider getting there with a bike or even on foot.

Can I bike to the City of Arts and Sciences?

Of course you can. In fact, many locals cycle through the Turia Park to the City of Arts and Sciences during the weekend. Valencia also has plenty of bike paths all around the city and along its normal streets.

If you’d like to know more about cycling in Valencia, you can check out our article about it.

What buses take me to the City of Arts and Sciences?

Bus lines 13, 15, 24, 25, 35, and 95 all stop in front of the City of Arts and Sciences.

If you’d like to know more about Valencia’s bus system, you can check out our article about it.

What metro lines take me to the City of Arts and Sciences?

Metro lines 3, 5, 7, and 9 are the lines that get the closest to the complex. The best stop is Alameda, although we would recommend other methods of transport over the metro.

If you’d like to know more about Valencia’s metro system, you can read our article about it.

What tram lines take me to the City of Arts and Sciences?

The tram is one of the best ways to reach the City of Arts and Sciences in Valencia. Tram line 10 passes right by the City of Arts and Sciences and has two stops in front of the complex. They are Ciutat Arts i Ciències and Oceanogràfic.

If you’d like to know more about Valencia’s tram network, you can check out our article about it.

Are there any Valenbisi stations near the City of Arts and Sciences?

Of course. There are three Valenbisi stations right by the City of Arts and Sciences.If you’d like to know more about Valenbisi, you can check out our article about it.

Can I drive and park an electric scooter near the City of Arts and Sciences?

Absolutely yes. The City of Arts and Sciences is outside the no-park zone, which you can see on your app’s map.

You can learn more about electric scooters and how to get one in Valencia in our dedicated article.

Nearby Places of Interest

The City of Arts finds itself somewhat between the city centre and the harbour (a 30-minute walk either way). This makes the Ciudad not as close to many sights as the other landmarks in the city. Nevertheless, there are still a few things you’ll find in the vicinity.

In any case, we want to remind you that if you intend to visit the City and all its buildings in their entirety on the same day, you won’t have time for much else.