While Barrio del Carmen is a neighbourhood full of history, its museums are not only dedicated to the ancient history of the city.

They are also devoted to the preservation and investigation of the more contemporary and avant-garde forms of art practised in Valencia. Here are the most important ones.

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Institute of Modern Art

The Instituto Valenciano de Arte Moderno (IVAM) is a modern and contemporary art museum with a permanent collection of about 12,000 works by both Spanish and international artists.

The building also hosts temporary exhibitions, conferences and cultural or artistic events. At the IVAM you can learn and reflect on the ideas and styles that have shaped artistic discourses from the beginning of the 20th century up until now.

The IVAM is at the northwestern edge of the neighbourhood, just where Carrer de na Jordana meets Carrer de Guillem de Castro (view map above).

If you would like to learn more about this museum, you can do so in our article on the IVAM.

Centre del Carme Cultura Contemporània

Centre del Carme (also known as CCCC) is a contemporary culture centre that hosts a wide range of artistic practices representative of current culture.

Among these, you will find visual arts, experimental and performing arts, sound art and design, as well as other branches of thought such as sociology, architecture, urban planning, and medicine.

The centre occupies part of what used to be a 13th-century monastery, the Real Monasterio de Nuestra Señora del Carmen. In fact, it was this monastery to give its name to the Carmen neighbourhood. The other part of the old monastery is today known as Iglesia de la Santa Cruz.

The CCCC is in the eastern section of the Carmen neighbourhood, not far from the Serranos Towers (view map above).

Ethnology Museum

The Museu Valencià d’Etnologia is an ethnology and anthropology museum. Founded after the fall of Franco’s dictatorship, it is devoted to collecting and researching Valencian traditional and popular heritage.

This cultural institution aims to question and investigate the different aspects of Valencian culture and the dynamics that built and developed it, including its interaction with other Mediterranean cultures.

The Museum is located in the Beneficència Cultural Centre, in the western part of the Carmen neighbourhood (view map above).

If you would like to learn more about this museum, you can do so in our dedicated article.

Museu de Prehistòria

The Prehistory Museum, particularly appreciated by children, displays and researches archaeological materials spanning from the Paleolithic to the Visigoths periods. The Museum features permanent exhibitions, temporary exhibitions, restoration workshops, a library, and a teaching department.

The Museum, just like the Ethnology Museum, is also located in the Beneficència Cultural Centre, in the western area of the Carmen neighbourhood (view map).

If you would like to learn more about the Museu, you can do so in our dedicated article.

Casa-Museo José Benlliure

This studio house turned museum will immerse you in the life and works of local painter José Benlliure. You will walk into a permanent exhibition centre, displaying not only the works of the artist but also his home and workshop.

The House Museum offers a unique portrait of turn-of-the-century-Valencia and how wealthy families in the city lived at the time. It is located at the northern edge of the neighbourhood, not too far from the Serranos Towers (view map above).

If you would like to learn more about the Casa-Museo, you can do so in our dedicated article.