Hotels near City of Arts and Sciences

Topping every list of things to do in Valencia, the City of Arts and Sciences (Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias) is Santiago Calatrava and Félix Candela's vision in white concrete - a futuristic complex of museums, IMAX, opera house, and aquarium dropped into the diverted Turia riverbed between 1998 and 2009.

Five landmark buildings make up the complex: the Hemisfèric (an eye-shaped IMAX cinema and planetarium), the Príncipe Felipe Science Museum (interactive exhibits beneath a 220m skeleton-like canopy), the Umbracle (a curved promenade with sculptures and Mediterranean plants), the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía opera house, and L'Àgora event space. The reflecting pools that surround them turn the whole site into a mirror at sunset, and the architecture has been used as a filming location for productions including Westworld and Tomorrowland. Allow at least half a day to explore properly.

Pro Tip: Buy the 3-attraction combo ticket online (Hemisfèric, Science Museum, Oceanogràfic) for around 41 EUR - it saves about 15 EUR versus walk-up prices and skips the queue. Visit the science museum first when energy is high, then break for an early lunch at one of the kiosks along the Umbracle before continuing.