The City of Arts and Sciences - Valencia, Spain
Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias
Everyone has seen Baroque, Rennaisance, Gothic...It got boring. How many people can come back from their holiday and boast about the 22nd century architecture they enjoyed on their trip?
No pictures will do it justice. This is one of those things you have to see no matter how much you hate the crowds and tourist traps, like the Sagrada Familia of Barcelona or Machu Picchu of Peru. Only this time you are transported into the future, not into the past.
The City of Arts and Sciences is a huge futuristic educational complex designed for Valencia by the famous Spanish architect Santiago Calatrva, as a present to his home city. Calatrava's vision is that of the space age, inspired by animal skeletons.
You can enjoy it for free, unless you want to go inside and explore what it has to offer - the City is much more than the pretty face, offereing amazing entertainment and education on an unprecendeted in Europe level.
The City of Arts and Sciences is composed of 5 elements (below), all bound together in a luxurious lanscape of clear water spaces and greenery. It is truly a city withing a city - you will find yourself far, far away from Valencia, on some distant planet in a distant time.
Some parts around it are still work in progress - the 6th and final construction has only just commenced and thats why the park around the Oceanographic has to wait to be completed. Although this makes a few corners unsightly, generally it doesn't make a big impact on the stunning experience you will receive.
See Gallery of the City of Arts and Sciences
See Gallery of the City of Arts and Sciences
Prices
The CAS operates a complex price system which will give you
discounts if you choose more than one installation. The tickets are valid
for two (even if non-consecutive) days - you simply cant enter the same
place twice.
View
the prices on the CAS webite.
Opening Hours
The opening hours are 10am - 6pm most of the year, with longer
hours in the summer. It is recommendable to see the City both by day and
by night, if you can - the City changes completely.
View opening times on the CAS website:
L'Oceanografic
L'Hemisferic
(+ timetable of the movies)
Museo
de Ciencies
Getting there
View
interactive map on Google Maps
Bus: No 19, 35, 95, 40. If you take a bus map from a
tourist office,
you will see where to catch the bus from wherever you are.
Taxi: will cost 6 - 7 euros from the city centre.
Walk! Why not? It is not far from the centre - perhaps
30-40 minutes, and you can see the best part of the Turia
river garden, something you must see anyway. Just enjoy the pleasant
stroll in that beauty and watch the City of Arts and Sciences slowly approaching
from the horizon. It is an amazing experience.