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Valencia Travel Guide

Valencia

The City of Arts and Sciences in Valencia, avant-garde work of architects Santiago Calatrava and Félix Candela, is a large complex dedicated to providing scientific and cultural information. Children can discover the fascinating world of nature and science in an enjoyable and original manner. Making use of interactive games, experiments, works of theatre, workshops and projections, along with the explanations of the guides, youngsters have a unique opportunity to discover a world of knowledge where children become protagonists rather than mere visitors. Exhibitions and conferences make the ideal complement to your visit - they all use simple, open language and terminology, to be understood by all. This special complex has various areas, each dedicated to its own specialty. Once you have passed l'Umbracle, an enormous green area with thousands of plants and trees, its interior decorated with sculptures by contemporary artists, you enter a spectacular building with hanging platforms and a huge glass wall. This is the Prince Felipe Science Museum, offering a new and completely original museum concept: it is forbidden not to touch. The idea is to make visitors experiment with science and new technologies.

In the complex you will also find the L'Espai dels Xiquets, an area directed at children aged 3-6 where, with the help of staff, they can learn to build a house working as a team, or explore the human organism. There are many possibilities for the youngest visitors in this area because everything is designed to feed their curiosity. Games, competitions, dialogues between actors playing famous scientists, exhibitions, simulated space walks, experiments, magic tricks, riddles, workshops… Everything counts to show that science is not just fascinating, but fun too.

The City of Arts and Sciences...

The Historical Centre of the City

From the foundation of Valencia Edetanorum, in the year 138 before Christ, the Romanization of the territory and the period of Augusto, the most brilliant in the roman Valencian life, was complete. Joined to the Visigoth monarchy in the 6th century, passing to the Muslim dominion in the year 714, a period in which acquired a greater domain, benefiting the agricultural development in its surroundings. In the 10th century, Valencia fully entered into the Politics of Al-Andalus, giving it the distinction as the crew capital. The weakness of this situation made it possible, in 1094, for CID Campeador to conquer the city, later falling to the Almoravid in 1102. Throughout the centuries, the numerous historic events have left their footprints on the city, enriching its patrimony, until converting to what we see today: one of the most important Spanish cities for its cultural atmosphere and its economy, in the capital of the Land of Valencia.

Las Fallas

Valencia, with thousands of bulbs in garlands and on columns, with all the splendor of an awakening nature, anchored in the revelry of the people, sets up the most spectacular of all festivals, the great pantomime of dramatized life in which they satire current affairs: Las Fallas.

Las Fallas were born in the same entrails of a town. A town that has always been bathed in an atmosphere of sunlight and glittering blue, or the serene romantic nights, among the rural and urban gardens, habitants of little streets and neighborhoods that live in complete naturalness and openness. History: when autumn arrived and nightfall began to set in earlier, the craft workshops schedule was extended into the first hours of nightfall. To light their way through their tasks, they used a small rustic lamp at their feet, usually made of wood, called parot, estai, pagés, pelmodo or perniodol, by the light of these flames continued the work of the apprentice, the craftsmen and the master.

The Natural Park of Albufera

The largest lake in Spain and one of the most important humid areas in the Iberian Peninsula, a place of great ecological interest in which rare species of water birds live. Its rich waters traditionally served fishermen and rice growers, giving the origin of the succulent gastronomy. To taste these, go to the township of El Palmar, a scene which inspired numerous works by Blasco Ibáñez. Here you will find typical dishes like the Paella, el Arroz a Banda, or el All i Pebre with the eels from the lake. After your meal, there is nothing nicer and more relaxing than a boat trip in the Albufera, complemented with the red and gold tones of the setting sun dancing on the water.

The old river bed has been converted into the The Turia Gardens, the green heart of the city. Through its course, play and sport areas have been installed, which makes it an authentic area for recreation and play. On both sides of the shore, you will find some of the main museums, monuments, and areas of tourist attraction, converting this great city park into a real "river of culture".

Jardines del Turia

The old river bed has been converted into the The Turia Gardens, the green heart of the city. Through its course, play and sport areas have been installed, which makes it an authentic area for recreation and play. On both sides of the shore, you will find some of the main museums, monuments, and points of tourist interest, converting this great city park into an real "river of culture".