3 parks in Valencia you have to visit

After you’ve discovered the city, entered multiple museums and visited a few tourist spots, take a break; close your eyes and enjoy the moment. The following parks in Valencia will help you relax.

Valencia is a marvelous city, full of tourist attractions and beautiful places to visit. But after a while, you need to take a break and relax. In that moment, you should visit the following three parks in Valencia.

1. Jardines del Túria

This park was the first of the three parks in Valencia we visited. We can still remember how our friend took us with his car to Torres de Serranos (the old cities gateway), how we crossed the road and entered Jardines del Túria — a park, that is impossible to miss because it’s right next to the historic city centre. It’s also quite big, no less than nine kilometres long and it can be accessed from all over the city.

Túria Park has been created at the end of the 20th century after a river in the south of the city had to be deflected because of the Great Flood of Valencia in 1957. The Catalan architect Ricardo Bofill was responsible for the 120 hectare big project. Today, the park spans from Cabecera Park (next to Bioparc) up to the City of Arts and Sciences; it’s the perfect place for runners, cyclists, families and nature lovers.

In the vicinity of the City of Arts and Sciences is Gulliver, a 70 metres high construction, is the daily playground for many children. Another highlight is Palau de la Musica (official website here), where concerts are held. The beautiful glass building is surrounded by water and high palm trees.

We really enjoyed this park and visited it daily to take a short, calming walk, enjoy a frozen yoghurt or just to relax for a moment and be surrounded by nature.

2. Jardines de Monforte

In our opinion, this little park next to Jardines del Real is the most beautiful place to relax during an ordinary day in Valencia. It offers you some quiet time and clean air; there are also a lot of architectural details you can admire while you take a break from your travelling.

Jardines de Monforte has been designed during the 19th century in a neoclassical style. Originally, it was a private garden for a Valencian banker, who decorated it with fountains, statues, sculptures, trees and flowers.

In 1941, however, it was declared a National Artistic Garden. Therefore, it is now under the state’s protection. Later, in 1970, it became a municipal property; after its restoration, the garden was opened up to the public three years later.

Today, the citizens are allowed to use the garden and yard for marriages. If you are in Valencia, no matter what season it is, visit this garden, choose a bench and spend some relaxing time in this beautiful place.

Address: Plaza de la Legión Española, Valencia

3. Jardines del Real

Having spent so much time in Jardines del Túria and Jardines de Monforte, we decided one day that we should visit another park which was equally natural and quiet. We arrived in Jardines del Real, where up until 1810, the now vanished Real Palace had been. The garden had been used as a seedbed for many years when Philip the II planted lemon and orange trees to beautify his garden.

In 1869, the garden was given up to the provincial council of Valencia; and that gave up the garden in 1903 to the local council so that it could be used by the town as a seedbed. However, a part of the garden was sold to create orchards. From 1912 onward, the garden was transformed into a public park for the citizens of Valencia.

Today, the park includes palm trees, numerous sculptures, monumental fountains and a splendid rose garden. It also has a big cage that was built in 1933 and houses different bird species. In Jardines del Real, you can find a lake with a waterfall, that ducks and swans call their home. Not to forget, the park has an impressive collection of plants and flowers:

• begonia
• cactus
• clove pink
• ficus
• pine-tree
• fir-tree
• cypress-tree

A whole hour we wandered around the park’s alleys. Even if it wasn’t a sunny day like usually, we never stopped exploring every corner of the park. Inside it, you can find the Museum of Natural Arts (Museo de Ciencias Naturales) — another reason to visit Jardines del Real.

Address: General Elio, 1, Valencia

Museo de Ciencias Naturales

We were in Jardines del Real and the weather was not very friendly on that day in February so we decided to go into the Museum of Natural Arts. It’s been open to the public since the 19th century and hosts all kinds of collections from all around the world.

Some expositions in Museo de Ciencias Naturales are permanent, for example:

1. Technology and science: The museum tries to recreate an old scientific cabinet from the 19th century; you can find here an old optic microscope from 1910 and an electric version from 1963. Both demonstrate that scientific progress is nearly always attached to technological progress.
2. The history of life and its evolution on Earth: A memorable ride through-out the history of planet Earth, illustrated by fossils from all over the world. Especially interesting is the collection Rodrigo Botet, which is the best example of South American palaeontology you can see in Europe.
3. Eduardo Rosello’s malacology collection: It contains seashells from around the world but also some from Valencia.
4. Ecosystems from Valencia: Diagrams and videos present natural areas around Valencia, for example, Albufera, El Saler and Devesa, which we will visit the next time we are in Valencia.

Museo de Ciencias Naturales is definitely worth a visit; it regularly has temporal expositions and pedagogic activities. The entrance fee is two euros; on Sundays and public holidays, it’s free. If you bought a tourist card, you can visit the museum for free. Take your time to visit Museo de Ciencias Naturales because it will take around 40 minutes to see everything it offers.

Address: Calle General Elio, 46010 Valencia