This is one gorgeous museum, inside AND out- and the people here are so friendly and helpful. We…read moregot here only 50 minutes before closing, so we had to see it fast, but we would not have missed it for the world. First, the exterior is amazing. Then the interior! Glass and crystal chandeliers. Gorgeous period rooms (carriages on the first floor!) Fabulous paintings- both framed and on the ceilings. Tiles, Vases, Mantel Clocks, Statues, kitchen ware- you name it, you will see it here. If you are familiar with the Decorative Arts Museum and the Romanticismo museum- this is like a combination of those two Madrid museums. It's 5 euros, but free if you have the National Museum Cards for Spain- which can be bought at many of the National Museums of Spain, and which we found to be a good deal, since we love museums. You can take pictures here- but NO flash. We were so happy to be able to take some pictures away to help us remember our experience.

Don't miss this absolutely amazing palace/ceramics museum. What's great about the Museum is that…read morethe price of admission includes a free fifty-minute guided tour in one of many languages - Francesco was our tour guide, and he was fantastic at contextualizing the building, and walking us through the important pieces in the collection. And make time to wonder at the beauty of the building's exterior.

I was surprised to discover well after Jamie W and I came here that this massive complex was built…read morearound the turn of the millennium. Given the retro vibe of the swooping, skeletal design of the entire layout, I would've guessed it was designed in the middle of the 20th century when the Jetsons ruled the Saturday morning airwaves. Designed by local architect Santiago Calatrava, it was actually built over a 13-year period between 1996 and 2009. We knew the City of Arts & Sciences was a must-visit in Valencia, and we took a local bus to disembark at the most visited component, L'Oceanogràfic (Photo 7). It's Europe's largest aquarium, and by far, we spent most of our time here (review: https://yelp.to/WiK7NyEDnr). Our experience with the other key structures basically consisted of strolling the expansive grounds and appreciating the sophistication of Calatrava's organic design. We walked the length of the science museum, Museu de les Ciències (Photo 2) which was followed by a look at the eye-shaped L'Hemisfèric, which houses a planetarium and an IMAX theatre (Photo 3). On the opposite side of the reflecting pool was El Umbracle, an elevated open-air garden (Photo 10). We ended our urban hike at the striking opera house, Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía (Photo 9). One man's unique vision of Valancia's future. RELATED - Exploring Valencia? Here's a collection of places I've visited and reviewed: https://yelp.to/LLaHiolznn

Beautiful architecture. Worth visiting for this alone. I happened to be visiting during a Leonardo…read moreDaVinci exhibit. Just incredible the breadth and depth they went into. Very informative. I really appreciate the cleanliness of the building, the attention to detail within each exhibit, and most notably, the interactive experiences. Each exhibit I visited had multiple interactive opportunities to help engage the audience. Great way to capture the attention of young and old alike; not just walking through looking and reading copious amounts of explanations on the art presented. One star off because some of the exhibits felt disjointed between one another, signage could be better.

How does this castle have no more reviews? This place is absolutely magical. So many people I know…read morevisited Barcelona and they think they know how Spain looks like. For those I would like to point out that Spain is much much more!! Just a short ride from Valencia, situated on a hills above town of Xativa, Xativa Castle predates Roman times. It was believed that in this castle (really a fortress) legendary Hannibal was preparing for the siege of the Roman city Saguntum. So much history here. This fortress has seen it all.. Hannibal, Moors, Spanish war, was used as a prison!! There is a designated parking lot up the hill on the left and it takes just a short 10 min hike uphill from there. We visited at sunset, the colors and shades were spectacular, also visiting in July, mid day visits could be pretty hot since there is little to no shade. There is a restaurant on the top before you hit the toll booth, it was open but we didn't stop by.

Alright, way too much history to discuss in a Yelp review, but let me just say that if you're ever…read morein the region, you have to do the hike up to this incredible castle. Centuries upon centuries of history. From the Almoravid dynasty to the Aragons, you'll be amazed. Just do yourself a favor and hike up to the castle. Yes, there is a shuttle, but getting there is half of the fun! And there's a bar/restaurant on the way up. ¡Salud!