Dinopolis Teruel

Teruel province holds extensive Jurassic and Cretaceous deposits, and Dinopolis combines a genuine research institution, the Fundacion Conjunto Paleontologico de Teruel, with a family park. Its museum displays fossils excavated locally, including Turiasaurus riodevensis, a sauropod described in 2006 and among the largest dinosaurs found in Europe, with a reconstructed skeleton, along with material on the province's dig sites and a laboratory visible to visitors. The park side has animatronics, rides, a 3D cinema and shows. Six satellite centres across the province, at Rubielos de Mora, Galve, Albarracin, Castellote, Ariño and Peñarroya, each cover a local site, several of them beside actual excavation areas.

What you actually see

• Turiasaurus - a reconstructed sauropod among Europe's largest.
• The working laboratory - fossil preparation visible to visitors.
• The local excavations - material from Teruel's Jurassic and Cretaceous beds.
• The satellite centres - six smaller sites across the province.

When to go

April to October, when the main park and most satellites are open; opening is seasonal and many satellites run only in summer and at holidays. Teruel summers are hot, though the park is largely indoors.

Honest expectations

The park mixes serious palaeontology with animatronic entertainment, which suits families but can frustrate visitors wanting the science alone. Opening days are limited outside summer. Satellite centres have their own restricted calendars.

Nearby

Teruel's Mudejar towers are in the city; Albarracin lies west.