Oceanografic Valencia

The Oceanografic anchors Valencia's City of Arts and Sciences - Santiago Calatrava's white futurist ensemble in the old Turia riverbed - with the largest aquarium in Europe: opened in 2003 beneath Felix Candela's swooping thin-shell pavilions, it holds some 45,000 animals of around 500 species in habitats that march from the Mediterranean through the tropics to the Arctic, across about 110,000 square metres and some 42 million litres of water. The showpieces earn their queues - an underwater tunnel among Europe's longest slides you beneath cruising sharks and rays, belugas patrol the Arctic dome, and the wetland aviary and Mediterranean tanks reward slower attention than the crowd-pleasers get. Around it, the rest of the complex - the eye-shaped Hemisferic, the ribbed science museum, the Palau de les Arts opera house - makes the walk between buildings half the spectacle, best of all reflected in the shallow pools at dusk.

The main sights

• The shark tunnel - one of Europe's longest underwater walks.
• The Arctic dome - belugas circling under white shells.
• The Candela pavilions - thin-shell architecture worth the visit alone.
• The City of Arts ensemble - Calatrava's white futurism reflected in pools.

When to go

Open year-round; summer and holiday weekends bring the longest queues, so book online and arrive at opening. Valencia's mild winters make the off-season a comfortable, thin-crowd visit.

Things to know

Tickets are expensive, and the food outlets inside price accordingly - budget properly for a family day. Peak-season crowds bottleneck at the tunnel and dolphin stands. Allow evening time outside: the complex at dusk, lit and mirrored in its pools, is free and unforgettable.

Nearby

The Turia gardens, Valencia's old town and the Malvarrosa beach front.

Key facts