Discover the Cité des Arts et des Sciences

Who says science can't be fun? In this enormous concrete structure built in the shape of a dinosaur skeleton, and inaugurated on 13 November 2000, experimentation is king! The museum's slogan is "Don't touch, don't smell, don't think".

As you will have gathered, the centre is designed to be fun and interactive. On 4 levels, each covering 8,000 m², it offers a wide range of exciting interactive exhibitions on a variety of scientific subjects, including electricity, the laws of physics, the study of the human body, the big bang, astronomy, sound and light, life and the genome, and much more besides. The museum also regularly organises workshops andlectures on scientific themes for all ages.

The ground floor is accessible without an entrance, where you will usually find a temporary exhibition, some shops, toilets and a restaurant. However, you will need to buy an entrance ticket to visit the rest of the museum.

The permanent exhibitions include "CosmoCaixa", which takes you on a journey of discovery of the universe and its laws. " Man and the Sea" will introduce you to the seabed and the creatures that inhabit it. Finally,"Children and Science" is specially designed for the very young, offering them a wide range of activities and experiments to help them discover science in a fun way.

Other remarkable features of the museum include the enormous sculpture of the DNA chain, and the gigantic 34-metre-long Foucault pendulum, one of the largest in the world.

By the end of your visit, you'll know all about the age of the dinosaurs, zero gravity, the conquest of space and the evolution of the mobile phone!

Housed in a superb whale-shaped building,Oceanogràfic is Europe's largest aquarium, with over 500 different species of 45,000 marine animals, including sharks, beluga whales, walruses, sea lions, penguins and manta rays.

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One of the main highlights of Oceanogràfic is its underwater tunnel, allowing visitors to walk underwater and observe the animals up close. The aquarium also has a wave pool where you can swim with the dolphins, and an adventure course where you can learn while having fun in the trees.

In addition to these attractions, Oceanogràfic is also committed to the research and conservation of marine life. It has its own research centre and works with scientists from all over the world to study and protect the oceans. If you're looking for an exciting and educational day out in Spain, Valencia's Oceanogràfic is a destination not to be missed.

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The aquarium is divided into nine different themed zones, each habitat highlighting a distinct marine ecosystem on the planet. You'll find the polar oceans - the Arctic and Antarctic, the islands, the tropical seas, the temperate seas and the Red Sea.

The Mediterranean area: the biological wealth of this sea is illustrated in nine aquariums, each in a different format depending on the habitat presented, with around 7,400 specimens of fish and invertebrates.

Wetlands: A spectacular 26-metre-high sphere simulates the environments of two of the most unique wetlands on the planet: American mangroves and Mediterranean marshes.

Temperate and tropical: You'll discover regions of the Pacific, Atlantic, India and the Caribbean thanks to aquariums linked by a fantastic 70-metre-long underwater tunnel, the longest in Europe.

Oceans: This is Oceanografic's largest aquarium, with a volume of 7 million m2. It represents a journey across the Atlantic, from the Canary Islands to Bermuda, through a tunnel where you can observe species such as the sand shark, cow shark and sunfish, among others.

Antarctica: a colony of penguins is the star attraction in this reconstruction of a rocky cliff, with areas where they lay eggs and raise their young.

Arctic: in a large dome built in the shape of an igloo, walruses and belugas move around on rocky cliffs and blocks of ice.

Islands: located in the open air, this installation is inspired by the islands along the South American coast, which are home to large colonies of Patagonian sea lions.

Red Sea/Underwater Auditorium: A large hall crowned by a roof in the shape of a scallop shell houses the 466-seat auditorium, with a spectacular aquarium representing the Red Sea as a backdrop.

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