Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències
Designed mainly by native son Santiago Calatrava, this sprawling futuristic complex is the home of Valencia's Museu de les Ciències (Science Museum), Hemisfèric (Hemispheric Planetarium), Oceanogràfic (Oceanographic Park), Palau de les Arts (Palace of the Arts, an opera house and cultural center), Umbracle (plant house), and Àgora, a cultural exhibition center by CaixaForum. With resplendent buildings resembling crustaceans, the Ciutat appeals to architecture buffs and kids alike.
The Science Museum has soaring platforms filled with lasers, holograms, simulators, hands-on experiments, and a swell "zero gravity" exhibition on space exploration. The eye-shape planetarium projects 3D virtual voyages on its huge IMAX screen. At Oceanogràfic (the work of architect Felix Candela), home to one of the largest aquariums in Europe, you can take a submarine ride through a coastal marine habitat.
