It is interesting to note that the city of Valencia was originally named Valentia in Roman times, which is said to mean strength or vigor. Today, the main attraction for tourists visiting Valencia is the City of Arts and Sciences.

City of Arts and Sciences

The City of Arts and Sciences is a futuristic complex designed by architect Santiago Calatrava for his home city. This constitutes a striking and remarkable architectural form that was begun in July 1996. It should be noted that when visiting this city you are not looking at the history of the area, but rather taking a glance into the future.

The City of Arts and Sciences contains five separate elements, seemingly based upon the inspiration of animal skeletons. The El Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia, opened in 2005 by Queen Sofia, contains an opera house and center for performing arts. There is L'Hemisferic that was the first building to be completed in 1998. This is an astonishing construction that houses an IMAX cinema and planetarium hosting shows and visits. A science museum is featured at El Museu de les Ciencies Principe Felipe that was opened in the year 2000. An underwater city, considered Europe's largest marine park appears in L'Oceanografic and in itself could be a full day's entertainment for visitors. Finally, there is L'Umbracle that is a walkway upon which visitors may walk around for kilometers on beautiful landscaped areas.

An attractive and perhaps rather unusual point that is worth making about the City of Arts and Sciences is that visitors may walk around the city and enjoy the incredible sights for no charge. Entry tickets to particular buildings are sold either individually or entrance to more than one may be purchased at a discounted price. There is also a charge for the purchase of tickets for various performances within the City of Arts and Sciences.

This city within a city provides an unforgettable and impressive sight and is a good example of a site that is difficult for a photograph to do it justice. Although the complex does look extraordinary in a picture, seeing it in real life is a completely different breathtaking experience. The saying 'seeing is believing' is completely appropriate for this location.

Several different types of accommodation are available in the Valencia area. These include hotels, hostels, guest houses, private apartments and even camping sites. There is a wide selection of accommodation options to meet the different budgets of various travelers.

A visit to Valencia certainly produces an enjoyable vacation. Since the creation of the City of Arts and Sciences, many people or even all would say that a trip to Valencia would be incomplete without viewing this area and at the very least, taking a walk around this incredible site.