The city is surrounded by completely different urban landscapes; avant garde and historic architecture, beaches, lakes and magic gardens. Valencia has plenty of green and open spaces that enhance the beauty of the city. Below is a list of open-air areas to enjoy fresh air, nature and wildlife.

Open Air Areas

Turia Park

In the 1950’s Valencia suffered a massive and rainfall so heavy that the Turia River burst its banks and flooded the city. The solution for this was to divert the river to an enormous flood channel that rounds the city, and make the old riverbed into a superb park, which circles the historic heart of Valencia. Along all its sections, there is a great variety of trees, bushes, flowers, in addition to playgrounds, entertainment areas and sporting facilities for running, soccer, rugby and basketball.

Some major attractions are the state-of-the-art zoo Bioparc in the Cabecera Park, The Turia Athletics Stadium, The Giant Gulliver, the excellent open-air summer festival, La Filmoteca d’Estiu, when cult and foreign films are shown in the gardens of the Music Palace, and the emblematic City of Arts and Sciences.

• See on Google Maps

Turia Bridges

From old to ultramodern, the Turia bridges reflects the city’s surprising diversity. There are plenty of them to explore while walking along the parks and gardens.


The most modern bridges were designed by Santiago Calatrava, also the architect of the City of Arts and Sciences. One of them, the Puente de Las Artes, is so called since it’s situated next to the Valencian Modern Art Museum. In the Puente Nueve de Octubre, placed at the beginning of the river, predominates the steel structures at the ends of the bridge. Valencians have dubbed the Calatrava bridge the “Peineta” (the typical Spanish ornamental comb). The bridge, along with being a new and important landmark within the city, affords a privileged spot from which to watch all the firework displays during the Fallas festival, among others. The latest creation by this architect is the Puente L’Assut d’Or or Serreria Bridge, which is situated next to the City of Arts and Sciences. The bridge is sustained by cables tautened to a mast that rises 125 metres from the riverbed with an inclination of 46 degrees.


The Puente de las Flores is situated between the Paseo de la Ciudadela and the Avenida de la Alameda. The most prominent features of its design are the simplicity of its shape and total aesthetic compatibility with the River Turia gardens. Half the width of the bridge is to be used for gardens and pedestrian areas.

The Puente de Aragon was designed by the engineers Arturo Monfort, José Burguera and Gabriel Leyda. It takes its name from the old Aragon railway station, which no longer exists. The bridge is a continuation of the Gran Vía Marqués del Turia avenue towards the port. The bridge was designed in the Rationalist style.


The Puente del Angel Custodio was designed by the Municipal Engineer Arturo Piera. It connects the old inner ring road between Eduardo Boscá and Peris y Valero. Recently, the bridge has been equipped with cast iron street lamps reminiscent of 19th century Paris.
One of the oldest bridges is the Puente de San Jose, the first records of its existence date back to 1383, when it was little more than a small wooden bridge. The Puente de la Trinidad was also built around the 14th century on the remains of another stone bridge which was swept away in a flood. It is the oldest of the Gothic bridges.

The Puente del Real is situated where, at the beginning of the Reconquest, there used to be a wooden bridge which allowed access to the Convent of Santo Domingo. After the River Turia flooded several times, the old bridge became more and more dilapidated and it could no longer be used until the marriage of Philip III to Queen Margaret. One of the oldest of the remaining bridges is
The imposing Puente de Los Serranos, King Jaime I’s companions, who came to conquer Valencia from the mountains of Teruel, settled around this part of the city, and this is where the bridge, the gate in the city walls and the street, get their name from.

The Cabecera Park

The Cabecera Park extends the green area of the dried out river bed and continous until the diverted river. It is an ideal place to enjoy with kids. The park has two main sections, the Montaña Mirador and the Bosque de Ribera Mediterraneo which recreate the original landscape of the Turia River.

Situated in the Cabecera Park is the Bioparc, the latest dimension to Valencia’s diversity (bioparcvalencia.es). It comprises an innovative “zoo-immersion” concept where the public obtains a unique experience among the African animals; visual barriers to enclosures are eliminated through clever use of rocks, trees, plants and water; encounters with crowds are minimised through use of hidden viewing points, and sunken paths, some through hollowed-out tree trunks.

• See on Google Maps

Urban gardens

Botanic Garden

Established in 1802, it was Spain’s first botanic garden and it is considered one of the best in Europe. Orchids, cacti, large trees, flowers, seeds, colours, smells, silence, relaxation, a shade, fresh air, is the best offer for visitors, a tranquil place to relax. Today the garden takes up 4 acres and includes over 3,000 species of plants from all around the world. A walk through the garden is especially recommended on a spring day when everything is in bloom though each season offers a different landscape.

• Calle Quart, 80 / Phone: (+34) 963 156 800
• Website:www.jardibotanic.org
• See on Google Maps

Jardines del Real

These gardens (also known as Viveros) have areas comprising a variety of forms: some have geometric, orderly designs, with clipped hedges, and others are more romantic, with large trees. A variety of statues are dotted throughout the gardens. There are also numerous monuments, dedicated to Vicente Wenceslao Querol, Constantí Llombart, Canon Chabás and Walt Disney. Other attractions include a small zoo, and the rose garden, with a musical fountain in the centre. Long ago it was the site of the “Quinta de Recreo Omunya” (Omunya country house), called “Rahal”, whose construction was ordered by the Moorish king Abd Al-Aziz in the 11th century. Years later Jaime I, the Conquerer, enlarged this country house and changed it into the “Alcazar Regio” (Royal Castle). Sadly, it was completely destroyed during the War of Independence. These gardens are home to the Natural Science Museum.

• San Pio V s/n, / Phone: (+34) 963 525 478
• See on Google Maps

Albufera Nature Park

If you take the road south from the city of Valencia, you’ll soon come to the beautiful Albufera Nature Park and the Dehesa from El Saler. The Park, protected from the sea by a slim strip of coastline, is of exceptional ecological value and a paradise for migratory birds, so much that it is included in the list of internationally important wetlands established by the Ramsar Convention and has been declared a Special Protection Area for birds. It is a salt-water lake with a 6km diameter at its widest. Around the lake there are some small fishing villages such as El Palmar. From a cultural point of view, the Albufera Park is also important as it preserves many aspects of a traditional way of life, especially the marvellous cuisine based on locally-produced natural products from the rice fields, fishing and local smallholdings. These dishes can be enjoyed in any of the many restaurants of the area. We recommend a boat trip during sunset when the fading light gives the landscape some spectacular colours. Buses leave from the Central Bus Station in Valencia (Menendez Pidal Avenue)

• Phone: (+34) 900 701 818
• Website: www.albufera.com
• See on Google Maps