The Umbracle is a striking open-air promenade within the City of Arts and Sciences, designed as a lush botanical walkway beneath sweeping white arches that echo the complex’s futuristic style. Filled with palm trees, Mediterranean plants, and seasonal art installations, it offers a peaceful place to stroll above the complex while enjoying views of the surrounding architecture and reflecting pools. Below, a terrace area hosts cafés and nightlife venues, making the Umbracle a dynamic space that blends nature, art, and contemporary leisure in one of Valencia’s most iconic settings.
Rising dramatically from the green oasis of the Turia Gardens, the City of Arts and Sciences is a futuristic complex that has become one of Valencia’s most iconic landmarks. Primarily designed by visionary architect Santiago Calatrava, who was born and bred in Valencia, the site is widely considered one of the most spectacular examples of contemporary architecture in Europe and a testament to the city’s ambitious modernisation efforts from the 1980s to the present day. Our private tour allows you to explore the City of Arts and Sciences with a local expert guide who can break down the key elements of its remarkable architecture and reveal the stories and secrets behind its construction.
On your 2.5-hour private tour, you will:
Experience Valencia’s most emblematic modern landmark on a private tour that brings the City of Arts and Sciences to life through the eyes of a knowledgeable local guide. Designed for travellers who appreciate bold architecture, visionary ideas and the stories behind great urban projects, this fascinating walk offers a deep look at how an abandoned riverbed became one of Europe’s most daring cultural complexes. Your guide begins by setting the scene, explaining the city’s relationship with water, the catastrophic flood that reshaped its future, and the ambitious civic dream that ultimately paved the way for this extraordinary transformation.
As you explore the site together, you’ll uncover the vision of Valencian architect Santiago Calatrava: his fascination with organic forms, his engineering ingenuity, and the evolution of the project from its earliest sketches to the futuristic landmark it is today. Your route is carefully planned to highlight the complex’s five most emblematic structures, each one revealing a different facet of Calatrava’s imagination. You’ll pause at the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía, the towering opera house that rises like a gleaming, curved vessel from the pools below. Nearby, you’ll discover the Hemisfèric, the first building to be completed and one of the most distinctive: a vast, eye-shaped theatre whose eyelid-like structure opens onto the water.
Your walk continues to the Museu de les Ciències Príncipe Felipe, the largest building in the complex and a striking example of Calatrava’s biomimicry, with its rib-like façade inspired by a whale's skeleton. Just beyond it stands the Oceanogràfic, Europe’s largest aquarium, surrounded by a series of dramatic white concrete shells that seem to float above the water’s surface. The tour also passes by the Àgora, a dynamic, high-vaulted space that represents the newest phase of the complex and reflects the city’s ongoing commitment to innovation and cultural expression.
Your tour concludes with a scenic stroll along the Umbracle, an elegant open-air promenade filled with local plant life, contemporary sculptures and sweeping views across the entire complex. From this vantage point, your guide ties together the tour's themes, architecture, ambition, creativity, and reinvention, giving you a deeper appreciation of how the City of Arts and Sciences reflects Valencia’s past, present, and future.
Valencia offers a captivating mix of old and new. This radiant coastal city boasts over 2000 years of history while also showcasing a modern, dynamic and resilient spirit underpinned by innovative architecture and urban regeneration projects that have transformed the area in recent years. Our full-day private tour allows for an in-depth exploration of Valencia in the company of a local guide well-versed in the city’s history and culture. From the winding streets of the Old Town to the striking design of the City of Arts and Sciences, you will peel back the layers of the city, delve into its contrasts and uncover its energy, creativity, and Mediterranean warmth.
On this full-day private tour, you will:
Make the most of your time in Valencia and embark on a journey of discovery with a knowledgeable local guide who brings the city vividly to life. Your experience begins in the Plaza del Ayuntamiento, the civic heart of Valencia, where elegant facades and lively street scenes set the stage for a journey through more than two millennia of urban evolution. From here, you embark on a leisurely walking tour through the Old Town, navigating a route that reveals the city’s layered identity, from its Roman origins to its flourishing medieval period to its current position as one of Spain’s most important cities. You’ll stroll into the Mercado Central, one of Europe’s great food halls, where the hum of vendors and the scent of seasonal produce offer a glimpse into everyday Valencian life. Just steps away, you pause before the striking Gothic exterior of La Lonja de la Seda, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that once symbolised the city’s prosperity as a powerhouse of Mediterranean trade.
Continuing through the winding streets, your guide leads you into Plaza de la Reina, a bright, bustling square framed by historic façades and overlooked by the ornate tower of Valencia Cathedral. Inside the cathedral, you’ll encounter an intriguing blend of Romanesque, Gothic, Baroque and Neoclassical elements, each telling a chapter of the city’s story. A short walk brings you to Plaza de la Virgen, one of Valencia’s most beloved gathering places, to check out the grand Turia Fountain and the beloved Basilica de la Virgen de los Desamparados before you make your way to the imposing Torres de Serranos, the medieval gateway that once protected the city and still stands as one of its most recognisable landmarks.
After a well-earned pause for lunch at a restaurant of your choosing (lunch not included), the tour shifts from the historic to the avant-garde. A short bus ride takes you to the City of Arts and Sciences, Valencia’s world-famous cultural complex and a triumph of modern design. As you explore its expansive grounds, your guide introduces you to the visionary mind of Santiago Calatrava and the symbolism behind each space-age structure: the soaring Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía, the eye-shaped Hemisfèric, the skeletal form of the Museu de les Ciències Príncipe Felipe, the dynamic curves of the Àgora, the reflective pools surrounding the Oceanogràfic, and the graceful arches of the Umbracle. Seen up close, it is both monumental and otherworldly, a striking counterpoint to the historic streets you explored earlier in the day.
Your guided tour concludes at the complex, but your exploration doesn’t have to end. Your guide will happily assist with museum entry if you’d like to continue independently, or offer tailored recommendations for dinner, drinks, or further activities around the city. By the end of the day, you’ll not only have seen Valencia’s essential landmarks, you’ll have felt its energy, creativity, and warmth through the eyes of someone who knows it best.
Join the fastest growing community of professional tour guides.
Use our easy to integrate toolset to include Tours & Attractions in your customer journey.