Valencia prides itself on being increasingly accessible and sustainable and a hub for cultural and leisure activities

Science Museum

The port city lies on Spain’s southeastern coast, where the Turia River meets the Mediterranean Sea. 

It’s known for its City of Arts and Sciences, with futuristic structures including a planetarium, an oceanarium and an interactive museum. 

Valencia also has several beaches, including some within nearby Albufera Park, a wetlands reserve with a lake and walking trails. 

The year of Sorolla 

The centenary of the death of painter Joaquín Sorolla, who captured the light of the Mediterranean in his paintings, is being commemorated in Valencia during 2023. 

The Valencia Museum of Fine Arts has a permanent collection by the artist and is also host the immersive exhibition Sorolla through light during 2023. 

There’s also the chance to tour places associated with the painter, www.visitvalencia.com/en

European Green Capital 2024 

Valencia has been designated Green Capital for 2024, for having implemented projects to reduce the environmental impact and improve the quality of life. 

The creation and protection of green spaces, such as the Albufera Natural Park, the peri-urban farmland and the Turia Garden, combine with sustainable mobility initiatives, proper urban waste management and the pedestrianization of public spaces. 

One of the best ways to explore Valencia is on foot or by bike taking in the narrow streets of the historic centre and its parks and boulevards. 

More than 30,000 m2 of new pedestrian areas now link the Plaza de la Reina with the Plaza del Ayuntamiento and the Plaza del Mercado, between the Central Market and La Lonja. www.environment.ec.europa.eu/topics/urbanenvironment/european-green-capital-award_en 

Gulliver the giant returns to the Turia Garden 

Gulliver Park in the Turia Garden has been restored with children able to slide down the jacket of the giant and climb his beard. www.visitvalencia.com/en/what-to-do-valencia/nature-invalencia/parks-and-gardens-valencia/gulliver-park 

Hortensia Herrero Art Center 

The Hortensia Herrero Art Center Contemporary Art Center will open at Palacio Valeriola in the second half of 2023. 

Housed in a former palace, it will bring together works by artists such as Andreas Gursky, Anselm Kiefer, Georg Baselitz and Anish Kapoor, as well as temporary exhibitions by other internationally renowned artists. 

There are also the IVAM and Bombas Gens Centre d'Art, modern art galleries; collections of lead soldiers of the L'Iber Museum, and the ninots of the Fallero Museum. www.cahh.es/en/ 

 www.visitvalencia.com/en

*Source: Eva Fernández at eva.fernandez@visitvalencia.com