Turia Gardens
Enjoy city and beach life all the more with the convenience of your own car. We’ve got low-cost Spain car hire throughout Valencia including Valencia Airport car hire and Alicante Airport car hire. Know when you’re going? Click here to get a quote…
As a region, Valencia boasts some fantastic beaches. If you’ve never been before, they include one of the most popular and best loved stretches of Spanish coast: the Costa Blanca. Azure blue waters and white sandy beaches – what’s not to love?
But having visited the capital of the region (also named Valencia) for the first time this year, I reckon it’s only going to be a short time before people are flying over to enjoy its city life too. Not as obvious a choice for a city break as Barcelona or Madrid but Valencia’s got lots going for it. Like all great cities, there’s lots of culture to enjoy, fantastic places to dine and a thriving nightlife to boot. But it’s the things that make it so unique that I really love. The stand out architecture of the spectacular City of Arts and Sciences is one.
But my absolute favourite Valencia feature is the stretch of river that the City of Arts and Sciences sits at the top of… I say river but what I’m actually referring to is actually a 9km stretch of gardens that’s more park-like to me. The Turia Gardens run through the middle of the city with Valencia Bioparc (a 10-hectare zoo) at one end and the City of Arts and Sciences on the other.
The City of Arts and Sciences up ahead
You can just about see the top of the Palau des Arts (one of the spectacular buildings that make up the City of Arts and Sciences) in the background of this picture I took whilst in the gardens.
It could have been a motorway…
You’ll still find people referring it to the river but only because that’s what it was until about 50 or so years ago when a flood (in 1957) that devastated the city led to a decision to divert it south. Interestingly, initial talk about what to do with this new space had focused on a new motorway. Valencians, however, had a different idea in mind for the space… A long campaign later and plans to turn the former river into the city’s ‘garden of Eden’ won out. I’m so glad too!
As a park (or gardens), it’s not going to blow you away with its beauty. Its charm is so much more about the life that happens in it. It’s here that you’ll find the heart and soul of Valencia with people running, strolling, cycling, playing, relaxing and picnic-ing. I even came across a small group of people setting up under one of the many bridges that cross the park with some music and a beer cooler. It was still a bit chilly when I visited but I can imagine the park is the only place to be when the temperatures start climbing.
I couldn’t help but be amazed about what a transformation the park would have been to the city. From playgrounds to sports grounds and nature spots to modern and historic bridges, it really is a space that everyone can enjoy.
Journey through the park that was a river
Here are some snapshots from my various strolls through the park starting at the Bioparc end of it, which feels a bit wilder and more like a nature reserve. There is even a giant pond (or small lake) that you can cruise on a big swan.
Boating pond towards the Bioparc
I love the different shades of these trees
A pretty flower
We went in mid-February so there weren’t a lot of flowers in bloom… Other than the hardier types that are around all year like the one above.
Places to play
This athletics track is one of several sports grounds. It’s a nice one too with seating all around it. We also passed a small football pitch, which was kept occupied with people playing into the night. One night, we decided to stop for a bit to watch a late night game and ended up being treated to one player looking a bit sheepish as he ran out of the changing rooms with just his modesty because he’d left his bag with his clothes in outside!
Turia stadium
The entrance to Gulliver’s park
Further along and closer towards the City of Arts and Sciences complex, there’s a fabulous playground modelled on Gulliver. If you look it up on Google maps, you can see what looks like the shape of a man sprawled out. That’s Gulliver! You can play Crazy Golf here too – you’ll find it between Gulliver and the City of Arts and Sciences.
Places to chill
The park’s not just for the active, there are some really lovely spots to sit and enjoy the quiet too… (Or if you do stumble across a musician or few, spots to be entertained). They include a lovely stretch that features orange groves and water fountains towards the middle of the park. We couldn’t resist trying a few of the oranges but I wouldn’t recommend it… They look juicy and ready to eat but these were super sour!
Valencian oranges – don’t try them from here!
A quiet spot to sit
More trees…
I loved these trees! They had a greener bark as well as having more bulbous bottom halves. Some of them (like this one at the forefront) reminded me of someone doing a headstand – you’ll have to imagine their head and shoulders being underneath the ground…
And bridges galore
There were bridges galore to enjoy too. Historic pretty ones as well as more modern, contemporary ones. You get to enjoy them whilst being on them as well as being beneath them too! Beneath the bridge in the third picture below, there was a row of hawk (or eagle) heads with open beaks for the water to drain from above. Such a fab touch! You can find some cool street art down here too.
One of the more older bridges
A more modern bridge
Hawk (or eagle) heads as drain holes
Bridge art
The Turia Gardens are definitely worth spending some time in… If you’re getting around the city by bike or on foot, it’s quite likely, you can head into the park for a more pleasant journey away from the roads. To make the most of your time here or just to learn more about the park and what you can find within it, this page by Route You is fantastic: Valencia along the old Turia riverbed
Want to know more about Valencia?
You can find our other Valencia highlights as well as our guides to Valencia Airport and Valencia car hire in our travel blog here.