Shore excursion: half-day city tour of Valencia with L'Oceanogràfic

We'll begin our tour of Valencia with the Turia river gardens. We'll visit the river bed, which has been turned into a 9-km-long green area extending across the city, initially designed to be an extension of the Madrid-Valencia highway. Valencian citizens firmly opposed the project and demanded substantial changes to the original plan, turning it into a giant park, which thanks to the many sports facilities is now an attraction for tourists and locals.

Here we will find the famous City of Arts and Sciences, with its Oceanogràfic, and the Music Palace, one of the iconic buildings of modern Valencia. You'll be greeted by light and water shows immersed in a carefully planned and well-kept vegetation.

We will then reach the old town center and the cathedral, which we'll admire from the outside. The cathedral houses important artifacts and paintings such as the Holy Grail and two Goya paintings, and if you look up you'll discover wonderful Renaissance frescoes on the altar's ceiling. The cathedral is a unique combination of different styles: Baroque, Gothic and Romanesque. We will also see the Basilica of Our Lady of the Abandoned Ones (Virgen de los Desamparados), which we can visit for free. Named after the Virgin - the patron saint of the city - this Baroque building features an elliptical plant and a dome decorated with frescoes by Antonio Palomino. The Basilica is a National Historic Monument since 1981.

We will then head to Plaza de la Virgen, where we will see the Miguelete bell tower, an imposing 167-feet structure which dominates the city center. From here we'll move to Plaza Redonda, also known as "El Clot" (The Hole), a particularly charming and beautiful place where you'll find several boutiques and cafes. The Church of Santa Catalina stands nearby, and you'll be able to admire its Baroque bell tower.

Depending on length of the visits we may also visit the Lonja de Mercaderes, the most brilliant example of European civil Gothic architecture and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1996, and the beautiful and enormous Central Market, a famous Modernist building known for its stained glass windows, ceramics and glazed tiles. During the walking tour we will also admire the Church of St. John in Barrio del Mercat.

After the city tour we'll move to the City of Arts and Sciences, the cultural and entertainment complex that has become the symbol of the city of Valencia. We will visit the Oceanogràfic Museum, the largest aquarium in Europe, where you'll see reconstructions of the main marine ecosystems. Each building houses a different area: Mediterranean, wetlands, tropical and temperate, seas, oceans, Antarctica, Arctic Islands and the Red Sea. The Oceanogràfic Museum is also home to a splendid dolphinarium with 24 million liters of water (about 6 million gallons) and a depth of 10.5 meters (34 ft). Especially interesting are the Underwater Restaurant and the entrance, which welcomes visitors with a spectacular ceiling designed by Felix Candela.

Why buy shore excursions with Musement?

• Because a multilingual guide is guaranteed (Italian, English, French, Spanish and others)
• Because a small group experience is more personal than a large group tour
• Because ours is a real Shorexc (with capital S)