Oceanogràfic de Valencia

The Oceanogràfic is the attraction most families plan their Valencia trip around, and it earns the billing. Opened in 2003 at the eastern end of the City of Arts and Sciences, it is the largest aquarium in Europe, laid out not as one building but as a park of separate pavilions, each devoted to a marine world: the Mediterranean, wetlands, temperate and tropical seas, the open oceans, the Antarctic, the Arctic, the islands and the Red Sea. The entrance building, with its white roof curling up like a water lily, was designed by the engineer-architect Félix Candela, and it sets the tone for a day that feels as much like a walk in a sculpture park as a visit to an aquarium. Highlights include the long underwater tunnel through the oceans tank, where sharks and rays glide overhead, the Arctic zone with its belugas, the penguins of the Antarctic pavilion and the large dolphinarium, which hosts regular presentations. Tens of thousands of animals from hundreds of species live here, and the park also runs research and rescue work for sea turtles and other Mediterranean wildlife. Tickets are timed and sold online, and booking ahead is the easy way to skip the queue at busy times.

How to see it: the pavilions are linked by outdoor paths and lakes, so follow a loop rather than zig-zagging. Most people start with the Mediterranean and wetlands, then head to the oceans building for the shark tunnel, then the Arctic and Antarctic before lunch. Check the dolphinarium schedule as soon as you arrive and plan around it, because the presentation times anchor the day. Expect to walk a fair distance between buildings, and allow at least four hours; a full day is easy with children.

What to expect: weekends, Spanish school holidays and summer days are busy, and the queues for the tunnel and dolphinarium build from late morning. Weekday mornings out of season, including November, are calm and pleasant. Much of the route is outdoors, so bring a hat in summer and a light layer in winter. There are cafés and restaurants on site, including an underwater restaurant set beside one of the big tanks, which needs booking separately.

Making the most of it: combine the Oceanogràfic with the rest of the City of Arts and Sciences, which is a short walk away along the pools, but do not try to cram in the Science Museum and the Hemisfèric on the same day with small children. Combination tickets are sold and save a little money if you plan the visits over two days. Arrive by bus or bike along the Turia Gardens rather than by car if you can, since parking at the complex is paid and fills on busy days.