Jardines de Turia - Gardens of Turia in Valencia

The Turia old river bed is another jewel of Valencia that shouldn't be missed and... well.. is impossible to miss. It is the central axis of the city, 9km of a green belt surrounded by ancient walls and buldings.

With all honesty, no matter how aesthetic and varied various section of the garden are, it is not a masterpiece of gardening to stun you with the power of Gardens of Babylon. Rather, the river bed gives you a sense of what Valencia really is, the spirirt of Valencia. The river bed is the embodiment of the cosy charm of Valencia. It is here that this calm and ancient city embraces you with its unlost warmth and sunny tranquility.

Origins

Valencia grew up on Turia. However, the river had always been prone to floods and in 1957 the flood was particularly bad. A fair few people lost their lives, much of the city was devistated. Valencia decided to divert the course of the river. And the fertile soil of the riverbed quickly gave life to a lush garden.

The River of Culture

This is what the Valencian government labelled the garden. Indeed - historically the river banks got saturated with various architectural monuments, museum and culture centres. The government went further and developed the riverbed into an entire world of leisure and culture. There are numerous playgrounds and sports areas, fountains and well-trimmed arty gardens. The river bed is always full of people, there is something for everyone. With time the riverbed became the obvious area for new cultural projects: Palau de la Musica now has its own section of the garden, while the City of Arts and Sciences sits right in the river bed. And the space between Bridge de las Flores and the Calatrave (Exposicion) Bridge always has some kind of fair, festival or circus residing there.

To understand the scope of this phenomenon, you should have a look at the official website of Rio Turia. You can also view the footage of a flight over the river: Flight over Turia video

It is worth your while to see it. Having a walk through the river will tell you much about Valencia and its people. And it is a nice change from the noise of the city - the trench effect makes it a refuge to relax your senses.

Official Website of Rio Turia Flight over Rio Turia video Gallery of Rio Turia Map of Rio Turia

Opening Hours

The Gardens of Turia never close but it is not advisable to walk here after dark.

Suggested Walk

Where exactly to go depends on what you are interested in - the river is a diverse sequence of ambiences. We have made this map to help you.

Generally speaking, the most spectacular part of the river is, undoubtedly, the stretch that connects the centre (starting below the Bridge de las Flores) with the City of Arts and Sciences. It is only 30-40 min long, at a leisurly pace. So why don't you walk to the CAS instead of taking a bus or a taxi.

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