Jardines del Turia
Nine kilometres of linear urban parkland built over the old Turia riverbed, rerouted after the 1957 floods. Gardens, fountains, football pitches, athletics tracks and the Gulliver Park — complete with slides — form the green lung connecting the historic centre with the Ciudad de las Artes.
A river turned park — almost a motorway
The Turia Gardens are nine kilometres of green space laid out along the old riverbed — and behind that postcard-ready description lies one of Spain's most compelling urban stories. In October 1957 the Turia flooded and devastated Valencia, killing between 80 and 100 people. The Franco regime diverted the river through a canal south of the city (construction ran from 1965 to 1972), leaving the original channel dry through the centre. The initial plan was to turn it into an urban motorway, but residents pushed back with the rallying cry 'El llit del Túria és nostre i el volem verd' ('The Turia's riverbed is ours and we want it green'). They won: the first stretch opened in 1986. Today it is a 136-hectare linear park running east to west across the city, welcoming over 7 million visitors a year and serving as the backbone of Valencia's stint as European Green Capital 2024. More than 24 bridges cross it, from the Pont del Mar (1591) to Calatrava's white arches beside the City of Arts and Sciences.
Free, no booking required, open almost always
There is no ticket office, no entrance fee and no online booking: the entire park is free to enter, including the famous Gulliver Park. The main garden is open 24 hours a day, every day of the year — no fence, no closing time — so you can stroll or go for a run whenever you like. The one exception is Gulliver Park, the giant reclining figure of almost 70 metres packed with slides, which has seasonal hours: 10:00–17:30 in midwinter, extending to 20:00 between April and September. In July and August it closes at midday (13:30–17:30) because the metal slides get dangerously hot in the sun. One detail that catches many visitors off guard: Gulliver closes on the first Tuesday of each month for maintenance (Wednesday if that Tuesday is a public holiday), and also during rain or weather alerts. To dodge the crowds, the trick is to go on a weekday morning between 09:00 and 11:00; Saturday and Sunday afternoons — especially in spring and autumn — fill up with families, runners and cyclists.
Getting there and tips from those who've been
The park is stitched into the city centre: from the Plaza del Ayuntamiento you can walk there in under 10 minutes. By metro, Alameda station (lines L3, L5, L7, L9) drops you about 6 minutes' walk from the central stretch; for the western end (Parque de Cabecera and Bioparc) get off at Turia station. If you want to cover the entire riverbed without walking, EMT bus line 95 runs the full length from west to east, stopping at Bioparc, Torres de Serranos, the Palau de la Música and the City of Arts and Sciences. Walking all 9 km takes 2.5–3 hours, so the sensible approach is to pick a section: a casual visit with Gulliver and the central promenade takes 1–1.5 hours, and the full route by bike is about an hour (there is a dedicated cycle lane the entire way, with Valenbisi public bikes nearby). Two practical notes: in summer bring water as not every section is shaded (there are drinking fountains throughout), and check jardins.valencia.es for weather alerts before you go — especially if you have small children heading to Gulliver. Gulliver Park has toilets and a first-aid station on site.
Frequently asked questions
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