The ancient river of Turia, right through the Valencia city, would have gone down the history for all the wrong reasons, if the city administration had gone ahead with its initial idea of converting it into a giant highway system through the heart of the city. A river getting converted into a highway, a mistake history would never have pardoned. Thankfully, that did not happen.
Turia, the river that ran through Valencia city and drained to the Mediterranean Sea, had a devastating flood in the year 1957 (The Great Flood of Valencia), which changed its course, and well, the course of history. A plan was made to divert the river (Plan Sur de Valencia) and completed by the year 1969. And on the old riverbed, the city leadership initially contemplated a highway, but soon changed its plan heeding to public opinion. And what came up instead was a magnificent, sunken garden along the riverbed. (The Turia River Bed gardens)
The riverbed runs about 5 miles, from the Bio-parc in the west and City of Arts & Science (Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències) in the east, and is now transformed into a 450-acre park, Jard’in del Turia, the largest urban park in Spain. Landscaped gardens, running tracks, cycle trails, children’s parks, tree-lined avenues, water bodies, fountains, various installations, and event spaces dot the Turia riverbed. Bridges connect both the banks at multiple places. Some old and others new.
At the eastern end of the riverbed is the City of Arts & Science, a cultural and architectural complex of multiple, magnificent buildings housing an interactive science museum, a planetarium, a fabulous oceanographic park, a performing arts centre, and a covered plaza for sporting events. The City of Arts & Science is a major tourist attraction of Valencia and considered as one of the 12 treasures of Spain.
We spent a good one full day, walking along the riverbed, taking in the view from the ancient bridges and finally spending a good part of the day at the City of Arts & Science.
If you are travelling to Spain, Valencia should be part of your itinerary with a day dedicated for Turia riverbed walk. Like most European cities, Valencia is well connected to rest of the country by high-speed trains.
Also Read:
What will you do with one-and-half days in Valencia
