Although the summer holidays have come to an end and the kids have already started a new year back at school, this guide will come in handy for forthcoming weekends and the holiday periods next year.
In any case, with the heat experienced in most parts of the country this summer, the only place to go and feel comfortable was the beach. Now the weather has cooled down and it is more pleasant to carry out a car journey and spend the whole day outdoors, you can start planning a few family trips out and about in the Valencia Region where the weather is sunny and warm for most of the year.
Parque Gulliver
The majority of children from across the world are familiar with the story of Gulliver and his adventures in the land of Lilliput. And so enchanted were they in the region of Valencia that in 1990 the town hall commissioned an artist and an architect to create a park for children based on the story.
What they came up with was a massive 70 metre monument of Gulliver at the moment he arrived in Lilliput and was tied down by his captors, the Lilipudlians.
This area, which is close to the Museum of Arts and Science, has been converted into a park for children, and entrance is free.
The kids can climb all over Gulliver on stairs, ramps and climbing frames and they can then travel back down to the ground on slides and chutes.
The surrounding area, which is the riverbed of the Túria River, is decorated with fountains, bicycle routes and gardens, plus there are cafés for the parents to sit in while watching their children having fun.
The Parque Gulliver is situated in the Jardín del Turia and can be accessed by crossing the Ángel Custodio Bridge. It is open Monday to Sunday from 10am until 8pm, or 9.30pm in summer.
Museo de Ciencias Naturales de Valencia
The Museum of Natural Sciences is located within the old restaurant in the grounds of the Queen’s Gardens. The building itself is a stunning piece of Rationalist architecture constructed by the architect Luis Gay. The building is now a centre for conservation, study and promotion of scientific wealth and heritage from the region of Valencia.
The contents of the museum focus on important scientific materials and paleontological collections. Many of the exhibits are interactive and therefore extremely popular with small children, older students and even adults.
The museum is set out over three floors and the building houses a coffee shop and a restaurant as well.
Address: General Élio (Jardines de Viveros), 46100, Valencia
Open: Tuesday to Sunday from 9.30am until 7pm
Entrance fee: 2 euro
Free entrance: Sundays and bank holidays
Los Charcos de Quesa
The word "charco" in Spanish translates to "puddle" or "pool", but the "charcos" located 7km outside the town of Quesa are anything but. This is a stunning area of natural beauty, and perhaps one of the most beautiful settings in the whole of the region. The area consists of numerous freshwater pools and small lakes that have formed as water from the mouth of the Río Grande runs down the mountain, creating magnificent cascades and waterfalls along the way. This is a fantastic nature place to visit during the warmer months of the year, as the pools are apt for swimming and relaxing. There are facilities for eating a picnic and even making a paella, plus a recreation park for children. For those that like to hike in the mountains, this is also a great day out with a lovely swim at the end in crystal clear water.
Lago de Anna
This is another spot of natural beauty located right in the heart of the province in the municipality of Anna. Anna’s Lake is also known as the Albufera de Anna and is a spectacular natural water swimming pool that is completely surrounded by nature. Visitors can hire little paddle boats, swim, walk, sunbathe, play on the swings and in the children’s park or just relax and watch the spectacular sight of nature that is abundant here. This is a great family location, where the kids will forget all about their iPads and electronic gadgets for more than just a few hours. The swimming pool is only open from the end of June until the first week in September, although visitors are welcome to the area throughout the year. There are two restaurants and three bars and also a campsite located just 50m from the lake. Boat trips on the water are available from Easter up until 13 October. While the lake is the main attraction in summer, there are plenty of wooded areas and pathways to explore at any time of year.
Restaurante Hípica Más Ferrat
The Más Ferrat restaurant and horse-riding centre is located just 8 km from the city of Valencia. Children will love this place as there is plenty of outside space to run around in, consisting of a park, football pitch and a wooden play house. However, the main attraction is the domestic animal farm, which is home to a number of ponies, donkeys, chickens, rabbits and birds. There is also a terrarium, where the kids can do their own gardening and even take home a pot of what they’ve planted. The area is supervised at the weekend, allowing the children to play while the adults can relax on the terrace or inside the restaurant. For further information, please visit: www.hipicamasferrat.com
Bioparc Valencia
While the old style of zoo is becoming outdated as we are now more conscious of the need to conserve the natural habitat of the animal kingdom and protect many species of wildlife that live out in the open, this new style of open zoo brings the visitor to the home and natural environment of the animal. Bioparc is a type of zoo immersion project where the natural habitat of many wild animals has been created for them to live in and the barriers are practically invisible.
The park covers a total of approximately 100,000 square metres and is situated inside the Parque de Cabecera within the old Turia riverbed.
Some of the habitats that have been recreated include the Savannah, Madagascar and Equatorial Africa, and the visitor will be able to see the likes of rhinoceroses, lions, tigers, buffalos, elephants, hyenas and gorillas all coexisting together as they would in the wild.
For more information, please visit: www.bioparcvalencia.es
Address: Avda Pío Baroja, 3, Valencia
Opening hours: Bioparc Valencia opens at 10am and closes between 6pm and 9pm depending on the time of year.
Entrance fee: Adults – 23,80 euro; Children – 18 euro; 65+ - 17,50 euro
Segobriga Park
It’s too late this season to visit the Segobriga water park located in the Castellón municipality of Segorbe, but it’s a day out to bear in mind for next year, as the park will reopen in June 2016 and close at the end of August.
The water park has been constructed with a medieval theme in mind and consists of high castle walls, bridges and castle doors – all complete with a giant swimming pool, waterfalls, Jacuzzi and numerous slides and flumes. There’s a grassy area and sunbeds, plus eating facilities, a shops and a picnic area.
Address: Camino Sb Monte San Blas, 26, Segorbe, 12400, Castellón
Opening hours: 11am – 7pm
Entrance: Children 1-3 years – from 2,50 euro up to 7,50 euro for adults at the weekend
Pino Padre
This is a spot that is popular with mountain bikers and walkers alike, as it is set in the heart of the Calderona mountain range in the municipality of Náquera. The Pino Padre, or Father Pine, is an old pine tree that has survived the threat of many forest fires yet still remains in place and in the surroundings of a lush forest and woodland environment. This area is fantastic for lovers of nature and for those that want to escape city life even if just for a few hours. The views are stunning and offer the visitor a glimpse of nature at its best.
Puentes Colgantes de Chulilla
This route is not for the fainthearted or for those that suffer any form of vertigo. The ‘puentes colgantes’ are hanging rope bridges that are suspended in various parts of the mountain and river areas of Chulilla. If you leave your car in the public car park just at the exit of Chulilla (direction of Losa del Obispo), you can begin your adventure by heading up the Embalse de Loriguilla-Los Calderones route. Stunning views of the River Turia and the Charco Azul Lake will greet you along the way. Follow the river upstream and you’ll soon come across a ravine and the first hanging bridge, which is very secure and firm. If you’re brave enough, walk across the bridge (but don’t look down) and carry on until completing them all.
El Barco Pirata del Parque Cabecera
The Cabecara Park in itself is one of most well-known and popular parks within the Valencia province and a fantastic spot for the little ones and to spend a day outside with the family. It is located inside the old Turia riverbed, next to the Bioparc, and has been built with a lake in the middle as a centrepiece where visitors can go out on boat rides. Amid ducks, which you are allowed to feed, a grassy play area, the little tourist train track and a number of cycle routes, is a huge play and climbing frame in the shape of a pirate ship for the youngsters that like to climb and explore. The park is open 24 hours.
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