Jardines del Turia
Jardines del Turia is one of the narrated stops on the self-guided Valencia audio walking tour in Gingerguide. Plan about ~90 min here. Press play at the spot for its two to three minute story, or ask the AI guide anything about it.
- Type nature
- Suggested visit ~90 min
- Valencia Valencia guide
About Jardines del Turia
A nine-kilometre linear park running through the heart of Valencia in the former bed of the Turia River, the longest urban garden in Spain, with Gulliver's playground, sports fields, and walking paths connecting every major district of the city.
The Jardines del Turia, the Turia Gardens, occupy the entire length of the former Turia River bed, which was diverted south of the city after the catastrophic flood of 1957. The dry riverbed, nearly nine kilometres long and up to 200 metres wide, running through the heart of Valencia, was converted into a public park and gardens from the 1980s onwards after a sustained citizens' campaign forced the government to abandon a plan to build a motorway through the space. The park contains sports facilities, children's playgrounds, cycling and jogging paths, ornamental gardens, and at its eastern end, the City of Arts and Sciences. The most famous section is the Parque Gulliver near the Torres de Serranos, an enormous play sculpture of Gulliver tied to the ground, which children can climb.
Did you know? A grassroots citizens' campaign, rallying behind the slogan "the river is ours and we want it green", forced the government to drop its plan for a motorway in the Turia riverbed; the highway scheme was abandoned in 1976 and the dry riverbed was transferred to the city in 1979 to become a park, one of the most celebrated examples of citizen activism in post-Franco Spain.
How long should you spend at Jardines del Turia?
Plan about ~90 min at Jardines del Turia. That is enough to take it in and hear its narrated story; stay longer if it grabs you. The tour is self-guided, so there is no rush.
Is Jardines del Turia worth visiting?
Jardines del Turia is one of the 23 sights the Gingerguide team researched and narrated in Valencia, so it earns a place on a self-guided walk. Its story explains why it matters, and you can ask the AI guide anything the story leaves open.
Nearby stops in Valencia
Hear the story of Jardines del Turia
Preview the Valencia tour free in the Gingerguide app.