Learning Made Fun for Kids at the Valencia Science Museum

**We were kindly gifted free entrance for our family to the Museo de las Ciencias Príncipe Felipe (Science Museum), Valence, en échange d'une promotion via ce site Web et nos réseaux sociaux. Toutes les opinions exprimées ci-dessous restent les nôtres.

Introduction

We are always happy to find activities for our children that are both educational and fun. Let’s be honest, it is usually hard to tick both boxes at the same time. We were therefore interested to hear about the science museum in Valencia, ou la Museo de las Ciencias Príncipe Felipe to give it its proper name.

While outside of the boundary of the Costa Blanca region, Valence is only a relatively short drive away. As Spain’s third largest city, there is lots to see and do there for the whole family.

If you are looking for other fun activities for kids in Valencia, also see our reviews of the incredible aquarium for kids at Oceanogràfic València ou la beautiful family zoo at Bioparc Valencia.

Ici cependant, we are discussing our experiences of visiting the Museo de las Ciencias Príncipe Felipe, to experience learning made fun for kids at the Valencia Science Museum.

Where is the Museo de las Ciencias Príncipe Felipe?

The Museo de las Ciencias Príncipe Felipe, or Valencia Science Museum, is located in the architecturally striking buildings that make up the City of Arts and Sciences (Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias) in central Valencia, Espagne.

L'emplacement exact est à: https://maps.app.goo.gl/N6Pd5ofGp98A8d7K9.

There is paid car parking available within the complex (€7 per car), or else several of the city bus lines stop nearby. We arrived by bus and found it to be easy and convenient.

What are the opening hours for the Museo de las Ciencias Príncipe Felipe?

The Valencia Science Museum is open all year round. The opening times are as follows:

• Monday-Thursday: 10:00-18:00
• Friday-Sunday: 10:00-19:00

What is the cost of entry to the Museo de las Ciencias Príncipe Felipe?

Tickets to enter the Valencia Science Museum can be bought in advance en ligne, or in person at the box office on arrival.

The current ticket prices are:

• Adultes (13+ années): €9.40
• Children/Pensioners (4-12, +65 années): €7.20

It is also possible to buy joint tickets that include access to Oceanogràfic València ou la Hemispheric IMAX cinema.

Review of our visit to the Museo de las Ciencias Príncipe Felipe

We all enjoyed our visit to the Valencia Science Museum. I wouldn’t say that it is a whole day activity, but we happily stayed for a few hours. All four of my children (vieilli 10, 8, 6 & 4) found things to entertain them.

The Building

The exterior of the buildings that the museum is housed in and that make up the rest of the City of Arts and Sciences are really beautiful. They are architecturally stunning, almost like exhibits in their own right. It is definitely worth the trip to see them if you are in Valencia.

Inside the museum, the space is bright and airy, surrounded by glass walls offering views to the outside. The museum is spread over multiple floors within the building.

The Science Exhibitions

The Valencia Science museum hosts both permanent and temporary exhibitions. Quand nous avons visité, some of the exhibitions were closed for maintenence which was a shame, but we still had plenty to see.

Our favourite section was on the top floor where there are a large collection of interactive displays that relate to the human body and its different functions. My kids enjoyed being able to be active and play on all of the different machines. In particular, we all liked one exhibit where you could control the movement of a ball by using your brainwaves alone. The calmest brain was the winner!

We happily looked around this section for a couple of hours. Despite a few school trips being in the museum when we visited, the area never felt overly crowded. All of the exhibits had information displayed in Spanish, Valencian and English, so we were able to understand it all.

The Children’s Area

As well as the science exhibits, there is also a dedicated children’s area, connu sous le nom de L’espai dels Xiquets. Children up to the age of 8 can enter this area on a timed ticket that can be booked when you enter the museum.

Within this children’s area there are a whole range of fun things for kids to do. These include interactive displays and a water play area, all based around scientific principles. Perhaps the best bit though, is an area that encourages cooperation through building. Foam blocks can be moved around using a crane and conveyor belt and then used to construct the walls of a small replica house. My children literally played with this setup obsessively until they had to pulled away!

Food and Drink

You are not permitted to bring your own food and drink into the Valencia Science Museum.

Within the museum, there are a choice of eating options though, including a cafeteria and an Italian restaurant. We didn’t eat during our visit, so I cannot comment on the quality of the food.

It is also possible to exit and re-enter the museum to take advantage of the large variety of restaurants that are located nearby.

En résumé

We were not sure what to expect from our visit to the Museo de las Ciencias Príncipe Felipe. I wasn’t sure if my children would be engaged by the experience, but I needn’t have worried. They have definitely managed to make learning fun for kids.

We all enjoyed the interactive displays and it was good for us to be able to better explain some scientific concepts to our kids through a fun setting. I feel like they went away having learned plenty of new stuff, perhaps without even realising it!

The children’s area, in particular the house building section, was also a big hit. My kids played with this for ages and could have stayed for longer. This was a lot of fun.

While it is a shame that some of the exhibitions, such as the section on space, were closed when we visited, we still liked enough of what we saw for us to be able to recommend the museum to anyone who is visiting Valencia with kids.