☀️
Valencia Urbana

Valencia in your inbox

Stories, guides and secrets of the city. No spam.

Thank you! You've been added to the list.

Is the City of Arts and Sciences Combined Ticket Worth It?

Adding the science museum to an Oceanogràfic ticket costs €2.35. Adding the IMAX dome as well brings the total to €8.20 above the aquarium on its own.

🇪🇸 Leer en español

The question worth answering before booking is not what the combined ticket costs but what it adds. At peak rates an adult ticket to the Oceanogràfic is 43.05 euros, and the version that includes the Museu de les Ciències is 45.40 euros. The second building therefore costs 2.35 euros, which is less than a standalone museum ticket anywhere else in the city.

Is the City of Arts and Sciences combined ticket worth it? The two-building combination adds the Museu de les Ciències for 2.35 euros over the Oceanogràfic alone, so it pays for almost everyone. The three-building pass costs 8.20 euros more and spreads across 3 consecutive days. The Oceanogràfic alone asks 3 to 4 hours.

What each extra building actually adds

Starting from 43.05 euros for the aquarium at peak rates, adding the Hemisfèric brings the total to 45.00 euros, an extra 1.95 euros. Adding the Museu de les Ciències instead brings it to 45.40 euros, an extra 2.35 euros. Taking all three costs 51.25 euros, or 8.20 euros above the Oceanogràfic on its own.

Laid out that way the numbers say something plain. The marginal price of a second building is smaller than almost any single admission in Valencia, so the decision is rarely about money and almost always about stamina and available days. The only case where the plain aquarium ticket wins is a visitor entering the Oceanogràfic and leaving the same day with nothing else planned.

What each building adds to the price of an Oceanogràfic ticketThe Hemisfèric adds 1.95 euros to the aquarium price, the Museu de les Ciències 2.35 euros, and taking both adds 8.20 euros.Increase over the Oceanogràfic alone0 euros1.95 eurosHemisfèric only2.35 eurosMuseu only8.20 eurosboth togetherCalculated on the peak adult rate of 43.05 euros for the Oceanogràfic
The first two increments almost touch on the scale. The real step appears only when both are taken.

How many days each combination covers

Validity differs between tickets and it is the part that shapes a short trip. The 2-building ticket covers the same day or 2 consecutive days. The 3-building pass stretches to 3 consecutive days, which is what makes it fit a 48 or 72 hour stay without compressing everything into one exhausting morning.

Three practical points decide how the pass is used:

  1. One entry per building. You cannot return to the same building on a different day, so leaving the Oceanogràfic at midday to come back later does not work.
  2. Entry from 10am until an hour before closing. Closing time shifts with the season, so the last usable slot moves through the year.
  3. Consecutive days only. A 3-day pass cannot skip a day in the middle, which matters when a day trip out of the city sits between them.

The first is the one that catches people out, because the ticket grants one entry per building rather than a free pass.

What each ticket costs

Prices at the Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències are not fixed. They move within a band according to the date, which is the main reason figures quoted in different places disagree. The reduced rate covers people with at least 33 percent disability, visitors over 65 and children aged 4 to 12, while under-3s enter free with documentation.

TicketValidityAdultReduced
Oceanogràfic, Museu and Hemisfèricup to 3 consecutive days49.80 euros to 51.25 euros39.20 euros to 40.40 euros
Oceanogràfic and Museu de les Ciènciessame day or 2 consecutive days44.00 euros to 45.40 euros33.20 euros to 34.30 euros
Oceanogràfic and Hemisfèricsame day or consecutive43.80 euros to 45.00 euros33.00 euros to 33.90 euros
Oceanogràficone day41.80 euros to 43.05 euros31.00 euros to 31.95 euros
Peak adult price of each City of Arts and Sciences ticketAt peak rates the Oceanogràfic alone is 43.05 euros and the three-building pass 51.25 euros, so the two extra buildings add just over eight euros.Peak adult rateOceanogràfic43.05 eurosWith Hemisfèric45.00 eurosWith Museu45.40 eurosAll three51.25 eurosbars start at zero, not at the aquarium price
Drawn on a full scale, the four options sit far closer together than the price list suggests.

How long each building takes

The time split explains why multi-day validity matters more than it first appears. The Oceanogràfic asks for 3 to 4 hours, the Museu de les Ciències around 2 and the Hemisfèric a 45 minute projection, so all three come to between 6 and 7 hours of actual visiting before queues, travel or a meal.

The complex occupies section 15 of the old riverbed, on the layout in the Turia Gardens guide, so walking in through the park is a real option.

Fitting that into one day is punishing with children, and the 8.20 euro three-building ticket spreads it over 2 days for exactly the same money as doing it in one, so the only reason to compress is a short stay.

How the three buildings divide between two daysThe Oceanogràfic takes three to four hours of the six or seven the three buildings need, which is why splitting it across two days costs nothing extra.A two day split at no extra costDay 1Oceanogràfic, 3 to 4 hoursDay 2Museu, 2 hours45 minBetween 6 and 7 hours of visiting in total, before queues or lunchNo building can be entered twice on different days
The aquarium takes more than half the total time and sits worst at the end of a long day.

What is never discounted here

The Valencia Tourist Card applies a reduction on these tickets and is effectively the only general discount available. Visit València publishes the same price band in its official shop, and the age and disability rates are proved at the ticket desk with documentation.

What does not exist is a free day at any of the 3 buildings, which sets the complex apart from the rest of the city, where the calendar of free museums in Valencia covers four different regimes. Worth knowing when budgeting, because a single day here for two adults costs more than 60 zone A Metrovalencia tickets at 1.50 euros each, the fares set out in the guide to reaching every Valencia beach without a car.

Frequently asked questions about City of Arts and Sciences tickets

Is the Oceanogràfic combined ticket worth buying?

In nearly every case, yes. At peak rates the aquarium alone is 43.05 euros and adding the Museu de les Ciències brings it to 45.40 euros, a difference of 2.35 euros. That is less than a standalone museum ticket anywhere else in Valencia.

How much does the Oceanogràfic cost in Valencia?

Between 41.80 euros and 43.05 euros for an adult depending on the date, and between 31.00 euros and 31.95 euros at the reduced rate for children aged 4 to 12, over-65s and visitors with a disability. Under-3s enter free on presentation of documentation.

How many days does the combined ticket cover?

The 2.35 euro two-building ticket covers the same day or 2 consecutive days, and the three-building one spreads across 1, 2 or 3. You cannot return to the same building on a different day, and entry runs from 10am until an hour before closing.

Do children pay at the Oceanogràfic?

Children aged 4 to 12 pay the reduced rate, between 31.00 euros and 31.95 euros for the aquarium alone. Under-3s enter free on presentation of documentation. The reduced rate applies across every combination, reaching 39.20 euros to 40.40 euros for the three-building pass.

Is there a free day at the City of Arts and Sciences?

No. Neither the Oceanogràfic nor the Museu de les Ciències nor the Hemisfèric has a free day or a free time slot, unlike Valencia’s municipal and regional museums. The only general reduction is the Valencia Tourist Card discount.

Book the Oceanogràfic and Museu combination if the aquarium is happening at all: 2.35 euros buys the second building and a second day to use it. With children and three days available, the full pass pays for itself in comfort rather than in euros.

At this complex the expensive part is the first ticket; everything added afterwards costs less than an ordinary museum in the city.

Reinel González

We update this guide periodically. If you manage a space mentioned here, want to correct information, or explore a collaboration, write to us at hola@valenciaurbana.com.