Spain presents the future

VALENCIA, Spain - This ancient city on Spain's Mediterranean coast has long drawn visitors to its UNESCO-cited, late Gothic silk exchange; its restored modernist central market; its plenitude of paella restaurants; and its old-fashioned cafes serving horchata, or chilled tiger-nut milk, a smooth and refreshing local specialty.

But in recent years, it's a futuristic attraction more so than the historical and culinary ones that has landed Valencia on various travel publications' must-see lists. The sprawling Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias - City of Arts and Sciences - is a cultural and entertainment campus with the feel of a permanent World's Fair grounds, but with far grander ambitions and architecture. For that, the credit goes largely to Valencia native Santiago Calatrava, who designed much of the project, along with the late Félix Candela.

Like the greenway that winds through the heart of Valencia, the City of Arts and Sciences was built along the former bed of the Turia River, which was diverted after a catastrophic 1957 flood. Its highly photogenic structures - among them an interactive science museum; an Imax theater and planetarium; Europe's largest aquarium; and the tallest opera house in the world - are spread across 86 acres; it's no wonder that promotional brochures suggest taking up to three days "to enjoy a more relaxed visit."

So with just two days to spend in Valencia, and much on our to-do list, our challenge was this: how to experience the City of Arts and Sciences in more than a drive-by fashion, yet neither rush madly from building to building on a combination entry ticket costing upward of $43 per adult, nor limit ourselves to exploring just one of its sights, nor simply wander aimlessly around the exteriors (though one can do so for free). We found our answer on the complex's website: a 90-minute panoramic walking tour offered in English three or four times a day for 7.70 euros, or about $10.

The tour was little advertised at the admissions desk - at least the one at the science museum, where we bought our tickets - which surely explains why we were the only takers. So we effectively had ourselves a private guide, the cheerful and well-informed Ana, 23, who needlessly apologized for any mistakes in her English; it was only the second tour she'd given in the language.