The L'Oceanografic in Valencia must be on your 'too see' list. L'Oceanografic is a huge modern aquarium and Marine Park. It is part of the futuristic architectural gem that is Valencia's City of Science and Art complex. It is home to around 500 different aquatic species. You can walk under water and see fish, sharks, penguins, beluga whales and walruses.

The marine areas cover the Mediterranean habitats, the tropical seas, the temperate seas, the polar oceans - the Arctic and the Antarctic and the Red Sea. There is a mangrove swamp and marshland habitat area. I loved the underwater restaurant where you can eat and have something to drink whilst surround by a huge aquarium tank. The restaurant has two levels. The upper level is is like an island in the middle of a lake. There is a Dolphinarium with five pools and is the largest in Europe. Check out the times of the daily displays by the bottle nosed dolphins.

Although seeing jelly fish in the sea gives me the shivers they are very attractively displayed in the Aquarium and their movement is mesmerizing. The Californian kelp forest display were unexpected and delightful. It is unusual for an aquarium to have displays of aquatic birdlife but in the central lake area you can see black necked swans, Roseate Spoonbills, Great Cormorants, ducks and white pelicans. The barking you hear is not from the local dog population. It comes from the Rocky Island exhibit and its American Sea lions.

The aquarium is open Monday to Sunday from 10:00 to 20:00. The ticket prices are expensive but you get a lot for your money. You can get reductions on the price of tickets if you decide to buy a multi ticket for more than one museum in Valencia's City of Science and Art complex. The most popular location is the L'Oceanografic and there are often long queues at the ticket boxes. A good tip is to buy the multi ticket at either the Hemisferic or the Science museum ticket offices where the lines are much smaller. You can reserve tickets in advance.

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