Museum of Natural Science

Valencia’s Museum of Natural Science (also referred to occasionally as the Paleontological Museum) is situated right in the middle of the Viveros Gardens (location).

The museum takes visitors through the history of life on Earth, with a special emphasis on South American paleontology and the Valencian ecosystem. If you’re a fan of fossils, Darwin or the natural sciences, this museum is an absolute must.

The most spectacular area of the museum is a set of fossilized skeletons brought over from South America and donated by J. Rodrigo Botet. The largest and most interesting is that of a Megatherium – a giant sloth, as large as an elephant, that lived alongside humanity back in the good old days, 8000 years ago.

A number of the exhibits might really only appeal to paleontological enthusiasts, but the museum is a great place for anyone to spend a rainy afternoon — it won’t take even the most fossil-obsessed more than a couple hours to visit (although, I’m afraid my father might get lost for weeks, engrossed by the various trilobites). Entrance costs €2, and is free on Sundays.

Location on our Valencia Map

Tags: fossils, museum, skeletons, viveros