Museu de les Ciències Príncipe Felipe

Santiago Calatrava's ribbed white structure, often likened to the skeleton of a whale, makes the Príncipe Felipe Science Museum one of Valencia's most recognisable buildings. Signs use its local name, Museu de les Ciències Príncipe Felipe. It opened in 2000 as part of the City of Arts and Sciences, the complex laid out along the former bed of the Turia river, and it draws around two and a half million visitors a year.

Inside, the vast open halls hold hands-on exhibits on science and technology rather than historic collections. The museum's motto, "It is forbidden not to touch", sets the tone: visitors are expected to press, pull and experiment rather than simply look.

It suits families and school-age children especially well. Even visitors with little interest in the exhibits may find the architecture worth the trip. The building sits among pools and gardens beside the complex's other Calatrava structures, and walking around its exterior is part of the experience.