City of Arts and Sciences

Santiago Calatrava's futuristic complex along the old Turia riverbed — a sequence of vast white structures, a science museum, an opera house, a planetarium, an aquarium, rising from shallow water mirrors like the skeleton of some immense creature. The city's signature modern landmark, built in Calatrava's native Valencia, it has become the image most associated with the city. For visitors, it's spectacular whether or not you go inside any of the venues: the architecture itself, all soaring white ribs and reflecting pools, is the attraction, best seen on a bright day when the forms double in the water below.