Looking for something free to do? Valencia has several large public parks and gardens which are great places for a quiet stroll or a scenic picnic.

The pretty Jardin Botanico is home to 7,000 species of shrubs and trees, and the Italian-style Monforte Gardens are filled with marble statues and beautiful flowerbeds. The Jardines de Rio Turia was once a river, but is now a strip of gardens, sports fields and playground, with a world-class concert hall smack bang in the middle.

Monforte Gardens, Plaza de la Legión Española, Valencia, V 46010 Spain
Botanic Gardens, Calle Quart 80, Valencia 46008
Jardines de Rio Turia, Antiguo cauce del Turia

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Valencia can be a sweltering, sun-baked city, so thankfully it is well served with parks and gardens. Of these, the Turia river gardens are the most extensive and prominent, but the Botanical Gardens, next door to a monastery, are a real oasis of tranquility in this noisiest of Spanish cities. Here you will find rare plants, medicinal herbs, shady palms and a cactus garden with some incredibly far-out specimens. Admission is a token €0.30.

Calle Quart, 80; Buses: 7, 81; www.jardibotanic.org/cindex.html

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Los Viveros are probably Valencia's most beautiful gardens. There are plenty of fountains and sculptures dotted around to make for an interesting stroll. Visit on a sunny day and enjoy a drink in one of the park's outdoor bars.

Calle de San Pio V. Take the metro to Facultats, then walk a few hundred metres along Avenida Blasco Ibáñez in a westerly direction. The park can be found at the end of the avenida.

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