About this place
Museu Valencià d'Història Natural (MVHN) is a natural history museum in Alginet, a town south of Valencia in the Valencian Community, Spain. It forms part of a wider network of natural history and paleontological centres spread across the region.
What is on display at the museum?
The MVHN holds ten separate collections totaling around one million specimens. The core of the museum rests on its paleontological and mineralogical holdings, supplemented by material donated over the years by researchers and amateur naturalists — most notably malacological collections (mollusks) and entomological collections (insects).
Visitors can see hundreds of species of insects and arachnids, terrestrial, freshwater and marine mollusks, crustaceans, fish, and slugs, alongside worms endemic to the Valencia region, plus butterflies, moths and beetles. The museum also displays fossils and a range of unusual geological and mineral samples, giving visitors a chance to trace the diversity of the natural world from the smallest invertebrates to traces of past geological eras preserved in rock.
Who is the museum aimed at?
MVHN runs an educational programme for students of different ages, pairing learning with hands-on discovery. It works well as a destination for a school trip, but also as a family day out — the sheer size of the collections means a visit can be tailored as a quick overview or a deeper dive into a particular group of organisms.
How do you get to Alginet from Valencia?
Alginet sits on a route that is easy to reach from the city of Valencia: the town has its own metro stop, and it is also well connected by road. That makes it straightforward to combine a museum visit with a day exploring Valencia itself, without needing a car.
Why is MVHN worth a visit?
The scale of the collection — close to a million specimens spread across ten distinct sets — makes this museum one of the more significant natural history sites in the Valencia region. Bringing together paleontological and mineralogical material with substantial entomological and malacological collections in a single venue is unusual for a museum of this size, giving visitors a cross-section of several natural science disciplines in one stop. For anyone with an interest in geology, entomology or malacology, it is a chance to see research material that is usually kept out of public view.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which town is the Museu Valencià d'Història Natural located in? The museum is located in Alginet, a town south of Valencia in the Valencian Community.
How many specimens does the museum's collection include? The collections total around one million specimens across ten separate collections, including paleontological and mineralogical holdings.
How can I reach the museum from Valencia? Alginet has a metro connection to Valencia as well as good road links, making it easy to visit without a car.
Is the museum suitable for children and school groups? Yes, the museum runs an educational programme for students of various ages, combining learning with an enjoyable family experience.
Nearby places
Earn badges for the places you visit
Download NextOnTrip, discover new places and check off your trails.