Photo: Joanbanjo · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

L'ETNO, Museu Valencià d'Etnologia

Museum of Valencian popular and traditional culture in the La Beneficència Cultural Centre, with free admission and a permanent exhibition on Valencian identity.

Opening hoursFree admission Wheelchair accessible Café

Website Directions

About the museum

L'ETNO was created in 1982 with the aim of gathering, studying and making known the heritage linked to Valencian popular and traditional culture. It is a museum of the Diputación de València (Provincial Council) and since its beginnings has occupied part of the former Casa de la Beneficencia building in the city centre.

The building was constructed from 1841 to a design by the architect Joaquín María Belda; its church, in neo-Byzantine style, was erected in 1881. A complete restoration, completed in 1995 and directed by Rafael Rivera and Mateo Signes, turned it into the cultural centre that it now shares with the Museo de Prehistoria de Valencia. It is organised over a ground floor and two upper floors around five courtyards.

The collections include objects from the house, the field and the workshop, ephemeral documents, photographs, ethnographic recordings and oral testimonies about Valencian society and its cultural changes. The permanent exhibition offers a critical look at Valencian identity from the end of the pre-industrial world to the present. In 2023 the museum received the European Museum of the Year (EMYA) award.

Highlights

Permanent exhibition “No és fàcil ser valencià” with three areas: the city, the huerta and marjal, and the dryland and mountains
Free admission every day the museum is open
Historic Casa de la Beneficencia building with five landscaped courtyards
European Museum of the Year 2023
Audio guides in Valencian, Spanish and English

Permanent exhibition

No és fàcil ser valencià – Permanent exhibition reflecting on Valencian identity from the end of the pre-industrial world to today, organised in three areas: the city, the huerta and marjal, and the dryland and mountains.

Founded: 1982
Operated by: Diputación de València
Director: Joan Seguí Seguí

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Adults	free
Groups	–Guided tours for groups require prior booking.

Admission to the museum is free. For the Sunday guided tours, a free ticket must be collected in the lobby.

Accessibility

Wheelchair accessible
Elevator
Accessible restroom
Accessible parking: no information
Service dogs welcome
Tactile models & exhibits: no information
Sign language tours: no information
Easy-to-read materials: no information
Audio description

The museum has lifts, adapted toilets and free-of-charge wheelchairs. The “Cultura accesible” app presents the permanent exhibition for people with visual and hearing impairments. Only assistance animals (guide dogs) are admitted.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

Family tours & workshops
Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
Baby changing facilities

The museum offers workshops for families (the Sunday workshops are temporarily suspended), the “Etnoviaje” booklet for independent visits with children aged 6 to 11, and the game “¿Dónde está ETNO?” in the rooms. There are changing tables in the toilets.

Getting there & parking

By public transit

Guillem de Castro–Corona (EMT C1)

EMT bus: lines C1, 28, 80, 94, 95 and 98. Metro: Àngel Guimerà station (lines 1, 2, 3, 5 and 9) and Túria station (lines 0, 1 and 2). Tram: line 4, Pont de Fusta stop. Train: Renfe to València-Nord, and EMT C1 (Guillem de Castro–Corona stop).

By car

Nearby public car parks: Garaje Pechina (Calle Norte, 31) and Car Parking S.L. (Plaza Joan de Vila-rasa, no number).

Coach stop in the bus lane on Calle Guillem de Castro, 118, and stop no. 2 of the Bus Turístic in the same place. Valenbisi stations no. 1 (Guillem de Castro with Na Jordana) and no. 82 (Guillem de Castro, Torres de Quart); bicycle parking on Corona, 36.

Get directions

Amenities & dining

Café
Museum shop
Coat check

Café (Tuesday to Friday 8:00–18:00; Saturdays and Sundays 10:00–18:00; closed Mondays) and the La Beneficència shop-bookshop. Free cloakroom and lockers. Eating and drinking are only allowed in the landscaped courtyards; there is a room set up for breastfeeding.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit

Guided tours	yes · approx. 45 min
Audio guide	yes (CA, ES, EN)
School programs	yes
Photography	Photography is allowed in the rooms of the permanent exhibition, without flash or tripod and for non-commercial purposes; filming is not permitted.
Good to know	Guided tours for the general public are offered on Sundays (no service in July and August) and last about 45 minutes; the free ticket is collected half an hour before in the lobby, with a maximum of two per person. On the last Sunday of each month there is a dramatised visit. Groups and educational centres must book. Large bags, backpacks and umbrellas are asked to be left in the cloakroom.