Museo Nacional de Cerámica González Martí

The Museo Nacional de Cerámica y Artes Suntuarias González Martí is worth visiting for its building alone. It occupies the Palace of the Marqués de Dos Aguas, a Gothic mansion that the third Marquis transformed in the mid-18th century into one of the most flamboyant buildings in Spain. The museum is named after Manuel González Martí, whose donated collection was the starting point; the state bought the palace in 1949 and the museum opened in 1954. After a long restoration from 1990 to 1998 it reopened in its present form.

Start outside. The alabaster portal, designed by Hipólito Rovira and carved by Ignacio Vergara, shows two male figures pouring water from jars. They represent the rivers Turia and Júcar, a play on the family title, which means two waters. Above them a niche holds a figure of the Virgin of the Rosary, and the whole entrance is a riot of Rococo carving.

Inside, the ground floor displays the family's carriages, including the gilded Carriage of the Nymphs of 1753, designed by Rovira and Vergara. Upstairs, the noble rooms have been restored with silk walls, painted ceilings and period furniture, including a ballroom, a Chinese-style room and a room of imaginary portraits of famous Valencians. The ceramics collection covers medieval pieces from Paterna and Manises, lustreware, porcelain from the Royal Factory of Alcora and 20th-century work, including pieces donated by Pablo Picasso. Do not miss the recreation of a traditional Valencian kitchen, lined with tiles.

A visit takes about 90 minutes. The museum is part of Spain's network of state museums run by the Ministry of Culture, and its website lists opening hours, prices and days with free entry. It suits anyone interested in design, interiors or the history of the city's ceramic industry, and the carriages and palace rooms often hold children's attention better than the display cases.

The palace is in the shopping streets south of the cathedral, a few minutes' walk from the Plaza de la Reina and the Plaza del Ayuntamiento. Colón metro station is the nearest. Nearby you will find the church of San Juan de la Cruz, the shops of Calle Poeta Querol and Calle Colón, and the Mercado de Colón about ten minutes' walk to the east.