L’Iber Toy Soldier Museum In Valencia

A great toy miniature toy soldier museum in Valencia. Watch the video of our tour in one of the quirkiest museum in Valencia.

This year is no doubt the longest summer holidays ever!!! And I thought 12 weeks of summer break was bad, six months without school and anything else for that matter really sucks! This past month seems to drag and even though I’m anxious about my son going back to school, I am also looking forward to ‘normality’.  Whatever that means nowadays. 

The pandemic has affected us all one way or another. My son, who usually spends his summer months with friends is now too scared to go out. Though I have explained that the risk of him catching the virus is very slim, he’s still anxious and would rather spend time at home than be out playing. Understandably, this whole situation makes me sad and now with back to school only over a week away, I can’t help but worry about his mental health and how he will get on at the start of a new school year. 

To ensure that he’s not too bored in the house, we try to spend more time outdoors. Like playing tennis and badminton every day. We also spend a lot of time in the city visiting landmarks. The best thing about most of Valencia’s historic buildings is that they’re free. And if we have to pay, it doesn’t break the bank. 

This week we visited L’Iber Museo de los Solditos de Plomo. Lately, my son has taken an interest in history, especially in WW1 & WW2. So he was really excited to see what the museum of toy soldiers has in store. 

Toy Soldier Museum In Valencia

Situated in the old gothic town along Calle Caballeros about 5 minutes walk from the Mercado Central, you will find the L’Iber Museo de los Solditos de Plomo. It was originally the residence of the Marquess of Malferit and is one of the best-preserved buildings of all time. Now it houses the largest collection of tin figurines in the world! It is also a home to some of the rarest and oldest figures that belonged to Napoleon.

You enter the museum through some arched doors and inside it leads to a beautiful courtyard following some steps to access the museum. The museum though it looks grand, only have 15 rooms and they all house over 95,000 miniature collection ranging from different eras around the world. From the Roman era, Star Wars characters to the battle scenes of the 1st World War.

During the summer months, the museum is open from Thursday. Friday and Saturday between 11:00am-14:00pm. Winter openings are Saturday and Sunday only. 

The entrance fee is €8 for adults, €5 for children under 12 and under 4 years old is FREE. During our visit, we were required to wear face masks, and social distancing measures were expected. Which was not a problem because only about 15 people were there, most are couples and families. 

Museo de los soldaditos de plomo, Valencia

Final Thoughts

When my son asked me if we can go to the toy soldier museum, I must admit, I wasn’t overly excited about it. The idea of looking at tin soldiers didn’t really appeal to me. But after seeing how painstakingly the figures have been painted and laid out, whether it’s a battle or a scene from the Roman Baths, it definitely made me appreciate the amount of work and detail that has gone into the whole collection.

Yes, it’s a quirky place and a true labour of love. If you’re a big kid at heart then I’m sure you will like it! It’s certainly a great place to spend an hour or two.