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Under The Sea at the Barcelona Aquarium

The animal world is truly fascinating. Being able to appreciate how these creatures live and learn about them is invaluable. The Barcelona Aquarium is one of the best spots to explore marine life while enjoying its unique spaces. That’s why we’re sharing a complete guide with you today, covering its activities, opening hours, and where to buy tickets, to help you plan your next visit.

Barcelona Aquarium, what is it ?

The Aquarium de Barcelona, which opened in 1995 with a strong educational mission, aims to give visitors a firsthand experience of the marine world. Today, it stands as the leading marine, leisure, and educational centre focused on Mediterranean marine life and has become one of tourists’ top things to do in Ciutat Vella.

Explore the interior

The Barcelona Aquarium spans over 4,000 m², offering vast ecosystems and impressive exhibitions. The aquarium features various rooms dedicated to different species and unique experiences. These rooms are divided into the following sections:

The Oceanarium

The Oceanarium is undoubtedly one of the main highlights of the Barcelona Aquarium and a key reason it’s considered one of the top attractions in Barceloneta. With a diameter of 36 meters and a depth of 5 meters, this massive tank holds 3.7 million litres of salt water, showcasing some of the most iconic Mediterranean species.

What really makes it a visitor favourite is its large glass tunnel, allowing you to walk through the heart of the tank as if you’re underwater, offering a truly unique view of this incredible ecosystem.

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Mediterranean Aquariums

As mentioned above, the Barcelona Aquarium is the most important aquarium in the world with a Mediterranean theme. It has a total of 16 aquariums, representing the different Mediterranean communities.

In each aquarium, you can discover the most characteristic species of our fauna in recreations of protected areas of our coasts, such as the Ebro Delta or the Medes Islands.

Themed aquariums

The themed aquariums at the Barcelona Aquarium are small tanks for smaller species. In them, you will see various marine invertebrates such as sea urchins and starfish, as well as tropical corals, sea dragons and dogfish eggs.

Tropical Seas

The marine fauna of the tropical seas opens up a fascinating world of colours under the sea. Their coral reefs are unique architectural creations of singular beauty.

The Barcelona Aquarium features the typical ecosystems of the Red Sea, the Australian Great Barrier Reef and the Caribbean Sea. Here you can see sharks and poisonous fish from tropical waters.

Planet Aqua

Planet Aqua is the large pavilion at the end of the aquarium tour. Here you will find various installations with species from different aquatic conditions. With a total of 4 different themed areas, you can see different types of marine animals such as sea eagles or various types of rays. Planet Aqua is divided into:

Life in the Cold

Life in the Cold is an amphitheatre specially designed to maintain the climatic conditions of the star of this habitat, the Humboldt penguins.

The Tropical Universe

In this space, the three sections of a tropical river have been recreated: the upper, middle and lower reaches. At the mouths of these tropical rivers, you will find special ecosystems such as mangrove swamps and root mazes. Exotic species such as piranhas, tropical turtles and chameleons, among others, can be found here.

Butterflies of the sea

Inside the life-size model of a sperm whale, there is a permanent exhibition called ‘Butterflies of the Sea’, in which Mediterranean and tropical jellyfish are brought together. The exhibition also shows the process of metamorphosis of the jellyfish, which is very similar to that of the butterfly.

Ongoing Discovery

Finally, this corner is for the youngest members of the family where they can both play and learn about the ocean.

What activities can you do at the Barcelona Aquarium?

As well as being able to visit the Aquàrium and dive into the discovery of marine fauna, the centre offers interesting activities for all ages.

The most popular activity at the Barcelona Aquarium is undoubtedly swimming with sharks. For two hours you can dive into one of the Aquarium’s aquariums and swim alongside these beautiful sea creatures.

If you want to find out about all the experiences and activities on offer, don’t forget to visit the aquarium’s website.

Where to buy tickets for the Barcelona Aquarium?

You can buy tickets for the Aquàrium at the ticket office, but we recommend purchasing them online. It tends to get quite busy, so booking in advance will save you time. Plus, they often have seasonal discounts on their website, so you might even snag a 2×1 deal for the Barcelona Aquarium!

FAQS

Aquarium opening hours

The aquarium is open every day from 10:00 to 20:00.

When is the Barcelona Aquarium free?

Young people under the age of 25 can enter free of charge during their birthday week.

How much is the entrance fee to the Barcelona Aquarium?

This will depend on the type of ticket and the age of the visitor, but day tickets range from 12 to 35 euros.

How to get to the Aquarium?

The V17 bus will leave you just a minute’s walk from the Barcelona Aquarium. You can also take the Barceloneta (L4) or Drassanes (L3) metro lines and walk a little further.

We hope this guide to the Barcelona Aquarium has been of great help to you. Remember to take a look at our tourist flats if you’re looking for accommodation for your upcoming trip to Barcelona. Whether you’re looking for an apartment stay in Ciutat Vella or Gracia, you’re guaranteed an unforgettable experience. If that hasn’t convinced you, our list of top things to do in the Barrio Gotic surely will!

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