Barcelona Aquarium Tickets

The Aquarium is one of the most popular visits in Barcelona and one of the best things to see and do in the city. Unlike a visit to the Barcelona Zoo, the main advantage of the Aquarium is that you can do a complete tour in much less time; making it ideal for those tourists who will only be in the city for a few days.

Below I provide all the information you need to purchase your tickets to the Aquarium of the city, but if your intention is to have a few days of family fun, I recommend exploring excursions to do with children near the city.

The Best Option

Barcelona Aquarium Tickets

An attraction for the whole family

Buy this skip-the-line ticket for a day of fun at one of Barcelona's most visited attractions, the Barcelona Aquarium has one of the most amazing collections of sea creatures in the world.

From $28 at Hellotickets

Recommended if... you are looking to take advantage of your visit to Barcelona to learn about marine life in an environment characterized by its richness and diversity of species. This ticket will allow you to access without complications and without waiting.

As one of the most visited attractions in the city, the Aquarium administration offers different combos or price options. The most economical tickets for the Aquarium are online booking in an access time slot: you choose the day and time and your ticket is scheduled for use within 30 minutes. This type of ticket is available from €25 for adults and young people from 11 years old; €17 for children between 5 and 10 years old and €10 for children under 5.

You also have the Flexi-Ticket a ticket that you can use the day and time you want in a period of 90 days after purchase. For this type of ticket, the entrance ticket for adults and young people up to 11 years old costs about 30 €; children between 5 and 10 years pay 22 € and children under 5 years pay 12 €.

Other interesting combinations include the ticket with a meal option for lunch inside the park. If you are traveling to Barcelona with children this alternative is often very useful with fast food menu options that avoid the need for planning.

At the moment you will not find guided tours or tour operators that offer exclusive guided tours of the aquarium; although it may not be necessary to book a guide for this attraction, mainly because all the facilities are very well documented and it is easy to follow the pace of the information.

If you need transportation

In the absence of a guide with transportation you can use the resources of thetourist bus to get to the place. In this case you will have to take the bus route East and get off at the Port Vell stop, which is only a few meters from the attraction.

If for some reason you forget or prefer to purchase your tickets once you arrive at the attraction, you only need to go to the ticket booth located near the main entrance. Please note that the ticket booth closes approximately one hour before the official closing time of the attraction.

Although it is a possible option, it is not an alternative that I recommend to travelers visiting Barcelona for the first time or who will be in the city for a short time, such as two days or three days, since the ticket counter can exhibit long lines especially in the months of high tourist influx. The smartest option is always to purchase your tickets in advance weeks before your visit and ensure availability if you really want to visit this attraction.

Of course it is! The Aquarium is one of the best things to do in Barcelona during a family vacation; a fact well known to tourism companies who have developed a tourist card called the Barcelona Pass which includes no less than 20 major tourist attractions around the city, including the Aquarium.

This resource is quite useful since it allows you to explore Barcelona for two or three days (depending on the pass you purchase) and visit destinations such as La Sagrada Familia, Casa Batlló, La Pedrera or Parque Güell. Some alternatives also include a pass to the Barcelona Tourist Bus, one of the best resources to move between the different tourist sites.

The Aquarium is located in the Old Port, Spain's dock. Getting to this area of the city is really easy and you have several alternatives to move, which are listed below.

• On foot: from the heart of Barcelona go to the vicinity of the Plaça de Catalunya and take a leisurely stroll to the aquarium. The walk will take you about 25 minutes and you will be able to explore the streets of the city.

• By Metro: taking the L4 line the Barceloneta station is only 10 minutes away, taking the L3 line the Drassanes station is a 15 minute walk.

• By city bus: you will find that several public transport routes arrive in the vicinity of the Aquarium. These are: V17 and 39, 45, 59, 59, 91, 120, D20, H14, V13, V15.

• By tourist bus: the East route will drop you off at the Port Vell bus stop just 2 minutes from the Aquarium entrance.

More than recommended, the Aquarium is a must-see if you are visiting Barcelona with children. If you will be in the city for a few days and your itinerary does not allow for activities that require more time such as an afternoon at the Barcelona Zoo, the Aquarium is a fantastic alternative that you can see in half the time and with the same level of involvement and fun for the younger ones.

My recommendation to make the visit even more memorable is to get the kids involved in the extra activities that the Aquarium includes seasonally in its calendar. One of my favorites is a full-day activity, Aquarist for a Day, focused on children from 5 to 15 years old, where they are shown the main activities related to fish care.

If your visit does not allow for full day activities be sure to observe the feeding schedule of the marine animals. Attend the show where the keepers feed penguins, rays and even sharks.

While it is true that all the spaces inside the Aquarium are interesting, it is also true that some are more impressive than others. On your visit pay attention to the following.

• The Mediterranean Aquarium: Throughout 14 aquariums you can enjoy the largest exhibition of Mediterranean fish in Barcelona, showing the marine life of the different communities.
• The Tropical Aquarium: In this space you can enjoy the colorful tropical sea and species of different sizes.
• The Oceanarium: An 80-meter long glass tunnel takes you through the largest aquarium in the place; possibly one of the most exciting visits you can do in the Aquarium is to visit this tunnel with sharks, rays and other species of the sea.
• Shark immersion experience: One of the most impressive activities at the Aquarium called shark dive takes place in a large pool where you can swim with sharks if you have a diving license. If you don't, you can watch other people do it.

The minimum time you should invest in an excursion to the Aquarium is approximately 2 hours; this time will allow you to see the highlights and marvel at the beautiful creatures that live here. However, it is no less true that there is a lot to see and do inside this attraction, as its 35 aquariums currently house no less than 11,000 specimens.

It is no secret that the Aquarium building is a structure in which space is used intelligently to take advantage of every square meter, so if you have plenty of time and can devote a whole afternoon to walk around it calmly, I assure you that you won't get bored!

Before visiting the Aquarium and any other attraction in the city of Barcelona it is important to inform yourself properly about the schedule that manages and mainly if the schedule changes according to the seasonal seasons. The Aquarium is one of those attractions that experience variations throughout the year, in your visit to this space take into account the following.

• During the months of April and May and again in October, the hours from Monday to Friday are from 10:00 am to 7:30 pm. On weekends and national holidays the opening hours in May are from 10:00 am to 8:00 pm; in April and October from 10:00 am to 8:30 pm.

• During the months of July and August the opening hours are from 10 am to 9:30 pm every day due to the peak summer season in Barcelona.

• During the months of June and September the opening hours are from 10h to 21h, every day.

• During the remaining months (January, February, March and December) the schedule from Monday to Friday is from 10 am to 7:30 pm and until 8 pm on weekends and holidays. These are the coldest and winter months in Barcelona.

I share with you some tips that could be very helpful in your visit to the Aquarium, if you want to have a fun day with as few inconveniences as possible, take into consideration the following.

It is not allowed to feed the animals or throw objects at them

An especially important issue when traveling with small children. Be sure to explain to them in advance the rules of the place including not feeding the animals or throwing objects or garbage in the areas where they live.

Buy your tickets in advance.

The Aquarium is an incredibly popular attraction and during school vacation periods, the number of visitors is significant. To avoid inconveniences such as sold out tickets for the date of your trip or long lines at the ticket office, it is always best to purchase your tickets in advance.

Find out what is forbidden in the Aquarium

On your visit to the Aquarium you will find that small vehicles such as bicycles, scooters, and skateboards are prohibited from entering the facilities. Likewise, pets and companion animals of any kind are not allowed.

To take pictures you need a good camera

If you want to take pictures in the Aquarium you need a camera capable of taking pictures in low light, because the space and the paths are illuminated only with enough light so as not to disturb the tranquility of the species living there.

It is a good attraction to visit in winter

Do not let the large pools and aquariums that make up this space scare you, the interior of the Aquarium is fully air-conditioned which makes it a good alternative to go on those days when the streets of Barcelona are a little cold for the winter: or on those rainy days when you do not feel like being outdoors.

Visit the Aquarium at opening time

If you want to make the most of your time at the Aquarium it is best to visit the attraction just before opening time at 10 am. In addition to arriving early, I recommend going directly to the attractions with the highest demand in order to see the creatures up close without too many tourists; as midday approaches more and more families begin to arrive with the intention of spending an afternoon of fun at the Aquarium.