Learn about Barcelona’s protected coastline and walk beneath sharks in an underwater tunnel at the city’s aquarium.
Barcelona Aquarium houses 11,000 underwater creatures. There are 35 tanks holding sharks, tropical fish and penguins. The aquarium specializes in Mediterranean habitats. Learn about the coastline of Barcelona and see the diverse animals that live there. There are also cold water and deep-sea tanks, and hands-on activities for children.
The Aquarium is in the Port Vell district on Barcelona’s harbor. Tickets for the aquarium aren’t cheap. Buy them online to receive discounts and special offers. Skip straight to the front of the line with a pre-purchased ticket.
Be sure to check out the Oceanarium. The 118-foot (36-meter) long tank has sharks, stingrays and tropical fish. Walk through a 260-foot (80-meter) tunnel that crosses beneath the tank and watch as sharks swim just a few feet above you.
Thirteen other tanks resemble different habitats in the Mediterranean Sea. The aquarium has used state-of-the-art technology to develop realistic-looking displays. A marked route runs alongside the tanks to make the aquarium easy to navigate. Detailed signposting about the different marine life in the tanks is in English, Spanish and Catalan.
Make your way to the Planeta Aqua display, which has penguins in cold-water habitats and a special stingray enclosure. There are seven tanks modeled after reefs from around the world, including Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. The colorful tropical enclosures have coral and exotic fish.
There are more than 50 interactive activities for children in the Explora exhibit. Walk through a replica of the inside of a submarine and examine the contents of mud under a microscope.
The museum is open every day, opening and closing times vary throughout the year so check the website for details. Come by bus, tram or metro. The aquarium is a short walk from Las Ramblas, where there are shops and restaurants.
