L’Aquàrium de Barcelona first opened its doors in 1995, with a clear educational vocation and the aim of showing the general public what living in the marine world is like. It is now the leading Mediterranean-themed, marine leisure and educational centre in the world. It is one of the city’s leading leisure facilities.
A wonderful place for discovering the biodiversity of marine ecosystems, especially in regard to Mediterranean species, and for explaining why their conservation is so necessary and important.
The aim of our itinerary around L’Aquàrium’s biological collection is to make it an authentic immersion into the Mediterranean itself; a walk around 66 Mediterranean and tropical aquariums, where eleven thousand specimens from over 450 different species coexist. The biggest and most spectacular aquarium is the Oceanarium, where a tunnel over 80 metres long brings visitors close to various types of shark, rays, morays and other species.
At the beginning of the visit, we are surrounded by the Mediterranean’s surface ecosystems and we then gradually dive deeper and deeper, showing the various habitats, animals and plants that are characteristic of each bathymetric zone, as well as dedicating aquariums to areas of special interest, such as the Medes Islands marine reserve, which has a specially rich biology and biodiversity.
As a counterpoint to this itinerary through the depths of the Mediterranean, there is also a gallery featuring a series of tanks on the planet’s most representative tropical seas, including the Red Sea, the Caribbean and the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, where visitors can compare the austere beauty of the sea bathing our shores with the explosion of colour and biodiversity of the fauna native to coral seabeds. But take care! Some tropical species are also poisonous.
Without a doubt, some of L’Aquàrium’s most spectacular guests are its sharks. During the tropical itinerary, you can get a close-up view of various shark species, including the blacktip reef shark and the oceanic whitetip shark, as well as the zebra shark.
In 2001, L’Aquàrium’s biological collection was expanded to include a new floor, where visitors can enjoy two permanent exhibitions, the Planeta Aqua room and the Explora! interactive space, which emphasise the importance of the aquatic medium on Earth, and where younger visitors can discover the marine world through their senses.
Planeta Aqua, a room measuring 4,000 m2, displays other marine and freshwater ecosystems in differentiated zones. La Vida en el Frio [Life in the Cold] is the space where the likeable Humboldt penguins live, while the room’s model sperm whale hosts a permanent exhibition on jellyfish. And the Agua y Vida area is home to piranhas, axolotls, frogs and lungfish.
Furthermore, visitors who have always dreamt of being a submarine captain can make their dream come true with the L’Aquàrium de Barcelona’s reproduction in Explora! Through interactive, multimedia games, we take you back to the time of the first explorations and discoveries, featuring old-fashioned diving suits and the latest bathyscaphes.
A visit to L’Aquàrium de Barcelona is a unique experience that you really shouldn’t miss.
At the end of the visit, we offer various services to our visitors, including the cafeteria, the shop, the auditorium and a souvenir photo.