Let's travel together #121 - L'Aquàrium de Barcelona (Barcelona Tour)

September 2019 · 7 min read · Barcelona

Going to a place where animals are being kept closed for tourists fun is definitely not my thing but the one we are going to visit today is something completely different, and I'm saying that not because it's the biggest Aquarium in Europe, but because every single animal has a large fishbowl that makes them feel like home, maybe even better if we take in consideration how careful caretakers are.

As I mentioned in my previous post there are quite a few things you can do or visit while you get to the Marina Port Vell and there was and will always be, probably one of the biggest attractions of Europe - L'Aquàrium de Barcelona, which is situated right into the port.
The aquarium was opened in 1995, and it's a great one in the world, so we are going to talk about incredible numbers for both the animals who are living there but also for the surface occupied or the sources used for this purpose.
L'Aquàrium de Barcelona is home for 35 fishbowls concerning 11,000 animals including 500 unique species, with 5,000,000 litres capacity of water.
The size of the fishbowls depends on how many animals are living there and how big are these, containing an ocean tank for sharks, rays or large fish.

The Aquarium and the way to the entrance and ticket office

Prices list:
Adult Ticket (11+ years old): 20€;
Youth Ticket (5-10 years old): 15€;
Child Ticket (3-4 years old): 7€;
Baby Ticket (>3 years old): FREE;
Photo/Video Fee: FREE.

There is needed for both categories which get cheaper tickets to provide valid ID cards for the discounts to be applied.
Unfortunately, retirees and differently abled people won't get any discounts.
For those who are booking their tickets in advance online, will get a discount which varies from 10%-15%.
For tourists who are going to stay for a longer period and want to visit more things in the city, there is also the possibility to buy a Barcelona Pass which once is paid you will get Skip The Line access to more than 20 city attractions including: Barcelona Zoo, Camp Nou, Casa Milà, Casa Batlló, etc.

Visiting Schedule:
Jun, Jul, Aug & Sept: 10 AM - 9 PM; (All Days)
Jan, Feb, Mar, Nov & Dec: 10 AM - 7.30 PM; (Monday-Friday)
Jan, Feb, Mar, Nov & Dec: 10 AM - 8 PM; (Weekends & Holidays)
Apr, May & Oct: 10 AM - 8 PM; (Monday-Friday)
Apr, May & Oct: 10 AM - 8.30 PM. (Weekends & Holidays)

The main mission of L'Aquàrium de Barcelona is to provide visitors with a better understanding of the undersea lifestyle and the thousands of animals which are living there.

The aquarium is rounded off with large Tropical and Mediterranean fishbowls which are being split in 7 principal categories dedicated to different animals with special needs, but also a space for kids where they can learn more things about marina flora and fauna - place called Miniaquària.

#1 THE OCEANARIUM

Also known as the house of sharks, we are talking about an 80m long transparent tunnel filled with water which makes it the largest oceanarium in Europe, with a diameter of 36m and 5m depth.
The Oceanarium has around 4 million litres of water and it houses a various number of species from all around the world.
The sharks are being fed each Tuesday and Friday between 12 noon and 1 PM and visitors can assist how divers are mounting the rods where sharks' favourite food will be served - squid and fish.
The water temperature is close to how it's at the surface of the Mediterranean, between 14°C and 18°C and there is an automatic rolling bend that walks you through the tunnel.

#2 MEDITERRANEAN AQUARIUMS

Composed of 14 aquariums which are representing the marine communities that are creating this exhibit.
Every single aquarium is bringing out the most unique species of the region which are barely known by people and some find them really strange.
The capacity of the 14 pools is from 6m³ to 120m³ and those are the most diverse inhabitants brought from diverse areas of the Mediterranean.

#3 THEMED AQUARIUMS

The main purpose of the themed aquariums is to help people understand better the finer details of the marine fauna and flora which are being ignored in most of the other aquariums.
While almost all the aquariums are being focused on bringing as many animals and unique species to the fishbowls, L'Aquàrium de Barcelona stands out with some aquariums properly dedicated to this action.
The different themed aquariums are: marine invertebrates, seahorses, shark eggs, tropical corals and fantastic creatures under the sea.

#4 TROPICAL AQUARIUMS

These are specially arranged for kids and tourists who are being passionated by finding out all the colours which are hiding under the sea.
The aquariums are often likened to natural exhibitions due to the colourful corals' reefs and the architecture of the creations built by no one else but colonial invertebrates.
The fishbowls are totally natural and safe to house different kinds of fish or other underwater creatures.

#5 PLANETA AQUA

Is located on the 2nd floor of L'Aquàrium de Barcelona and its purpose is to make the visitor learn about how the underwater creatures have adapted to various aquatic environments.
That's how you will see examples with animals adapted to the freezing water, the tropical and warmer water, the darkness of the deep seas, and so on.
Probably the first example that comes to your mind are the penguins, which you can also get to see how are being fed since they are considered the greediest small animals and so they eat twice daily between 11.30 PM and 4.30 PM.

#6 EXPLORA! CHILDREN'S AREA

This is the place I mentioned at the beginning of this post, where kids of all ages get into an interactive space which is quite popular in L'Aquàrium de Barcelona, featuring over 50 games, toys, maps, or all kind of layouts which children can touch, listen to, play with, see, and discover.
This side of the aquarium from Barcelona is an educational program that is meant to raise a child's awareness of the marine world.

#7 JEWELS OF THE SEA

Trough this section, the visitors are going to see some of the most interesting shells which have ever been discovered in the world.
It's more like a museum, where tourists can also discover the tools that scientists are using for studying different invertebrates.
So if you are a fan of squids, clams, snails, octopuses, oysters, and so on, just make sure to get to this natural exhibition - you are going to love it!

L'Aquàrium de Barcelona is located in Barcelona, Spain, on just 5 mins away from the Marina Port Vell and its coordinates are: 41°22′36″N 2°11′03″E. The aquarium is also part of the Iberian Association of Zoos and Aquaria.

There are numerous ways to reach the aquarium, depending on what you prefer more.
By walking down the Catalan Street of La Rambla until you reach the Columbus Monument from where you will notice an uncommon wooden bridge. The bridge takes you to the Barcelona Mall and that where L'Aquàrium de Barcelona is located.
By metro: L4 and get down on Barceloneta Station or L3 and drop off at Drassanes Station which is right next to the monument I mentioned earlier.
By bus: D20, H14, V13, V15, V17, 39, 45, 59, 91, 120. All these buses will bring you to the Marina Port Vell from where you will need to walk a few more minutes until you reach the aquarium.
By boat: take a boat from Las Golondrinas which is located near Parc del Forum, and this method will also bring you to the Marina Port Vell.
Hop On Hop Off Bus: a service that takes you the closest to the aquarium, at the station of Barcelona's Mall which is next to the famous L'Aquàrium de Barcelona.