Visit the Lisbon Oceanarium, the capital’s aquarium

Visiter L'Aquarium de Lisbonne

Going to Lisbon for the vacations? During your stay, be sure to visit the Lisbon Oceanarium, the world’s first aquarium!

The Oceanarium (Oceanário de Lisboa) is without doubt one of Lisbon’s main attractions. In fact, it’s ranked as the world’s top aquarium by travelers on TripAdvisor! Here you can discover exceptional marine flora and fauna, all housed in a futuristic building…

Visit the Lisbon Oceanarium: 8,000 animals and 500 marine species!

Visiter L'Aquarium de Lisbonne 3

Photo credit: Flickr – Daniel Silva

A huge manta ray (the largest of all rays, reaching up to seven meters!), sharks, a magnificent sunfish, penguins, sea otters, octopuses, turtles, all kinds of fish, jellyfish, multicolored plants and algae… A visit to the Lisbon Oceanarium means discovering 8,000 animals, representing over 500 marine species.

Four ecosystems are represented: the North Atlantic, Indian, Antarctic and Pacific Oceans… They coexist in the immense central basin, filled with five million liters of water!

Before entering, take time to admire the building from the outside. Built on water, it is the work of architect Peter Chermayeff, who also designed the Osaka and Genoa aquariums – to name but two.

What to do at the Lisbon Oceanarium?

The Oceanarium was built for the 1998 Universal Exhibition, on the theme « The oceans, a heritage for the future ». Its aim is to introduce visitors to marine worlds… and, above all, to raise awareness of the need to protect our oceans.

This dual vocation is reflected in the diversity of activities on offer. In addition to the permanent exhibition, you can visit a temporary exhibition, whose theme changes from period to period. There are also more unusual activities: for example, you can attend a baby concert in the aquarium, or even, for €60 per person, sleep a night with the sharks!

Lisbon Oceanarium: Prices, opening hours …

Visiter L'Aquarium de Lisbonne 1

Photo credit: Wikimedia

To visit the Lisbon Oceanarium, you’ll need to go to the Parc des Nations district.

  • By metro: take the red line and get off at Oriente station.
  • By train: Oriente station.
  • By car: numerous parking lots are available around the Parc des Nations (the list is on the Oceanarium website).

Ticket prices for the Lisbon Oceanarium are as follows:

  • Children under 3: free
  • Children aged 4 to 12: €10 for the permanent exhibition, €12 for a ticket combining the permanent + temporary exhibitions.
  • Adults aged 12 to 64: €15 for the permanent exhibition, €18 for a ticket combining the permanent + temporary exhibitions
  • Over 65s: €10 for the permanent exhibition, €12 for a ticket combining the permanent + temporary exhibitions

Note that there’s a family ticket that’s pretty good value: for 2 adults and 2 children under 12, you’ll pay €39 for the permanent exhibition (€11 discount) and €47 for a ticket combining the permanent and temporary exhibitions (€13 discount).

If you have the Lisboad Card, don’t forget it: it entitles you to a 15% discount.

To avoid queuing, you can also buy your Oceanarium ticket online in advance (see button below):

The Oceanarium is open :

  • 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. in summer
  • 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. in winter
  • Last admission is one hour before closing time.

On public holidays, such as December 25 and January 1, special opening hours may apply.

Main Photo Credit: Wikimedia – Rinaldo Wurglitsch