Genoa · Porto Antico
The aquarium that Renzo Piano designed in the Porto Antico for the 1992 Expo: about 10,000 specimens of 400 species, the largest aquarium in Italy. Dolphins, sharks, manatees, seals, penguins and jellyfish, in a visit of about two and a half hours.
Tickets and experiences hand-picked by our editors.
Tickets and experiences
In the center, the entry ticket with lunch in the options. On the sides, the Aquarium with lunch at Tender and the three entries with the Galata Maritime Museum and the submarine. Each card opens the full page.
With lunch
★ 4.42.5 hours in AquariumFree cancellationEntry to the Aquarium with lunch at Tender, the bar halfway through: sandwich, chips and a drink, from 11:30 to 16:00.
Most popular
★ 4.52.5 hours in AquariumFree cancellationEntry to the Aquarium for the date and time slot you choose. In the options you can add a sandwich, street food or focaccia for lunch.
Three entries
★ 4.62.5 hours in Aquarium + museumFree cancellationThree entries in the Porto Antico: the Aquarium, the Galata Maritime Museum and the S518 Nazario Sauro submarine. Date and time slot are chosen when booking.
With the Lanterna
★ 4.32.5 hours + Lanterna
For families
★ 4.42.5 hours + Città
With Colombo
★ 4.42.5 hours + House
With the cinema
★ 4.52.5 hours + museum
On the open sea
★ 4.44.5 hours
Genoa food
★ 4.93 hours
The city
★ 4.62 hoursCompare
Three questions are enough. Do you just want the Aquarium or another attraction in the same ticket? Do you want lunch already paid for? And after the tanks, are you interested in the open sea or the city?
| Tour | Departure | Entry | Ideal for | Duration | From | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aquarium of Genoa entry ticket | Aquarium of Genoa, Ponte Spinola | Aquarium, date and slot chosen | Only the Aquarium, with lunch in the options | 2.5 hours in Aquarium | $37 | Book now |
| Aquarium of Genoa with lunch | Aquarium of Genoa, Ponte Spinola | Aquarium and lunch included | The Aquarium and a quick lunch already paid for | 2.5 hours in Aquarium | $46 | Book now |
| Aquarium, Galata Maritime Museum and submarine | Porto Antico of Genoa | Aquarium, Galata and submarine | A full day by the sea, between tanks and ships | 2.5 hours in Aquarium + museum | $52 | Book now |
| Aquarium and Lanterna of Genoa | Aquarium and Lanterna | Aquarium and Lanterna | Aquarium and lighthouse with one ticket; 172 steps to the terrace | 2.5 hours + Lanterna | $39 | Book now |
| Aquarium and Children's City | Porto Antico | Aquarium and Children's City | The Aquarium and the five-senses space for children and teens | 2.5 hours + Città | $46 | Book now |
| Aquarium and Christopher Columbus' House | Aquarium and historic center | Aquarium and Casa di Colombo | The Aquarium and the house where Colombo spent his childhood | 2.5 hours + House | $38 | Book now |
| Aquarium and FantaCinema | Porto Antico | Aquarium and FantaCinema | The Aquarium and the fantasy cinema museum, without a guide | 2.5 hours + museum | $40 | Book now |
| Cetacean watching with a marine biologist | Ponte Spinola, next to the Aquarium | Aquarium not included | By boat in the Pelagos Sanctuary with a marine biologist on board | 4.5 hours | $50 | Book now |
| Genoa, traditional food tour | Historic center of Genoa | Aquarium not included | Pesto, focaccia, fried food and gelato in 4 or more stops, with a guide | 3 hours | $60 | Book now |
| Genoa on foot with a local guide | Historic center of Genoa | Aquarium not included | Two hours in the center of Genoa with a local guide | 2 hours | $39 | Book now |
The official fixed-date ticket costs from 26 to 34 euros online, with dynamic pricing, and 34 euros at the ticket desk. In combined tickets with Lanterna, Città dei Bambini, Casa di Colombo and FantaCinema, the Aquarium slot is booked separately, as each card states. All tours on this table can be cancelled free of charge up to 24 hours before.
Before booking
At the Aquarium, entry is in half-hour slots, chosen when you buy the ticket. The fixed-date ticket cannot be changed or refunded, and you cannot enter on a different date or slot. The price is dynamic: online, the full price ranges from 26 to 34 euros depending on the season, day, time and demand. The Open Flexi ticket, at 38 euros, is valid for one year and allows you to change the date and slot once.
Online offers add more: lunch at Tender, the Galata Museo del Mare, the Lanterna or the Città dei Bambini. Each listing states exactly what is included in the price.
The year of opening, for the Expo celebrating 500 years since Columbus's voyage. Designed by Renzo Piano.
Yes, at the ticket desks at the entrance, for 34 euros. Online on acquariodigenova.it, with dynamic pricing.
Full price from 26 to 34 euros online, children 4-12 from 16 to 25, free under 4.
Every day of the year. The hours change with the day: last entry at 17:30, 18:00 or 20:00.
No: one ticket is valid for one entry only. However, there is no maximum duration for the visit.
The visit
A route marked by blue panels through the world's seas, for about two and a half hours.
The ticket can be bought online or at the ticket desk, with the date and half-hour entry slot. In combined tickets, check which slot is booked.
Half-hour time slotsAt the cloakroom, leave clothes and luggage, at 3 euros per item. At the entrance there is the souvenir photo, which is optional.
One entry onlyThe moray eels, manatees, sharks, seals, penguins, the touch pool with rays, corals and jellyfish.
About 2 hours and 30 minutesThe Padiglione Cetacei by Renzo Piano has four outdoor tanks for the bottlenose dolphins, to be viewed from two levels.
Padiglione CetaceiPlan your visit
The hours, 2026 prices, reductions and rules of the route: one card each.
Where is it located
Ponte Spinola, Porto Antico, Genoa
The Aquarium is on the pier of the Porto Antico. By car, exit at Genova Ovest and follow signs for the center, via Milano and via Gramsci; the Aquarium car park has 163 spaces and costs 3 euros per hour during the day. Buses 1 and 13 have their terminus in front of the entrance.
Around the visit
Eating, what to bring, the surroundings and accessibility.
Aquarium of Genoa
Choose how to enter, then the date and half-hour slot.
Check availabilityReviews
★★★★★A wonderful experience. The Aquarium of Genoa is simply magnificent.
★★★★★The route is well organized and the information panels are easy to read. The research activity is commendable.
★★★★★It was a great time, and it's perfect for children. [...] It's a wonderful experience and I would definitely go back.
★★★★★We loved the Aquarium so much. The lunch was very abundant and the bar was outdoors, with a view of the port.
★★★★★A very well-set-up aquarium, with so many species of fish I didn't even know existed, and courteous staff. The museum is fantastic, a real piece of history, and the submarine visit was truly special.
★★★★★The Aquarium was incredible, perfect for children of all ages.
★★★★★We had a wonderful day and were very lucky: we saw both fin whales and dolphins. The boat was new and spotless, and the entire crew was very kind.
★★★★★A fantastic food tour! Valentina took us to very nice local places and had us taste delicious dishes we would never have tried on our own.
★★★★★Our guide, Giulio, was a mine of knowledge and brought Genoa to life before our eyes. A splendid tour, the best we have ever done.
After the Aquarium
For the next day: a boat trip along the coast from the Porto Antico and two free hours in the village of Portofino.
A boat trip from the Porto Antico, a few steps from the Aquarium, to Portofino, with two free hours in the village. The paper ticket is collected at the ticket office before boarding.
From Porto Antico2 hours to PortofinoRound trip
The guide
It was born for a celebration: the 1992 Expo, which marked 500 years since Christopher Columbus's voyage. Today it is the largest aquarium in Italy.
The Aquarium is part of the Porto Antico redevelopment, which Renzo Piano redesigned for the Expo. It opened in 1992 and reopened permanently in 1993. In 1998 it expanded with the Nave Blu, the hull that houses the Padiglione Biodiversità, and in 2013 the Padiglione Cetacei arrived, also by Renzo Piano, with the outdoor dolphin tanks and an underwater half-tunnel. It is managed by Costa Edutainment.
About 10,000 specimens of 400 species, according to the Aquarium. The route starts from Pianeta Blu, with the video mapping, and passes from the moray eel cave, a cylinder over 6 metres high, to the manatee lagoon: the Aquarium is the only facility in Italy, and one of 10 in Europe, that hosts them. Then the shark bay with two sawfish, the seal island, the kingdom of ice with penguins, corals and the jellyfish dance, with nine tanks. The species, one by one, are in the what to see at the Aquarium guide.
In the Cetacean Pavilion, bottlenose dolphins can be observed on two levels. The Aquarium has been recognised as a zoo since 2011 and has been part of EAZA since 1998; it explains that in Europe, capture in the wild has been banned since 1992. Official experiences, such as «A tu per tu con i delfini» or with penguins, are booked separately, are in Italian and do not include the ticket. Everything in the dolphins and experiences guide.
Once you exit the Aquarium, you are already in the port: the Bigo, the 40-metre panoramic lift, the Biosfera on the water, the Galata Museo del Mare with the submarine and the boats for Portofino and for whale and dolphin watching in the Pelagos Sanctuary. Ideas for a full day are in the blog.
Guides
In-depth guides to the questions everyone asks before booking. All guides.
Tickets and pricesDynamic pricing, Open Flexi, reduced, combined and where to buy.What to seeThe rooms, the species, the manatees, the sharks and the touch pool.
Hours and durationOpening time slots, last entry, delays and visit duration.
Rules and servicesBackpacks, food, photos, cloakroom, packed lunch and accessibility.
How to get thereTrain, metro, bus, airport, car and parking in the Porto Antico.Dolphins and experiencesPadiglione Cetacei, official experiences, Cena Emozionale and cetaceans at sea.From the blog
Dynamic pricing, the Aquarium with children and a day in Porto Antico. All articles.
FAQ
Direct answers to the most frequent questions about the Aquarium of Genoa.
Online, the full-price fixed-date ticket costs from 26 to 34 euros: the price is dynamic and changes with the season, the day, the time slot and demand. At the ticket desk it costs 34 euros. Children aged 4 to 12 from 16 to 25 euros, reduced from 20 to 29 euros, free for under 4s. On GetYourGuide, tickets start from $37. Everything in the tickets guide.
The Aquarium states that «to guarantee entry, booking a date and time slot is mandatory». Entry is in half-hour slots, chosen at the time of purchase. Tickets are also sold at the ticket desks at the entrance, at the price of 34 euros.
The sales conditions are clear: you cannot enter on a different date or time slot than the one printed on the ticket. The fixed-date ticket cannot be changed or refunded. Only the Open Flexi ticket, at 38 euros, allows you to change the date and time slot once, up to 2 hours before entry.
The Aquarium is open 365 days a year. Opening hours depend on the day: from 9:00 to 20:00 (last entry at 18:00), from 10:00 to 19:30 (last entry at 17:30) or from 9:00 to 22:00 (last entry at 20:00). The exact day is on the official calendar; more details in the opening hours guide.
According to the Aquarium, the visit lasts about 2 hours and 30 minutes, and there is no maximum duration. With the same ticket, however, you cannot re-enter: keep it until you exit.
With dynamic pricing, the Aquarium's slogan applies: «the earlier you buy, the less you pay». At the ticket desks there are two promotions: the Mercoledì dei genovesi, 17 euros for residents of Genoa and the province, and the third child free for families with 2 adults and at least 3 children aged 4 to 12. Combined tickets combine the Aquarium with other attractions in Porto Antico.
No. The ticket has the name of the person who bought it, but the Aquarium specifies that tickets are not in the holder's name and can be passed on to another person.
Not in the exhibition rooms. Halfway through there is the fast food Tender (sandwiches, hamburgers, pizza, focaccia and salads, from 8:30 to 17:30) and on the deck of the Nave Blu the Gusto a Bordo restaurant and an outdoor picnic area for packed lunches.
The rules do not ban backpacks. There is a cloakroom for clothes and luggage, at 3 euros per item. Knives, sharp objects, weapons and flammable materials are not allowed, not even in the cloakroom. Other rules in the rules guide.
Yes, amateur photos and videos are allowed, but without flash and without lights for videos. Professional filming must go through the press office.
The Aquarium car park is open 24 hours a day, for cars only, with 163 spaces, including 4 for people with disabilities. It costs 3 euros per hour from 7:00 to 24:00 and 1.10 euros per hour at night. Buses, metro and trains in the how to get there guide.
No. Bottlenose dolphins live in the Cetacean Pavilion, with four outdoor tanks. The official experience «A tu per tu con i delfini» lets you get to know them up close with the staff, but physical contact is not allowed by Italian law. Everything in the dolphins and experiences guide.
Ready to book
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before on every tour on this page.
More: Aquarium, Galata and submarine · Aquarium and Città dei Bambini · whale and dolphin watching
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