Discovering wonders of the deep at Bristol Aquarium
Back in November, we spent a weekend in Bristol visiting Kian who is now at university in the city.
During our visited we enjoyed some of the city’s top tourist attractions including Bristol Zoo, We the Curious, SS Great Britain and Bristol Aquarium.
Bristol Aquarium is just a stones throw from We the Curious on the harbourside, so we parked at Millenium Square and decided to make a day of it.
Bristol Aquarium is home to 40 naturally-themed displays where you can spot thousands of amazing aquatic creatures, including tropical sharks, rays, seahorses, puffer fish, piranhas, and even a couple of dinosaurs for good measure.
The aquarium isn’t huge, however tickets are valid all day, so you can come and go as you please, timing your visits to coincide with talks and activities that run throughout the day.
There are plenty of learning opportunities throughout the aquarium, with clear signage with information about each exhibit and its inhabitants. The kids favourite had to be the giant botanical house, known as their Urban Jungle, where you can find hundreds of exotic plant and tree species from around the world as well as the open-topped Bay of Rays and the Mighty Amazon pools, home to terrapins and freshwater fish.
The centre piece of the aquarium is the enormous Coral Seas display, which holds over 250,000 litres of water and is home to over 250 marine animals.
There is a fantastic underwater walk-through tunnel which is part of the Coral Seas display and provides the opportunity to see some of the inhabitants up close, with a special floor-to-ceiling viewing window at the end.
We spent around an hour visiting the aquarium and taking in all the things there were to see and do, however, to make the most of the entry price, I do recommend that you take advantage of the day ticket and pop back to see the fish being fed or the keeper talks.
During February half term you can meet a real life Mermaid and listen to her ‘tails’ of life beneath the waves on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, or their resident pirate who will be visiting on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
Entry price for a family of 4 is £46.35, when purchased online in advance and the aquarium is open daily from 10am – 4pm.
Disclaimer: We were gifted Aquarium Tickets by Visit Bristol for the purpose of a review. All thoughts and opinions are our own.
Mary
That underwater walk-through tunnel looks incredible. An aquarium is something I’d often overlook, but not anymore. Great post, thank you.
Jenni
I love that they have the underwater walkway, they have one of those under the shark tank in Blackpool. It’s great that you can go in and out with the ticket too
Sarah | Boo Roo and Tigger Too
My children would love this. We are looking to head that way later this year when we visit friends in Bath so I must see if we can squeeze in a trip
Jenna Parrington
This is a place on our to-do list! Looks like a fab place to visit!
Becky
The underwater tunnel in the coral reef display looks brilliant!
Kate
That looks fantastic! I love aquariums, and they’re such easy places to entertain the kids. I love the underwater tunnel!
Michelle Murray
We love visiting the aquarium and we are lucky that we have quite a few close by. Looks like a fun day out.
Lewis | Lewisherelewisthere
The aquarium looks fantastic! It’s a bit far for me to visit Bristol from Glasgow. But if I find myself down south any time soon, I’ll be sure to check it out.
fashionandstylepolice
This looks like a great spot for a family day out.
Kaz | Ickle Pickles Life and Travels
My eldest is in Bristol too and we visited the aquarium last year. It is a great place to visit! Kaz
Louise
I had no idea there was an aquarium at Bristol! Next time we visit we’re definitely going to have to check it out 🙂
Louise x
Mostlyfoodandtravel
Aquariums and Zoos are always good things to do on a rainy day- this one looks nice and has lots of variety m. Glad the kids had fun
Rowena
This aquarium looks fantastic – added to my places to go wish list as think my son would love it here – especially the resident pirate!
Sarah
Aw I haven’t been here for ages but it looks incredible! The detail and sheer size of the displays are incredible! The price isn’t too bad either for a family!
Rachael
Oh man, I love a good aquarium! The one we have near us is quite small sadly. Next time we’re over this way, I’ll have to pop in, it sounds like great fun and a pretty good price for a family ticket too.