Aquarium of Genoa Tickets & Visitor Guide

The Acquario di Genova is Italy’s largest aquarium and one of Europe’s biggest, anchored — literally shaped like a ship — on Ponte Spinola in Genoa’s Porto Antico. Built for the 1992 Columbus Expo and expanded since with a Renzo Piano-designed cetacean pavilion, it holds around 12,000 animals, from bottlenose dolphins and sharks to manatees, penguins and a wall of jellyfish.

It’s also Genoa’s single busiest attraction, pulling over a million visitors a year into a one-way route of tank halls. That makes the two decisions before you go — ticket type and entry hour — worth more than anything you decide once inside.

Quick Summary

Quick fact	Detail
Tickets from	€26 adult fixed-date online; children 4–12 from €16, under-4s free — [source: official Acquario di Genova site]
Opening hours	Daily year-round, typically 9:00–20:00, last entry 18:00; longer on summer/holiday dates
Advance booking	Yes — timed slots, and holiday slots sell out
Time needed	2.5–3.5 hours for the full route

Ticket Types Compared

The official shop sells two main formulas, plus combos. Resellers add convenience but not always savings.

Fixed-date ticket

The cheapest option: pick a date and time slot when booking. Adults from €26, children 4–12 from €16, seniors/military/disabled from €20, under-4s free. You must show up in your slot.

• Best for: anyone with a fixed itinerary — it’s the lowest price the aquarium sells.
• Skip if: your Genoa plans could shift; changing means depending on availability.

Flexi ticket

An open ticket valid for a year from purchase: you book your slot later and can change date/time once up to two hours before entry. It costs several euros more than fixed-date pricing. Tickets are non-nominal, so you can pass one to someone else.

• Best for: cruise passengers and road-trippers whose arrival time is a guess.
• Skip if: you already know your date — you’re paying for flexibility you won’t use.

AcquarioVillage combos

Bundles add the other Porto Antico attractions — the Biosfera (Renzo Piano’s glass sphere of tropical plants and birds) and the Bigo panoramic lift — for a few euros over aquarium-only entry.

• Best for: a full half-day at Porto Antico; the Biosfera takes 20 minutes and rounds out the visit well.
• Skip if: you’re time-boxed at three hours — the aquarium alone fills that.

Reseller tickets (GetYourGuide and similar)

GetYourGuide lists Aquarium of Genoa entry at around $38 (listed price, roughly €35) with a 4.5-star average across more than 10,000 reviews — typically a flexi-style product. Handy if you’re already booking other Italy activities in one app.

• Best for: app convenience and easy cancellation policies.
• Skip if: the official €26 fixed-date price beats it for your date — it usually does.

Timing Is Everything

• Quietest: weekday mornings outside Italian school holidays — November, January, February, and May–June weekdays. First slots (9:00–10:00) walk straight in.
• Busiest: Sundays, Italian public holidays, Easter week, and rainy August days when the whole Ligurian coast decamps indoors. Midday slots are the worst.
• Rain rule: the aquarium is Genoa’s default bad-weather plan. If the forecast is wet, book your slot as early in the day as you can.
• Best photo time: the cetacean pavilion is calmest in the first hour; the big open-top tanks photograph better before the crowds’ phones go up.

Arrival tactic: take the first morning slot, walk the route at your own pace ahead of the wave, and you’ll have the dolphin viewing windows nearly to yourself before 11:00. If you’re stuck with an afternoon slot on a busy day, do the opposite: linger. The final ninety minutes before last entry are consistently calmer than midday, and the route stays open well past the last-admission time, so a 17:00 entry still buys a full, unhurried visit.

How to Save

• Book fixed-date online. It’s the lowest published price and skips the ticket-office line.
• Family maths: children 4–12 save €10 on the adult rate; under-4s are free. A family of four books from €84 rather than €104+.
• Seniors 65+, military and visitors with disabilities pay from €20 — bring ID.
• Combos beat separates. If you want the Biosfera or Bigo anyway, the AcquarioVillage formula is cheaper than three tickets.
• Compare the reseller price honestly. The listed ~$38 on GetYourGuide buys flexibility, not entry the official site can’t sell you for €26.

How to Get There

The aquarium sits on Ponte Spinola in the Porto Antico, the pedestrianised old harbour below Genoa’s centro storico.

• Metro: San Giorgio station is the closest stop, a few minutes’ walk along the waterfront.
• Train: from Genova Piazza Principe it’s about 15–20 minutes on foot through the old town, or metro from Darsena/Principe; from Brignole, take the metro or bus toward the port.
• Driving: the Porto Antico car parks (including the aquarium’s own 167-space lot, open 24/7, non-reservable) fill on weekends — arrive early or park at Marina/Porto Antico structures and walk.
• Cruise passengers: the terminal is close enough to walk in about 20 minutes, or a short taxi.

Inside: What’s Worth Your Time

The route is one-way, so pace yourself early — you can’t easily double back against holiday crowds.

• Cetacean Pavilion — four pools for the bottlenose dolphins with an underwater viewing level. Check feeding/training session times on the day’s board and plan around one; it’s the highlight.
• Shark tank — the big Mediterranean and tropical predator tank mid-route.
• Manatees — one of the few places in Europe to see them; the pavilion is usually calmer than the dolphin crowds.
• Penguins and seals — near the route’s end, at kid height, and worth saving energy for.
• Jellyfish gallery — backlit tanks, the best photos in the building.

With children, budget three hours and take the route’s mid-point café break — there’s no re-entry once you exit.

Make It a Porto Antico Half-Day

The aquarium anchors a compact waterfront district that fills the rest of the day without any transport:

• Biosfera — the glass sphere floating beside the aquarium, 20 minutes of tropical plants, birds and butterflies; cheapest as part of the combo ticket.
• Bigo — the panoramic lift styled after harbour cranes, for a rotating view over the port and old town.
• Galata Museo del Mare — Italy’s largest maritime museum, 10 minutes’ walk along the waterfront, with a real submarine moored outside; a strong second indoor stop on a rainy day.
• The centro storico starts directly across the road: Via San Lorenzo, the cathedral and the caruggi alleys are a 5-minute walk.

Practical notes: the route is stroller- and wheelchair-accessible with lifts between levels; lockers and a café sit near the entrance. Feeding sessions and keeper talks run to a daily schedule — photograph the board when you enter and build your loop around the one you care about, because the one-way flow makes backtracking painful on busy days.

Where the Data Comes From

Prices, hours and ticket rules in this guide come from the official Acquario di Genova website and partner listings (GetYourGuide), checked on the date shown below. Seasonal hours and slot availability move — confirm your date on the official calendar before booking.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does the Aquarium of Genoa cost?

Fixed-date adult tickets start from €26 on the official site; children 4–12 from €16, and under-4s free. Flexible open-date tickets cost more. Reseller platforms list entry around €33–38 depending on options.

Do I need to book Aquarium of Genoa tickets in advance?

Yes for weekends, holidays and summer — entry is by date and time slot, and popular slots sell out. Booking online also skips the ticket-office queue.

How long does a visit to the Aquarium of Genoa take?

Most visitors spend 2.5–3.5 hours following the one-way route through the tanks. Add time for the dolphin pavilion viewing and any Porto Antico extras like the Biosfera.

What animals does the Aquarium of Genoa have?

Around 12,000 animals across dozens of tanks: bottlenose dolphins in the Cetacean Pavilion, sharks, manatees, penguins, seals, jellyfish and Mediterranean species. It's the largest aquarium in Italy.

Is the Aquarium of Genoa open year-round?

Yes — 365 days a year, typically 9:00–20:00 with last entry at 18:00. Summer and holiday periods get extended hours; the official calendar shows exact times per date.

How do I get to the Aquarium of Genoa?

It's at Ponte Spinola in the Porto Antico. The San Giorgio metro stop is a few minutes' walk; Genova Piazza Principe and Brignole stations are both about 15–20 minutes on foot or a short metro/bus ride.

Is there a combo ticket with other Porto Antico attractions?

Yes. The AcquarioVillage formulas combine the aquarium with attractions like the Biosfera glass sphere and the Bigo panoramic lift for a few euros more than aquarium-only entry.

Guide last updated: 2026-08-18. Facts are sourced from the official Aquarium of Genoa website and our ticketing partners; always double-check before you travel.