About National Marine Aquarium
Britain's largest aquarium showcases spectacular marine life from local waters to tropical seas, with full accessibility throughout including wheelchair hire for just £1 and baby changing facilities.
What's nearby
- Plymouth Fisheries next door
- Rockfish next door
- Coxside pontoon next door
- Mayflower Steps Memorial 200m away
- Miller & Carter Plymouth 250m away
Distances as the crow flies, via Google
Good to know
Parking
- ✓Paid car park
- ✓Paid street
- ✓Paid garage
Accessibility
- ✓Accessible parking
- ✓Accessible entrance
- ✓Accessible toilet
- ✓Accessible seating
Payment
- ✓Credit cards
- ✓Debit cards
- ✓Contactless
Details via Google — worth confirming with the attraction before you travel, especially for access needs.
Photos
Photos via Google
Facilities
Opening hours
- Monday
- 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
- Tuesday
- 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
- Wednesday
- 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
- Thursday
- 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
- Friday
- 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
- Saturday
- 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
- Sunday
- 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Current hours may differ from the usual schedule above (e.g. holidays) — check Google Maps for today's hours.
What visitors say
The UK’s largest aquarium, conveniently located at Sutton Harbour next to the Barbican. National Marine Aquarium features impressive exhibits, including massive deep-water tanks, immersive underwater glass tunnels, sharks, rays, sea turtles, and interactive zones for children. Very clean, informative, and focused on ocean conservation. Excellent indoor activity for families, school trips, or rainy days in Plymouth, with a gift shop and a cafe offering great harbor views. Tickets usually require advance booking online!
· via Google
Had a fantastic couple of hours here, May bank holiday wasn’t too busy, was expecting it to be busier! Many great interesting fish to see, and SHARKS! Standing beneath one of the tanks was incredible something worth doing! Very calming watching the fish and sharks! Fantastic day out for a family or couple!
· via Google
I would really recommend this if you’re ever in Plymouth, or anywhere nearby. It is a little on the expensive side for a family visit, but it is well worth the money, especially knowing that it goes towards the conservation of the marine animals. We were a bit gutted when we visited because we had missed the octopus, who had sadly passed away, and the seahorses were away. However, this was completely understandable as they were taking part in a breeding programme. All of the marine animals appeared to be very well cared for, and the exhibits were beautifully presented. The large tanks were absolutely jaw-dropping! Some of the bigger sharks were hiding towards the back, but if you spend a bit of time in the underwater tunnel, you can sometimes catch a glimpse of them. Overall, it was a fantastic visit and somewhere I’d definitely recommend to anyone visiting Plymouth.
· via Google
It’s brilliant. Lots of activities for the kids I’m sure you could spend hours in there doing all the activities.. it’s a visual and sensory overload lots of fun for adults and kids. The big main tank is really impressive but I also liked the fish eye set ups and jelly fish tanks. Cafe was packed, packed lunch would have been perfect. You can revive or walk to it as parking nearby. Your entry qualifies for free reentry for one year which is lovely touch makes it very affordable if you intend to visit again.
· via Google
Visitors say this aquarium features impressive, large tanks with a wide variety of marine life, including sharks, rays, and turtles, and offers engaging educational displays and talks. They also highlight the annual pass included with admission, making it great value for return visits, and praise the friendly, knowledgeable staff.
Some reviews mention the items can be overpriced for their small size.
Summary via Google
At a glance
- Address
- Rope Walk, Coxside, Plymouth, PL4 0LF Get directions
- Category
- Aquariums & Sea Life Centres
- Guest rating
- 4.4 / 5 (6,613 reviews)
- Suitable for
- Ages 1+
- Suggested visit
- 2-3 hours
- Setting
- Indoor & outdoor
- Good for children
- Yes
- Destination
- Plymouth