Swimming With The Fishes (L'Aquarium Barcelona)

Member Name: Andy.mack

Product:	L'Aquarium Barcelona
Date:	14/02/09 (114 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: An interesting Aquarium with some very good displays

Disadvantages: Very pricey

Over the last year or so Jenny and I have visited a number of different Zoos and Aquariums. So it seemed only right that while we were in Barcelona we decided to visit the local aquarium. I've been to Barcelona a few times before and while I had passed the aquarium a few times I'd never actually been in. So this time, on my 4th trip to the area we decided to pay it a visit as most of the attractions near our own resort of Lloret De Mar were closed.

The Aquarium is located down by the sea front next to the Port Vell shopping Centre. All of the cities tourist buses stop at the Shopping centre next door making the Aquarium reasonably accessible. If, however you prefer to walk it is approximately 5 minutes from the bottom of Las Ramblas across the Port Vell bridge. There is a coach park right next door where a lot of coach trips to Barcelona park up and a Car park on the other side of the Marina. While it's not particularly well signposted in the City itself, it is very easy to find once you are in the Port Vell area.

Once you find the Aquarium it will cost you Euro17 for an Adult, Euro12 for Children and Euro14 for Over 65's making it considerably more expensive than the British Aquariums. I was quite surprised at the cost to get in and with a souvenir guide costing a further Euro3 it worked out quite expensive for both of us to get in. The Aquarium is open all year round from 9.30am to 9.30pm and a little later till 11pm in July and August.

The ticket booth is located outside the Aquarium in a separate cabin and once you have purchased your tickets you head into the main building and down a ramp into the first exhibitions. Before you make it into the actual main aquarium exhibit there is a photo opportunity with a Megalodon Jaw. The picture is taken by a member of the staff and you can buy the photo at the exit of the main aquarium. These cost a further Euro5 each and came in a standard card frame like so many tourist attractions in this Country.

Having made it all the way down the ramp and into the main Aquarium the first section is split into 2 separate areas comprising of 21 tanks of varying sizes. Within these 21 tanks there are 11,000 different fish from around 450 different species. While the Aquarium didn't seem as cheap as those in the UK I felt that with that many different fish it was in fact value for money after all. In truth though there are only 20 tanks as the last one is something slightly different.

Within these tanks there is a good mixture of fish from around the world with particular attention shown to the Mediterranean and the Caribbean. I particularly thought the focus on the Mediterranean was a good idea as the ocean was just outside the Aquarium itself. With the 20 traditional tanks there wasn't too much different to the Aquarium's I've been to in London and Portsmouth so it was starting to feel a bit samey, even though there were perhaps a few different fish on display.

The main difference though comes in tank 21. The main reason I enjoy visiting Aquariums is to see the Sharks and I've found myself judging Aquariums based on their Shark displays. It's in that Shark display that Barcelona really stands out. There is an 80 metre moving tunnel under the water of the Shark tank. The tunnel is split into two with one around the outside and one straight through the middle of the tank. It gives you a good opportunity to see all the fish up close, with Shark's swimming around over your head.

There are three different Sharks within the Oceanarium all taken from the Sea right outside the back door. It was perhaps one of the best exhibitions I'd seen in an Aquarium and from being slightly disappointed with the Aquarium to actually thinking the extra cost over the British Aquarium's was fully justified. If you happen to have your diving qualifications you can go for a dive with the Sharks for Euro300 but you have to book it in advance.

Once you reach the end of the Shark tank there is another photo taken from an automatic camera, although we didn't know where it actually was. Again like the photo taken at the start this costs another Euro5 but we still didn't particularly think that this was good value or even something we particularly wanted.

Having finished the Aquarium we assumed that was it and headed back up the escalator to the top floor. Once there however we discovered there was a couple more areas to have a look around. On this top floor there is a Kids play area to give them something to keep them amused. It looked quite a big area and had a couple of slides and other little activities for them. The final bit for everyone though is the Planet Aqua.

This is another very educational area of the Aquarium and one that Adults and Children will be able to get something out of and learn something new. There are a few more displays including Penguins and Seahorses and information about the environment and the impact human's have on it. This is a very interesting exhibit and something that I think most people will get something out of. Before you leave the Aquarium there is also a Cafe and a gift shop which were both very reasonable but we didn't have anything to eat so I can't comment on the quality of the food, but it did smell nice.

Overall I did really enjoy my visit to the Barcelona Aquarium. There were a number of displays that you see time and time again in Aquariums around the World but they were still interesting. I didn't really feel that the Aquarium justified the Euro17 entrance fee but it was a nice place to visit. Unlike a lot of the tourist attractions in Barcelona though I don't think I'd go back to the Aquarium, unless I was intending to do the diving with Sharks. It is worth a visit but just like the ones in this Country, unless you have Kids it'll only be worth the one visit.

http://www.aquariumbcn.com/AQUARIUM/index.php

Summary: Exploring the Fish of the Mediterranean