The Oceanographic Park or simply the Oceanarium (Valencia) is one of the most important attractions of the beautiful port city, located on the south-eastern coast of Spain. The aquarium is part of a unique complex that always attracts the attention of all tourists, and where residents of Valencia like to relax. This is a City of Science and Art, consisting of five main buildings of futuristic appearance, which are surrounded by parks and streams.
The Valencia Aquarium is the largest center of its kind in Europe: it covers an area of 110,000 m2, and the volume of water in all 9 aquariums reaches 42,000,000 liters. The park is home to 45,000 marine life of 500 different species.
How the aquarium works
The Valencia Oceanographic Park is divided into 10 zones. At the main entrance there is a stand with a map of the area and the names of all expositions. At the entrance, visitors are given a brochure with the same plan. For convenient orientation, there are signs throughout the territory.
Main entrance to the park and garden
In the aquarium garden, you can see a variety of plants brought from all over the world. In total, more than 80,000 plants can be seen here.
Mediterranean Sea area
This exhibition occupies a separate building located next to the main entrance to the park.
A huge cylindrical reservoir has become a habitat for 7400 representatives of the warm Mediterranean Sea. It is home to extremely bright starfish, surprisingly plastic fish of bizarre shapes, shimmering under fluorescent lighting jellyfish.
The pavilion has a special illuminated panel with images of the aquarium’s inhabitants and detailed descriptions of them.
Plot with wetlands
Flora and fauna of swampy mangroves are displayed in a closed spherical structure. Amphibious turtles and birds that usually settle in mangrove forests live and breed successfully in this part of the park.
The most interesting and rare unique species are marked with posters describing the species.
Temperate and tropical zone sector
It is in this part of the Oceanographic Park that one of the two legendary transparent tunnels laid inside a huge aquarium is located. The walls of the aquarium and tunnel are made of acrylic, which is much stronger than even thicker glass.
The huge water reservoir is home to inhabitants of the ocean waters of temperate and tropical latitudes: fish, soft and hard corals, jellyfish, starfish, pipes, hedgehogs and skates.
On the sides of the tunnel there are signs with photos and names of representatives of the underwater world. This helps to identify local pets, although some can sometimes be difficult to detect: many live not in the water column, but on the bottom.
Ocean Zone
This part of the aquarium is also represented in a large-scale water tank through which the tunnel passes.
Sharks and moray eels rushing past, stingrays fluttering steadily, round moonfish swimming lazily in a beautiful steel shade, jellyfish suddenly and gracefully emerging from the bottom – all these are local inhabitants. And the only thing that separates a person from the huge and powerful volumes of water hanging from all sides with its inhabitants is a very strong acrylic canvas from which the tunnel is made.
Arctic sector
The domed building, which resembles a real Eskimo igloo, attracts increased attention from visitors to the Oceanographic Park. Calm music sounds in the room, which helps to stay under the impression of the greatest power of nature for a long time.
Inside the pavilion there is a huge water tank, where representatives of the Arctic region live. Graceful multi-ton whales, graceful belugas, imposing walruses-all of them slowly swim in the spacious water mass, demonstrating their superiority to people.
Antarctic Zone
On this territory, the habitat of Arctic penguins is maximally simulated. Perched comfortably on enclosed rock cliffs that echo the natural landscape of Antarctica, these beautiful birds look around with true royal dignity.
You can watch penguins from a fairly close distance, not only when they are on land, but also when they are rapidly swimming in the water: the walls of the enclosures are transparent and therefore you can see everything that happens under water.
Dolphinarium
The Valencia Aquarium Dolphinarium is the largest dolphinarium in the world. It is home to hundreds of the most intelligent and friendly marine life on our planet.
Red Sea Zone
The pavilion is equipped with a large water tank, in which many small colorful fish from the Red Sea swim.
There is also a special audience where they show a 3-minute video with the most interesting episodes from one day of the life of a large-scale oceanarium in Valencia.
Plot with islands
The fenced territory of the park, which is located directly under the open sky, has become a habitat for sea lions and seals, as well as other representatives of the fauna of coastal rocks. There is a separate aviary for each type of animal.
Objects # 11-18
There are also souvenir shops, restaurants and bars in the park. The most popular Underwater Restaurante Submarino (marked # 11 on the diagram) is located in the middle of the “Lake”. It has 2 levels: the lower floor looks like an underwater cave, and the upper floor looks like an island.
Other activities at the Oceanographic Center
The Oceanographic center offers not only the observation of animals placed in numerous aquariums and enclosures. Visitors can take advantage of unique opportunities to get in closer contact with the aquarium’s pets.
Dolphin Show
The show is held in the open air. The audience can sit on concrete terraces (no extra comfort), and children are allowed to get closer during the performance.
Free shows last for 30 minutes. They are usually held daily in 11:00, 13:30, 16:30 and 19: 00, but there may be changes. The schedule should always be viewed on the day of the visit.
For an additional fee, you can participate in a training session that includes swimming and playing with dolphins. After the training session, participants are given a special certificate.
Shark Diving
If you want to dive into the waters of a large European aquarium and temporarily become the same exhibits as its other inhabitants, you can do it together with an instructor.
After diving (the program also includes training), the participant is given a certificate and a video tape.
Overnight in the tunnel
Every night, with the exception of weekends and holidays, the tunnels in the aquariums of the aquarium are transformed into expensive hotels. But the living conditions here are worse than in any other hotel in Valencia: noisy, excited schoolchildren with selfie sticks, getting up at 8: 00 when the alarm goes off. The only thing that other hotels in Valencia cannot offer in comparison with the tunnel is the observation of the nocturnal behavior of marine inhabitants.
Practical information
The Oceanographic Park is located at Carrer d’eduardo Primo Yúfera 1, 46013 Valencia, Spain.
Official website of the Valencia Aquarium: https://www.oceanografic.org/en/.
Opening hours
The aquarium’s opening hours vary depending on the time of year. It always opens at 10: 00, and the closing time varies from 18: 00 to 24: 00. In the season when the Valencia Aquarium is open until 24: 00, tourists are offered an evening visit. The difference in price with a day visit is 5 €, but there are much fewer people.
Please also keep in mind that due to weather conditions, the opening hours of some zones or the time of the dolphin show may be changed.
You can check any information about the opening hours of the aquarium on the official website.
Cost of visit
Children under 4 years of age are allowed to enter the aquarium free of charge. For other visitors, ticket prices are as follows::
- for adults – 30,70 €;
- for children aged 4-12 years and pensioners over 65 years – 22,90 €;
- for students with a supporting document – 26.10 €;
- dolphin show – 225 €;
- shark diving — 290 €;
- overnight in a tunnel hotel – 80 €.
Since the aquarium is part of the City of Sciences and Arts of Valencia, tourists are offered tickets that allow a combined pass to different museums of this complex. You can view and choose suitable options on the park’s website.
For 3,70€, visitors can take an audio guide.
The more visitors who visit the Oceanographic Park, the higher the chances that the world’s population will think about the global problems that this scientific center of Valencia is dedicated to solving.
Useful tips from experienced tourists
- At the entrance to the aquarium, you can try orchata-a soft drink made from tubers of ground almonds of chufa.
- Often, crowds of children and teenagers (and sometimes adults) try to catch an underwater inhabitant swimming in an aquarium in their selfie. But keep in mind that in many rooms of the oceanarium in Valencia, photos and videos are obtained in very poor quality due to inappropriate lighting. Perhaps you shouldn’t be distracted by smartphones and cameras? As for professional photography, you need to have a special permit for it.
- The evening visit to the aquarium (when it is open until 24:00) is valid from 20: 00, and the bird area closes at 21: 00. Therefore, when entering the park, it is better to go to see the birds first.
- It doesn’t make much sense to buy tickets for an evening visit with an optional dolphin show included. Dolphins are involved in the program literally 5 minutes, the remaining 25 minutes are reserved for synchronized swimming and dance performances by actors.
- Food on the territory of the park is sold at unreasonably high prices. In expensive restaurants, the cost of dishes starts from 17 €, fast food is not much cheaper: a hot dog costs 6 €. But since it is forbidden to bring food to the Oceanographic Center of Valencia, it remains either to prepare for additional expenses, or to eat at its expense before or after visiting.
- Visit the oceanarium (Valencia) is better on your own, and not with a tour. The excursion program is designed for 3 hours – this is clearly not enough, for many only shark watching takes about 1.5 hours.
Filming the inhabitants of the oceanarium in Valencia in 4K:
