The aquarium in Palma de Mallorca is one of the main attractions of the island, drawing visitors of all ages. Its diverse exhibits and interactive displays make it an exciting destination for families and individuals alike. In this guide, we’ll uncover the top highlights of the Palma Aquarium and provide valuable insights to help you navigate ticket prices and find budget-friendly options for families.
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We’re usually skeptical about animal attractions and tend to avoid places where animals are are held captive to entertain humans. However, Palma Aquarium is an exception. Besides providing entertainment, the core mission of Palma Aquarium is ocean conservation. The foundation behind it tirelessly advocates for the protection of endangered Mediterranean species. By visiting, you’re supporting this vital mission while also enjoying some unforgettable family time.
Tickets: Currently, purchasing online tickets comes with a 17% discount using the promo code AQUARIUM17. This discount is valid for all individual and combo tickets, including those with transfers. You can buy the tickets here.
Palma Aquarium: Overview
The aquarium in Palma de Mallorca opened its doors in 2007 and has been surprising visitors annually with new attractions and entertainment ever since. It’s extremely family-friendly and one of the sights I’d recommend to every family. The facility is divided into different zones. The entire complex might be a bit too large and overwhelming, especially for young children. Here, I’ll introduce you to the individual areas so you can decide whether to visit everything or just selected points of interest.
At the entrance (after the photo call), you’ll often find small booklets called “Marine Passports.” These passports are a nice activity for slightly older children. They have to answer questions and then receive a stamp at the information point in the Mediterranean Garden for each correct answer. It’s like a kind of scavenger hunt, and we obviously love scavenger hunts.
The Mediterranean Sea
Right after the entrance area, you’ll enter the Mediterranean Sea. This section focuses on the “Old World” and provides a lot of space and information to explain the part of the sea that surrounds us all in Mallorca. The marine life here might not be as spectacular as “Nemo” and “Dory,” whom you can see in the adjacent area of the “New World.” However, you’ll encounter some familiar creatures that you might also encounter while snorkeling in the coves around the island.
About halfway through the Mediterranean area, you’ll find a “touch tank” where, under supervision, you can get closer to sea stars, flounders, and sea urchins. The well-being of the animals is the top priority here. Splashing around or similar activities are not allowed. The focus is on raising awareness and educating visitors.
The New World
Practically traveling with Columbus (whom some say is from Mallorca, specifically from Portocolom), you’ll circumnavigate the globe (in miniature format) to the newly discovered world. Here, you’ll encounter many exotic fish species. Children are always particularly excited to see the tanks of clownfish and surgeonfish.
Along the way, you’ll also encounter dedicated staff members who will explain the lifestyle of individual animals in more detail. The staff members also speak English, and questions are always welcome. Sometimes, you may even get the chance to get closer to some of the animals.
Mediterranean Garden
After spending time in the depths of the sea, you’ll emerge into the outdoors. The garden area is a paradise for children, especially in the summer. There’s a huge pirate ship for climbing and playing, bouncy castles, and water fountains where some may even end up splashing around in their underwear because they forgot their swimsuits.
During holiday periods, water balloon fights with real pirates take place on the pirate ship, and your kids can have their faces painted with sea creatures. Refreshments are also available. However, we find that the value for money isn’t particularly good. But you can always retreat for a small picnic if you prefer.
Tropics & Jungle
From the gardens, you’ll first enter the underwater area of the tropics. The tank with the piranhas is impressive, and the adjacent tropical jungle has high humidity, making it great for photography. However, beyond that, I don’t necessarily find the tropical section essential. It always saddens me a bit to see chameleons and axolotls in their dreary terrariums.
I would like to emphasize again that Palma Aquarium is very committed to animal welfare. This is evident, for example, in the (Mallorcan) tropics section. There, you’ll find a tank with breeding turtles. At some point, it became fashionable to keep these animals as pets. Either they die due to poor care, or they are abandoned. If they survive, they pose a significant threat to native species. In the aquarium, there are many of these turtles. By the way, with the new animal welfare law of 2023, it is prohibited to buy/sell these animals.
Aquadome & Gentle Giants of the Seas
There was a lot of controversy when Palma Aquarium advertised its new attraction with a poster featuring a life-sized whale. While the aquarium is large, it’s not big enough to house such a majestic animal. (Aside from that, it would be entirely inappropriate.) Instead, it’s a new exhibition that sheds light on the life of humpback whales through audiovisual means.
A highlight is the presentation of a 3D video where you go on a diving expedition with the whales. The presentation is available in all languages through special audio devices, but it comes at an extra cost (€5). The exhibition itself is, of course, free. There, you can test how heavy your children (or you) are compared to whales, learn about how the animals communicate with each other, and discover what they eat.
Big Blue: The Largest Shark Tank
Undoubtedly, the highlight of Palma Aquarium is the Big Blue. This tank, housing sharks, rays, and fish, is considered the deepest in Europe and offers excellent visibility from many angles. The busiest times are during feeding sessions. We’ve only managed to witness the feeding once so far. There’s simply never enough space, and to make matters worse, on that one occasion, the sharks refused to eat.
The aquarium staff member explained that it was due to the slow metabolism of the animals. They only need to eat once a week. However, a clever man behind me remarked that with all the fish around, it would be easy for them to grab a snack in between. The rays, on the other hand, are much more enthusiastic. They sometimes overturn the container of food to get to it faster.
Medusarium
Admittedly, jellyfish are not the most likable sea creatures. However, here they are presented very artistically and almost meditatively.
You can read all the important information about jellyfish in Mallorca here. Because it’s not so unlikely that you’ll encounter them during your vacation in Mallorca.
Nautilus Park
The Nautilus Park at Palma Aquarium is a large indoor playground for children with a ball pit, climbing opportunities, and slides. It’s especially nice (and unfortunately crowded) here on rainy days. On all other days, the garden area is better suited for playtime.
Additional Activities and Prices at Palma Aquarium
In addition to the activities included in the admission price to Palma Aquarium, there are also plenty of extras that you can choose to participate in or purchase. Firstly, photos are taken at the entrance. Alternatively, you can have your picture taken with a parrot in the tropics at the Explorer Lounge. All proceeds from these extras go towards the foundation.
You can also experience the Shark Vision Boat, a glass-bottom boat that takes you across the shark tank (for ages 4 and up, €7). During the summer, children aged 8 and up can dive in the ray tank (€12), while younger children aged three and up can snorkel there as well (€10). Additionally, there’s the opportunity to spend the night by the shark tank.
For those who still can’t get enough of Palma Aquarium in Mallorca, you can even celebrate your birthday, confirmation, or wedding there.
The Foundation of Palma Aquarium
The foundation of Palma Aquarium is dedicated to environmental conservation and cares for marine animals injured by plastic pollution. In the following image, you can see Laci. She was found by fishermen with her right front fin entangled in fishing line, which had cut so deeply that it had to be amputated.
Despite her injury, she can still swim, and just a few days after our visit, she was equipped with a GPS tracker and released back into the wild on the beach of Mondragó Natural Park. So, the sea turtles in the water tanks of the gardens are often animals that receive veterinary care and are returned to their natural habitat once they are healed.
Palma Aquarium: Feeding Times
Subject to change, you can inquire about the exact feeding times at the entrance.
- 1:00 PM Big Blue – Shark feeding.
- 1:30 PM Panorama tank of corals.
- 2:00 PM Turtle feeding in the gardens.
- 2:15 PM Ray feeding in the gardens.
Palma Aquarium: Prices & Opening Hours
- Admission Prices: Adults: €29.50, Children (4-12): €19, Toddlers up to and including 3 years: Free
- Opening Hours: Summer: 9:30 AM – 6:30 PM (last admission at 5:00 PM), Winter: 10:00 AM – 6:30 PM (last admission at 5:00 PM)
- Duration: 2-4 hours, depending on interest
- Parking: The aquarium has its own parking lot. The outdoor parking lot is usually full. If you use the parking garage, you will get €3 refunded upon presentation of the ticket.
- Strollers: Suitable. The aquarium is wheelchair accessible.
- Refreshments: 2 restaurants and several bars available.
- Take with you: In summer, bathing suits are. Otherwise, wear comfortable clothes and shoes, as the visit can last quite a while.
- Best Time to Visit: In winter on weekdays. In summer, in the afternoon, as many tour groups come in the morning.
- Tickets: You can get the best prices online directly from Palma Aquarium. There, you can also find packs specifically for families, allowing you to save even more money.
- By Bus: City bus lines 23 and 35.
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