Antalya Aquarium Bringing the sea to life

Be it a rainy winter day or scorching summer afternoon, visitors to the Antalya Aquarium take refuge in the cool, quiet, underwater home of sparkling fish, racing stingrays and mighty sharks. Read more to discover if a trip to the aquarium should be on your itinerary.

What is there?

The attraction has 40 various sized aquariums that culminate in what is touted as the world’s longest tunnel aquarium.   

Located in the same facility but requiring an additional admission fee, is the Snow World and Ice Museum. All visitors are given warm coats to protect them from the freezing temperatures while they roam in the icy world. Children area also given waterproof pants so they can sit and play. The interactive exhibit displays ice sculptures for photographs, several ramps for sledding and snow for playing. 

Also for an extra fee, WildPark houses a small display of tropical reptiles in an adjoining exhibition hall. Creatures include many snakes, a few turtles, bats, and an armadillo. A most interesting scorpion can be seen with special lighting.

Visitors purchasing tickets to a multidimensional submarine movie experience a ride through the sea with 3D underwater friends: fish, dolphins, and a whale. 

On the terrace floor of the aquarium, there is also a Wax Museum where you can take selfies with 50 celebrities. Some of the famous recognizable faces you will see include: Michael Jackson, Mark Zuckerberg, and Kobe Bryant.

Insider Tips

• Keep an eye out for elevators if you need them – there are lots of stairs here. 
• You can pay extra to feed sting rays but touching the animals is discouraged. 
• Important to note for parents: shark feeding is scheduled daily at noon. 
• Go early in the morning or late in the evening to avoid tour groups. With so few tanks to see, it can be overwhelming and not as fun with large crowds.  
• Large display information is translated from Turkish into English and videos have English subtitles. 
• Perhaps due to the popularity of Snow World, the snow is icy. So, be careful walking around. We recommend bringing gloves and caps, as it is -4 degrees celsius/24.8 degrees fahrenheit and quite chilly.
• In the WildPark, the reptiles are definitely a side show. The extra price for admission may only be worth it if you enjoy seeing snakes. 
• The multidimensional movie captivates children, but the smallest might be frightened by a shark attack. Older children and adults may not find the film as exciting.  
• We recommend purchasing tickets online for all three attractions in advance at discounted rates. There are escalating prices depending on how many of the attractions you desire to see. Tickets are available at the gate, but they will be higher. For current prices, see the website. 
• Foreigners with Turkish residence permits can get the local discounted price. Be sure to bring your identity cards because you will have to show them at the ticket counter.
• Within the complex, you can pick up souvenirs and snacks in multiple shops and cafes (including McDonalds and Mado), where prices run a bit higher, as one might expect at a tourist attraction.  
• If you are hungry after your time at the aquarium, we suggest heading over to Sahil Antalya, which is a short 10-15 minute walk. You can find a plethora of food, coffee, and dessert options at this seaside location.

Should you visit the Antalya Aquarium?

We are generally positive people who don’t give a lot of negative feedback unless it is genuinely warranted. Because we want to provide real tips to help you experience this incredible province, as much as it pains us, we are going to give you an honest recommendation. In all transparency, our family with four kids, ranging in age from 8 – 18 years, was a little underwhelmed at the aquarium. The number and variety of fish tanks was disappointing. Perhaps we went at the wrong time of day, but the fish in the tunnel were also quite scarce and we only saw one shark in all 131 meters.

If we did not live here and have residence permits to get the discounted entrance fee, we probably wouldn’t spend our money here. If our kids were younger, they might have enjoyed it more, but it still feels like a lot of money for tourists to spend when there are so many other amazing things to see and do in Antalya.

We will say that Snow World was a blast for our kids, but we live in a city that doesn’t ever see temperatures that cold or get snow. In the summertime when it is blazing hot outside, Snow World could be a fabulous way to cool down for an hour or two.

For more ideas on how to spend your time on the Konyaaltı side of Antalya, check out this post.

How to get there

The aquarium is located just south of the 5M Migros shopping mall in Konyaaltı. It is easily reached by public transportation from any point in town. There is also a free, large parking lot if you drive your own vehicle or rental car.

Address: Arapsuyu Mahallesi Dumlupınar Bulvarı No:502, 07200 Konyaaltı/Antalya 

Phone: +90 242 245 65 65 

Hours: 10:00 am to 8:00 pm (admission ends at 7:15 pm) 

Website