Opening time

The Aquarium is open 365 days/year.

Parking lots

The Aquarium car park is open every day, 24 hours a day.
Places available: 167, of which 4 for disabled people.
It is not possible to reserve a parking space, but within the Porto Antico Area there are other covered and uncovered car parks.
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Tickets

Adult (+13) starting from €25,00
Boys (4-12) starting from €15
Children (0-3) free
Military / Over 65 / Disabled* starting from €19
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FAQ

  • The entrance ticket to the Genoa Aquarium, like the tickets for all the other structures included in the AcquarioVillage (The City of Children and Teens, Bigo and Biosphere), combined included, ARE NOT NOMINAL.
    For tickets purchased online, the name that appears on them is that of the person who made the purchase, or the gift recipient.
    In case of impossibility to carry out the visit, the tickets can therefore be transferred to third parties.
  • The FIXED DATE ticket requires, at the time of purchase, the reservation of the date/time slot chosen to carry out the visit. Date and time slot are binding and must be respected.
    The FLEXI ticket is valid for one year from the date of purchase, does not require immediate booking and gives the possibility of making a date/time slot change, avoiding the loss of the ticket in the event of inconveniences.
  • If you have purchased a FIXED DATE ticket, we are sorry but, as per the conditions of sale, this is not possible.
    If you have purchased an OPEN FLEXI ticket, you can change the date/time slot of the visit once, within 2 hours of the chosen entry time, at the following link: ?
  • Disabled people with documentation certifying their disability are entitled to a discounted fare ("reduced" ticket).
    The companion of the 100% disabled person is entitled to free entry; in case of online purchase, the companion must go to the cash desk to collect the free ticket, upon presentation of the above-mentioned certification.
    In the case of disabled people aged between 4 and 12, we recommend purchasing the "child" ticket, which is cheaper than the "reduced" ticket.
  • Sorry, no animals are allowed inside the Genoa Aquarium with the exception of guide dogs for blind people.
    For information about the dog sitting service in the area, we suggest you contact the IAT (Tourist Reception Information) Porto Antico. (tel.: 010.5572903 - email:
    info@visitgenoa.it)
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Temperate Seas
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  3. Temperate seas

Temperate seas

Temperate seas
These are the seas found in the bands between the tropics and the polar circles of each hemisphere, characterized by mild summers and winters, moderate temperature variations and an equal distribution of rainfall throughout the year.

The Mediterranean Sea, both due to its geographical position and its complex geological history, is home to an enormous variety of species, many of which are exclusive to this sea.
The rocky cliffs of the Mediterranean Sea
A safe shelter
The coral is made up of a complex community of sessile organisms, that is, which always live anchored to the seabed, whose calcium carbonate skeletons overlap and stratify over time, creating a friable rock.

Rock of this type, characteristic of Mediterranean cliffs, is full of irregularities, ravines and caves, and offers shelter to many species of invertebrates and fish.
Some protagonists
Murena
Muraena helena
Family: Muraenidae
It lives along the coasts of the Mediterranean Sea and the eastern Atlantic Ocean, from the south of the British Isles to Senegal.
It can reach 150 centimeters in length and has a characteristic elongated shape, with the body dotted with yellow-brown spots on a black background.
It is a nocturnal predator and feeds on fish, crustaceans and cephalopod molluscs.

Watch out for your teeth!

Contrary to what many believe, the moray eel's bite is not poisonous, but it can be quite painful due to the characteristic shape of some teeth, thin and pointing towards the inside of the mouth.
Red scorpion fish
Scorpaena sow
Family: Scorpaenidae
It is widespread along the eastern coasts of the Atlantic Ocean, from the English Channel to Cape Verde, including the Mediterranean Sea, from 20 to 500 meters deep.
The first rays of the dorsal fin and some spines on the opercula are connected to venom glands which can cause very intense pain in the event of a sting.

Motionless and invisible

It lives lying on the bottom where it remains practically immobile and perfectly camouflaged with the rocks, waiting for its prey which it swallows by opening its mouth rapidly.
The posidonia ecosystem
The sea meadows.
Along the sandy coastal seabed of the Mediterranean Sea it is possible to encounter vast underwater meadows. They are mainly made up of Posidonia oceanica , not an algae but a real plant.

Posidonia plays an important role in protecting the coasts from sea erosion; where human activity has caused a reduction of the prairies, a decrease in the extension of the beaches has in fact been found.

The posidonia ecosystem is one of the most important and delicate in the Mediterranean Sea and constitutes one of the main places for the reproduction and growth of numerous species of vertebrates and invertebrates.
Some protagonists
Donzella
Coris julis
Family: Labridae
It lives along the eastern coasts of the Atlantic Ocean, from Sweden to Gabon, and in the Mediterranean Sea.
During the night it has the habit of hiding in the sand at the bottom.

Change sex with age

This fish changes sex and livery throughout its life: all individuals are born female, with a dark brown back, and then become male, with a brighter colour, with a showy orange band on a green background along the body.
Snub-nosed seahorse
Hippocampus guttulatus
Family: Syngnathidae
  • medium risk
    of extinction
It is widespread throughout the Mediterranean Sea and along the eastern Atlantic coasts, from the English Channel to the Gulf of Guinea, including the Canary Islands and Madeira.
It generally lives within 15 meters of depth.
The snub-nosed seahorse is a poor swimmer and moves in an upright position using its small pectoral fins and dorsal fin.
The tail is used to anchor itself to the vegetation of the bottom, among which it camouflages itself.
The mouth is small and toothless and the jaws are welded to form a tube with which the fish sucks in the small organisms it feeds on.
The females, after fertilization, lay their eggs in an incubator pocket present only in the males, who will guard them until they hatch, which will take place after about 3 weeks.
Once very common, the snub-nosed seahorse is, in some areas, endangered due to habitat destruction.

In procession with Poseidon

Its rather unusual appearance has fascinated man since ancient times, as demonstrated by the mythological representations that depict it in Poseidon's procession with tritons and other fantastic creatures.
The open sea
Source of life
The open sea plays a crucial role in the balance of global ecosystems: it is a source of food, oxygen and natural resources for many populations. Its conservation is fundamental for the survival of numerous species and for the well-being of our planet.

Open waters are inhabited by organisms capable of actively swimming and by plankton, a term that groups together all animal and plant species, transported passively by currents because they have little or no swimming ability.
Some protagonists
Gray shark
Carcharhinus plumbeus
Family: Carcharhinidae
  • medium risk
    of extinction
It inhabits the open sea of temperate and tropical zones around the world, generally between 20 and 65 meters deep.
It swims alone or in groups differentiated by sex, generally near the seabed. It performs seasonal migrations and the movements generally occur according to the water temperature.

The gray shark's reproductive system is extremely evolved. Females are in fact equipped with a sort of placenta that allows the passage from the maternal blood to that of the embryos of the substances necessary for their growth.
Pregnancy lasts between 9 and 12 months depending on the area in which the shark lives, at the end of which up to 12 young can be born.
At the time of giving birth, the females approach the coast to shelter the young from potential attacks by other adults or large predators.

He who hesitates is lost

Like all open-sea sharks, the gray shark must move continuously with its mouth half open to allow water to enter, pass through the gills, where gas exchange occurs, and exit through the gill slits.
It is a species threatened by fishing, commercial and sporting activities. They are also caught for cutting their fins, considered a delicacy in some areas of the planet.
Bottlenose dolphin
Tursiops truncatus
Family: Delphinidae
  • medium risk
    of extinction
The bottlenose dolphin is common in tropical and temperate seas throughout the world and is frequently seen in waters that have a depth of around 100 metres.
It usually forms groups of 6/12 individuals, but it is not uncommon to observe solitary or paired bottlenose dolphins.
It can reach depths of 600 meters and perform freedives of 8 minutes.

Like all mammals, bottlenose dolphins reproduce through internal fertilization.
Pregnancy lasts 12 months and usually ends in the warm season.
During childbirth, the caudal fin generally comes out first, giving it time to relax and stiffen, allowing the pup to use it to reach the surface and take its first breath.
If, for some reason, the puppy has difficulty emerging, the mother helps him by guiding him in the right direction or even lifting him with his beak.


Among the main threats to the survival of this species are accidental catches during fishing, environmental contamination by chemical substances and the reduction of prey due to overfishing.
Even noise pollution, due to nautical traffic, industrial activities, or military exercises to name a few, could have negative effects on the health and behavior of these animals.

To each their own whistle

Each individual produces a distinctive sound, called a signature whistle. In the first days after birth the mother insistently repeats her signature whistle to the baby to allow him to learn it and recognize it in the future.
Medusa four-leaf clover
Aurelia aurita
Family: Ulmaridae
The four-leaf clover jellyfish has a cosmopolitan distribution and is widespread in the Mediterranean Sea.
Its dimensions vary from a few millimeters to over 2 meters in diameter of the umbel up to 40 meters in length of the tentacles!
The common name of this jellyfish derives from the shape of the internal organs, visible in transparency, which are reminiscent of a four-leaf clover due to their shape.

At the mercy of the currents

Almost all jellyfish species are part of the plankton, that is, that vast set of animal and plant organisms which, not being able to actively direct their own movement, allow themselves to be transported by marine currents.
Temperate Seas
Temperate Seas
Temperate Seas
Temperate Seas
Temperate Seas
Temperate Seas
Temperate Seas
Temperate Seas
Tropical Seas
01
Tropical seas
Coral reefs are one of the richest ecosystems in life on the planet, comparable in terms of variety of species only to tropical rainforests.
SOME PROTAGONISTS :
  • Fish
    clown
  • Shark
    Zebra
  • Fish
    saw
  • Angel fish
    emperor
Temperate Seas
02
Temperate seas
These are the seas found in the bands between the tropics and the polar circles of each hemisphere, characterized by mild summers and winters, moderate temperature variations and an equal distribution of rainfall throughout the year.
SOME PROTAGONISTS :
  • Murena
  • Redfish
    red
  • Donzella
  • Little horse
    snub-nosed
  • Shark
    grey
  • Bottlenose
    dolphin
  • Jellyfish
    four-leaf clover
Cold seas
03
Cold seas
The two polar regions, the Arctic and the Antarctic, located at opposite ends of the Earth, are the coldest and most inhospitable places on the Planet. The Arctic Ocean surrounds the North Pole, while a vast expanse of land, the Antarctic continent perpetually covered by ice, surrounds the South Pole.
SOME PROTAGONISTS :
  • Seal
    common
  • Penguin
    Papua
  • Penguin
    of Magellan
Tropical forests
04
Tropical forests
Tropical forests, with their extraordinary richness of plant and animal species, are considered an authentic natural pharmacy: it is estimated that around 25% of modern medicines derive from animals present in these forests, as well as from chemical compounds extracted from the plants that they live.
SOME PROTAGONISTS :
  • Iguana
    from the tubercles
  • Buoy
  • Cape
    golden
Tropical fresh waters
05
Tropical fresh waters
Waterways in tropical regions flow through a variety of habitats, ranging from rainforests to swamps, floodplains to coastal areas.
SOME PROTAGONISTS :
  • Manatee
    of the Antilles
  • Dwarf caiman
    by Cuvier
  • Piranha
    red
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