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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The European pond turtle
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The European pond turtle

The species

The European pond turtle ( Emys orbicularis ) is widespread in much of Europe, from Portugal to the western shores of the Caspian Sea.
It prefers ponds, swamps and slow-flowing streams with a muddy bottom. It is a species threatened by the reduction and fragmentation of the habitat due to water reclamation and canalization activities, pollution and competition from invasive alien species , in particular tortoises of the Trachemys genus.

In Italy its distribution is particularly fragmented and numerous populations have been declared extinct.
The IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) has included the Italian population of Emys orbicularis among those in danger of extinction. In Liguria only one population survives, ascribed to the subspecies Emys orbicularis ingauna (Jesu et al., 2004), distributed in the Albenga Plain (SV) with few dispersed nuclei.
The Emys project

The EMYS project

In 1995 , following the discovery of some surviving individuals in the Albenga Plain, a working group was set up to preserve the residual habitats of the pond turtle in Liguria and support repopulation in restored environments.
Thus the Emys Project was born.

Thanks to funding from the European Union, the Liguria Region and the Province of Savona, the Emys Center in Leca d'Albenga was set up, a station for the reproduction and breeding , in semi-natural conditions, of individuals destined for repopulation, and the animal facility 'Aquarium of Genoa , where the young born at the Emys Center are raised in controlled environmental conditions.
In 2008, the first individuals reproduced ex situ were released in the protected ponds of the Albenga Plain.
The EMYS project

The LIFEEMYS project

DURATION: 2013 - 2016

Il progetto LIFEEMYS
In 2013, thanks to the experience gained with the Emys Project, LIFEEMYS was activated, a three-year project which made it possible to expand and strengthen the conservation activities of the pond turtle in Liguria, restoring new habitats and strengthening repopulation activities.

The LIFEEMYS project, co-financed by the Life program of the European Union, was coordinated by the Genoa Aquarium with the partnership of the Montemarcello Magra Park Authority, the Pistoia Zoological Garden, the University of Genoa and the Regional Agency for the Protection of the Ligurian Environment.
The LIFEEMYS project

The LIFE URCA PROEMYS project

DURATION: 2022 - 2027
 
Il progetto LIFE URCA PROEMYS
In 2022, on the model of the LIFEEMYS project, LIFE URCA PROEMYS was activated, an important five-year project to improve the conservation status of the European pond turtle in Italian and Slovenian territory, preserving the genetic diversity of existing populations .

LIFE URCA PROEMYS ( https://www.urcaproemys.eu/ ) involves the setting up of seven recovery and reproduction centres, the restoration of habitats in thirty intervention sites and the repopulation of Emys orbicularis in thirteen selected areas .

Co-financed by the Life program of the European Union, the project is coordinated by WWF Italy in partnership with the University of Florence, the Genoa Aquarium, the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, the University of Pisa, the Bionaturalistic Studies Center , the Lombardo Valle del Ticino Park, the Management Body for Parks and Biodiversity of Central Emilia and two Slovenian partners: Soline Pridelava Soli doo and Javni Zavod Krajinski Park Ljubljansko Barje.
 
The European pond turtle
The European pond turtle
The European pond turtle
The European pond turtle
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SOS Turtles
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Seahorses
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Bottlenose dolphin research projects
The bottlenose dolphin
Sharks
The Sharks
The crayfish
Linneo Project
Linneo Project

Environmental education and digital teaching
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