Aquarium of Genoa
The water in those tanks didn't come from a tap. It travels through an underwater intake system several miles off the Ligurian coast, arriving at the Aquarium of Genoa still carrying something of the open sea. That detail matters when you're standing in front of 70 exhibition tanks holding six million litres and roughly 12,000 animals — it shifts the whole experience from spectacle toward something more like encounter.
Sitting on the Porto Antico waterfront, the building itself is worth a moment before you go in: a 240-metre hull suspended on reinforced concrete pillars, designed by Renzo Piano, the Genoese architect who also shaped the Biosphere that floats nearby like a glass soap bubble above the harbour water.
💛 What travellers fall for
People who've been more than once tend to arrive at opening — 9am in summer, 10am on winter weekdays — before the school groups settle in. The Cetacean Pavilion, with its 20-metre acrylic panel, rewards patience; the twice-daily feeding sessions with trainer commentary are worth timing your visit around. The Notte con gli Squali overnight is one for families to book well ahead.
The story behind Aquarium of Genoa
The aquarium was built for Genoa Expo '92, an international exhibition marking 500 years since Columbus — himself a Genoese — crossed the Atlantic. Renzo Piano designed the main structure; Peter Chermayeff of Cambridge Seven Associates shaped the interior and original exhibits. It opened to the public in 1993 and has been expanding ever since.
A 100-metre ship pavilion, the Nave Blu, was added in 1998, connected to the original building by a walkway. Piano returned to design the Biosphere, the spherical steel-and-glass greenhouse completed in 2004, which houses a tropical micro-ecosystem above the harbour. The Cetacean Pavilion, with its 15-metre glass tunnel, was completed in 2013. Today the aquarium draws more than 1.2 million visitors a year — the largest in Italy.
Good to know
San Giorgio metro station is four minutes on foot; Piazza Principe train station is a 10-15 minute walk. The aquarium is open every day of the year. Your ticket includes the Bigo panoramic lift. Budget around two and a half to three hours. Children under three enter free.
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What travellers say about Aquarium of Genoa
We had a great time exploring the aquarium! There is a massive variety of species to see, but the absolute highlight for our family was the dolphins. The ticketing process was seamless with no queues, and we were able to purchase our entry right in front of the building. Upon entering, they offer a professional photo service; if you choose to have one taken, it’s conveniently ready for you to view or purchase at the exit gate. The parking lot fills up very quickly, so we highly recommend planning ahead and arriving early to secure a spot. On the bright side, paying for parking is very modern and convenient—the digital kiosks accept both cash and cards. It’s a wonderful, well-organized destination for a family outing!
If you love marine life, that's the place to be! Wonderful aquarium and definitely worths the money! Perfect way to spend time with kids ( we spent 7 hours and my kids still didn't want to leave). You can wonder around and also revisit the rooms as many times as you wish. You can sit and relax in front of the tanks and actually observe the animals. Better to book tickets online but avoid the offers that combine two attractions on the same day. since you may not have enough time! We booked the option of entrance with lunch and it was a good way to stop for a while, eat, rest and continue the visit! Totally reccomend!
Very nice place in the port of Genova...One of the main thing to see in this city... Ticket is about 32e,maybe for some overpriced, but it's worth that money... When it's not summer season it's not so crowded... When you buy ticket you say time of your entrance but you can come inside when you want... When you come in they make photo of you and your family and you can buy that photo when you go out... This place have everything of sea animals.. You can really enjoy in this look in this fish, seals, sharks... How I say go there out of season and you can really relax and enjoy and in quite look... Also in one place you can touch Stingray fish and it's unique expirience... For relax walk you need about 2 hours... From outside it's look smaller than it is... People who work there is kind and helpful and answer on questions... All recommendations for visit and take some nice pictures and videos if you are in Genova
It's a pretty big Acquarium with lots of animals to see. I did feel so sorry for some of the aminals, for example to penguins should have had more room, and an outside area (although it was hot when we came, but I couldn't see a place for them to be outside, even in colder weather). And there was a 'touch pool' where you could touch the Stingrays, which wasn't being watched by any members of staff, and some people were trying to grab them, and were really upsetting the Stingrays. So in conclusion, it was nice to see the smaller fishes, however I do feel the larger species needed more room. It was €33 to enter, which is fine for the up keep of the animals, but a bit expensive if the animals aren't getting the treatment they deserve.
Big aquarium with many tanks and species. There are plenty of things to see, a nice terrace to rest, even there is an artificial lake where you can touch stingrays. Overall it looks well maintained. The only thing I noticed was that sharks gather around the tube for fresh air. I don’t know if this is a normal behaviour or they don’t get enough oxygen.
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