Istanbul Florya Aquarium
Istanbul Aquarium Entrance Fee and Opening Hours
Istanbul Aquarium, opened in June 2011, is located inside Aqua Florya Shopping Mall and it’s among one of the biggest thematic aquariums in the world.
Istanbul Aquarium is home to 17,000 sea creatures with its travel route, thematization, rainforest and cutting-edge technology. The aquarium is composed of seventeen different themes ranging from the Black Sea to the Pacific Ocean and one rainforest, which contains fish species from all around the world.
Moreover, Istanbul Aquarium is home to the first polar penguins of Turkey as well as the sand tiger shark and the red-bellied piranha. Istanbul Aquarium has also an online shop where you can buy souvenirs like magnets or mugs.
What Can Be Seen at Istanbul Aquarium?
The themes created in accordance with the cultural, historical, and architectural features of the space they represent are enriched by suitable decorative elements, interactive games, movies, and visual graphics that provide detailed information about these spaces. Moreover, the themes are supported by sound and lightening systems that are in conformity with the spaces.
You can see some of the most dangerous animals in the world in Istanbul Aquarium such as 2,5-meter-long anaconda, sharks, skates, piranhas and numerous other creatures that live in the sea and on land creatures.
In the main tank, you can also see the biggest creature in the aquarium, lemon shark, a rare species named Russian sturgeon dating back to the times of the dinosaurs, and ocellaris clownfish that can live inside poisonous sea anemones.
Additionally, groupers that have the ability to change sex and Gentoo penguins that can stay under water for 7 minutes are also really interesting animals that should be seen in Istanbul Aquarium.
The rainforest space is equally impressive with its various kinds of different creatures that live in different warmth and humidity conditions, colorful and poisonous frogs, and Cuvier’s dwarf caiman, the smallest crocodile species in the world. The rainforest space in the aquarium reflects the atmosphere of a real rainforest thanks to the plants that were brought from Costa Rica.
Diving Experience at The Florya Aquarium
You can dive into the main tank where 5,000 creatures live. The main tank has 4,000 square cube water capacity. The visitors who complete the 30-minute diving activity are awarded an Istanbul Aquarium Diving Certificate. If you are interested in getting a certificate, you can receive a scuba-diving training at Istanbul Aquarium too. The only condition to join the training is to know how to swim.
Diving at Istanbul Aquarium
How to Feed the Fish in the Istanbul Aquarium
The visitors have the chance to join a fish feeding activity in Istanbul Aquarium, one of the biggest thematic aquariums in the world. You can watch the show that the expert aquarists perform from the tunnel at Middle Atlantic Space, the main acrylic at the Western Atlantic Space, and the semi-tunnel at Panama Space.
Fish Feeding Hours at the Aquarium
Fish feeding sessions are announced to the visitors every day. Especially, this feature of Istanbul Aquarium makes this place one of the best places to visit for kids.
Feeding sessions of zebra sharks, skates, groupers, guitar sharks and other creatures in the main tank are at 11:00 a.m. except for Monday. The feeding session is at 10:30 on the days when a diving activity is performed in front of Panama tunnel.
Sand tiger sharks, on the other hand, are fed in front of the main panel of the Western Atlantic at 14:30 on Wednesday and Sunday while Cuvier’s dwarf caimans in Amazon rainforest are fed at 16:00 every Saturday.
You Can Feed Sea Creatures at Istanbul Aquarium
Istanbul Aquarium Entrance Fee 2021
The entrance fee of Istanbul Aquarium for adults is 99 TL. However, if you book your ticket online, it goes down to 89 TL with a discount. There is no entrance fee for kids under 2 years old and it’s 69 TL for the ages between 2-12. Again, if you book tickets online, a ticket price is 62 TL for the visitors between 2-12 years old.
Note: Latest update for this blog post is 16th of July 2019
Updated Ticket Price for Istanbul Aquarium
Yearly Membership Price for Istanbul Aquarium
A special entrance fee for a family of three is 210 TL and it’s 280 TL for a family of four. A 10% discount is applied if you book your yearly membership online. Above prices are already discounted ones.
You can purchase online tickets from the official website:
https://www.istanbulakvaryum.com/en/online-ticket
Istanbul Aquarium Opening Hours 2021
The Florya Aquarium is open to visit between 10:00 and 20:00 every day.
Where is Istanbul Aquarium and How to Go There?
Istanbul Aquarium is located in Florya on the European side of Istanbul. After you get off at Besyol Station on Metrobus line, you can take a minibus to Florya direction and reach the aquarium.
Also, there is a shuttle bus serves to Istanbul Aquarium from Taksim, Sultanahmet, and Sirkeci. You can take the shuttle bus if you hold a valid aquarium ticket.
Therefore, you are recommended to buy your ticket online to be able to take the shuttle bus and get a discount.
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