Istanbul Aquarium is located inside Aqua Florya Shopping Mall and it’s a home to 17,000 sea creatures. The aquarium is composed of seventeen different themes ranging from the Black Sea to the Pacific Ocean.
In this article, you can find summary information about the diving experience and fish feeding sessions at the Istanbul Aquarium, as well as the entrance fees and visiting hours in 2025.
There are two types of skip-the-line tickets to Istanbul Aquarium. One includes a free shuttle from Sultanahmet (Old City) and you can buy it from this link. The other includes a free shuttle from Taksim and you can buy it from this link.
About 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 the 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.
1. Diving Experience
The diving experience includes diving into the main tank inhabited by 5000 sea creatures. 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.
2. Fish Feeding Sessions
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 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.
Istanbul Aquarium Entrance Fee 2025
Istanbul Aquarium entrance fee is 950 Turkish Liras as of 2025. The discounted ticket price for children aged 2-12, students, teachers and citizens over 65 is 850 TL. Information on ticket price was last updated on January 5, 2025.
Online Tour Tickets for Istanbul Aquarium
Of course, you can go to Istanbul Aquarium yourself by public transportation from popular tourist centers of Istanbul and buy tickets directly from the museum.
However, if you want to buy your Istanbul Aquarium ticket online, I can recommend this one with a free shuttle from Sultanahmet (Old City) OR this one with a free shuttle from Taksim.
These tickets are sold under the guarantee of GetYourGuide, an international company. Easy cancellation with a FULL REFUND up to 24 hours in advance.
Istanbul Aquarium Opening Hours 2025
Istanbul Aquarium opening hours are between 10:00 in the morning and 19:00 in the evening for the weekdays. On weekends, it is open until 20:00. The Aquarium in Florya is open to visitors every day of the week. This was last updated on January 5, 2025.
Visiting hours of museums in Istanbul may change on official and religious holidays. Before going to the museum, please kindly check the visiting hours on the official website one last time.
Conclusion
Istanbul Aquarium is one of the best things to do in Istanbul for families with children. If you have a week or more in Istanbul, you can spend a day with this activity.
If you want to buy tickets to Istanbul Aquarium online: The one includes a free shuttle from Sultanahmet (Old City) can be booked from this first link. The other one includes a free shuttle from Taksim can be booked from this second link.
Written by Serhat Engul
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