Aquarium of Genoa Tours and Tickets

It depends when you visit. If you plan to visit on a weekend, or any day during the busy tourist months of July and August, you’ll save time on admission by buying tickets online for a timed-entry slot. Opt for the fixed-date tickets if you can to save money, too.

Dolphins, penguins, and sharks are the big three at the Aquarium of Genoa, and the site puts on special encounters with them through the year. Examples include a Night with the Sharks event that takes place in the style of a pajama party, allowing kids to see the sharks’ nocturnal activity up close.

Yes, there are two lunch options on-site at the aquarium—the Gusto a Bordo restaurant and the fast-food Tender café. You can also walk around the Porto Antico for international chain eateries that are open for early dinners, or stroll into the nearby caruggi (alleys) of Molo for authentic local restaurants.

You can’t miss the neighboring Vascello Neptune, a replica 16th-century galleon with cannons that small kids love. This takes no longer than 20 minutes to visit, but continue into the Porto Antico area and you’ll find two Renzo Piano–designed attractions: the Bigo panoramic elevator and the Biosfera zoological garden.

Not only the largest in Italy, the Aquarium of Genoa is one of Europe’s largest aquariums with an exhibition space of more than 290,000 square feet (27,000 square meters). It’s also known for its biodiversity, showcasing marine life from around the world.

There are no live shows at the Aquarium of Genoa, but you can pet stingrays at the touch tank. To see the aquarium’s bottlenose dolphins, head to the 2-level Cetacean Pavillion, which offers open-air tanks for above-ground viewing, and a long underwater glass wall and tunnel on the level below.