Aquarium of the Bay General Admission Ticket
San Francisco, USA
- 2 hours (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
Overview
Guarantee your entry to the Aquarium of the Bay in San Francisco, so you spend less time waiting and more time enjoying its aquatic attractions. Get direct access to all of the aquarium’s main exhibit areas, including interactive exhibits, as well as walk-through glass tunnels where schools of anchovies and fluorescent jellyfish swim overhead and around you.
- Prebooking your tour guarantees your entry to this popular attraction
- Learn about the marine life of San Francisco Bay
- Select an arrival time that suits your schedule
- Have the freedom to explore independently, at your own pace
What's Included
- Admission to the Aquarium of the Bay
- Food and drinks
- Souvenir photos (available to purchase)
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
Meeting and Pickup
Operating hours.10:00 am
Departure Point
- Aquarium of the Bay, Embarcadero & Beach St Pier 39, San Francisco, CA 94133
What To Expect
Located at San Francisco’s ever-popular Pier 39 along the Embarcadero, the Aquarium of the Bay offers an educational look at local sea life.
A general admission ticket gives access to all of the aquarium’s main exhibit areas, all of which focus on the marine life of San Francisco Bay and nearby waters. Together, the exhibits are home to more than 20,000 sea creatures. Stay all day if you wish. The aquarium is yours to explore at your own pace.
Discover the Bay Exhibit: Ever wonder why anchovies swim in schools, or what life is like for a newly hatched skate in San Francisco Bay? Learn answers to questions like these in the Discover the Bay exhibit area, which is also where you find some of the bay’s brightest sea creatures, including green moray eels and California’s state marine fish, the orange garibaldi.
Under the Bay Exhibit: Thousands of marine animals, including octopuses, swim above and around you as you meander along a 300-foot (90-meter) tunnel system of clear glass. See moon jellies and Pacific sea nettles, giant sea bass and colorful starfish, and deepwater fish such as leopard and soupfin sharks.
A general admission ticket gives access to all of the aquarium’s main exhibit areas, all of which focus on the marine life of San Francisco Bay and nearby waters. Together, the exhibits are home to more than 20,000 sea creatures. Stay all day if you wish. The aquarium is yours to explore at your own pace.
Discover the Bay Exhibit: Ever wonder why anchovies swim in schools, or what life is like for a newly hatched skate in San Francisco Bay? Learn answers to questions like these in the Discover the Bay exhibit area, which is also where you find some of the bay’s brightest sea creatures, including green moray eels and California’s state marine fish, the orange garibaldi.
Under the Bay Exhibit: Thousands of marine animals, including octopuses, swim above and around you as you meander along a 300-foot (90-meter) tunnel system of clear glass. See moon jellies and Pacific sea nettles, giant sea bass and colorful starfish, and deepwater fish such as leopard and soupfin sharks.
1
Aquarium of the Bay
Admission Ticket Included
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Near public transportation
- Surfaces are wheelchair accessible
- Most travelers can participate
- Free admission for children ages 3 and under
- Wheelchair and stroller accessible
- The aquarium is open every day except Christmas Day
- Current operating hours are 11am-6pm
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
3.5
based on 305 reviews
Ralph_P, Apr 2026
It was GREAT till the kids came for a field trip and Serenity no more! Lol The tunnels are amazing. Could spend all day just in the tunnels.
Traci_F, Apr 2026
Clean, organized, laid out well, lots to see, multiple floors, family loved it. Good experience. Otters, sting ray touch pond, starfish, jelly fish, sharks, etc.
Aubrey_G, Feb 2026
It’s definitely small and not truly worth admission price . Not easy to navigate as you are only to access exhibits via elevator which means more waiting than enjoying the experience
Jenee_F, Jan 2026
No matter how many times I’ve been here, the experience is always like the first. This time we went on 01/27/26, and they were in the tanks, cleaning. The divers waved at us, and showed how they clean the tanks and feed the sharks. The jelly fish exhibit, is my absolute favorite. I can spend hours there. And the staff are so amazing. They have wheelchairs available and you can bring a can/walker. If you’re checking this place out, and have kids, or just love ocean life, this is the place for you!
Pamela_T, Jan 2026
It was really nice! Small but really nice! It was a little pricey for the amount of time you got to be there, but it was beautiful
Denise_C, Dec 2025
My dad was a good tourist and professor ...marine science since 1990s old traditions fun ..turtles otters ..small aquarium at the wharf pier
Kate_B, Dec 2025
Explains a lot about the San Francisco Bay
3 year old enjoyed it 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
Josette_R, Oct 2025
Really great aquarium that doesn’t take too long for a child’s attention span. The only downside was the elevator wasn’t working at the front entrance
Michelle_H, Sep 2025
Loved the jellyfish and tunnels of fish and sharks. Really fun and interactive. Enjoyed our time so much
Tarah_K, Sep 2025
My kids, myself and my mother were super excited to see lots of otters and bigger/more sharks, but there was very few. We also thought it was a lot bigger but this aquarium is pretty small. We loved all the creatures but really were hoping for more of them. The tunnels were cool! It says it takes 3-4 hrs to complete but we were only there for 1 1/2 and that includes the gift shop as well. This was my very first time at an Aquarium.
I do love that it's on the pier with all the shops/ restaurants
Eva_M, Aug 2025
Parking close to the aquarium can be very expensive, but walking around the warf was convenient and a great experience.
Lida_O, Jun 2025
I really liked the docents. So friendly and helpful…all of them. The young man with the shells even shared his stool so I did not need to hold my toddler to the counter.
The exhibit was nice too!
Amy_T, Jun 2025
Great fun and educational!
The adults enjoyed it too!
Would go back!
The kids loved the sharks
Highly recommend
Tammy_W, Jun 2025
Not very friendly for the mobility challenged. Discovered elevator stays out of order. Not physically challenged friendly. Had speak with management to get assistance. They did end up assisting so our entire family could attend. Would not recommend for those who tire easily or have mobility issues because of elevator issues and limited wheelchairs
Robert_B, Jun 2025
It was indeed a very good experience. The sharks were small but they are very beautiful to see as they will swim close to you and over you
Alycia_R, Jun 2025
This place is very nice and we enjoyed our visit. The tunnel is cool. My only disappointment was that it’s very small - only two floors - so it’s a quick tour.
TINA_H, Jun 2025
Nice place, great to see the sea life. But I thought it would be bigger. It didn’t take long to walk around.
flamingolady, May 2025
Excellent aquarium clean and very nice exhibits would definitely recommend loved the otter experience the best
Angela_R, May 2025
Bought tickets online right before went into aquarium. Went in and tickets were free for moms. It was 4 of us. My daughter was a first time mom we were with our husbands
Ask for refund for us two and front desk said no manager will not allow. Moms all around excited how nice it was for them to get in free but couldn't give us a refund. Very disappointing.
Sonia_A, May 2025
It was boring and did not have anything exciting to see.. I was expecting to see more fish. It was very basic
Amanda_L, Mar 2025
I paid for this twice. I had gotten tickets Saturday, got sick, and then when we went back I had to pay again. I paid o
A ridiculous amount of money and will never go back
Elishia_M, Mar 2025
We Didnt get to go. They shut early. We are very disappointed we didn't get to go since it was for my birthday
Josefa_A, Mar 2025
Very fun for kids. Staff very friendly. I purchased tickets online. Attendant not able to scan or receive email of tickets so I ended up spending an extra $50 as it was taking way too long to process the tickets I purchased previously. Hummm
Nicole_T, Jan 2025
It would have been great but they wouldn't except our tickets. They said they don't except them from the viator app any longer.
PORCHIA_S, Dec 2024
Allow 2hrs minimum to walk through the aquarium perfect for people of all ages. Ability friendly. If you have vertigo be cautious it may be a difficult experience!
Andres_P, Nov 2024
We really enjoyed visiting the aquarium and seeing the diversity of animals they have, it was a unique experience and we are happy to have gone.
Silvia_C, Jul 2024
The day I was there was terrible the elevator didn’t work I have stroller asking people to help me at the scalator I t was terrible
Shalome_T, Apr 2024
I rate it a 3/5 it was cool but the tickets are overpriced, it was a quick & fast experience. Not too many sea animals to see.
Manuel_O, Apr 2024
I liked being able to touch the stingray! It was nice walking through the water tunnel
Learning about the different kinds of fish and sharks was pretty cool
Julie_G, Apr 2024
Not as good as we expected. Only small - we’d done it all in 45 minutes. Augmented reality section shut. Not many different species. I heard one mum ask if they had an octopus as her son loved them and they’d come to see one but they didn’t have any despite having a large painting mural of an octopus outside! Have other things like a squirrel, snakes, tortoises which have nothing to do with aquariums. We paid £106 for a family of 4. Waste of money and would not recommend.
From $28.25
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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Aquarium of the Bay General Admission Ticket
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2 hours
Free Cancellation
From
$28.25
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