Galway Atlantaquaria

Fantastic experience: Huge ray/ shark/ flat fish tank! Highly recommend for parents of tiny humans! Our son was screaming and tired before we entered, he calmed right down watching the fishies, stayed in the stroller the whole time and was able to see so many aquatic animals from his level. Octopus tank was awesome, price was right, and the whole aquarium was a good size for little ones, not too overwhelming.

Fantastic experience: Very nice displays, the fish have lots of room in the big tanks..well worth a visit.

Fantastic experience: Great fun and educational for all the family?

Positive experience: For the price paid nothing much there beside usual fishes and few sea creatures. Over years nothing have changed at all.

Fantastic experience: Absolute treasure in Galway area. Couldn’t believe it was just 15 euros. For this price you can spend a good 2 hours and enjoy and learn about the sea and its animals for all the animal enthusiasts! You will learn a lot for sure :)

Positive experience: It is not as good as it was before. For more money you got less: Can't touch at the touch pool and the "submarine" is inaccessible.

Fantastic experience: really good experience for the kids. only takes around an hour to see everything there. nice variety and much more interactive and open than I expected

Fantastic experience: Our son loves visiting this place. It may not have the biggest tanks you've ever seen, or the most exotic sea creatures, but it is a nice way to spend a bit of time and learn something for everyone. The staff is lovely, and our son was delighted to get stickers at the end (you may need to ask at the till). It was the perfect start to a relaxing day out By the way, the painted murals are just beautiful!

Fantastic experience: Brilliant on a rainy day - kids loved the big open pools

Fantastic experience: It is lovely. The variety of fish to be seen May be less than in a Zoo, but it is concentrated in sea-animals living in the Atlantic ocean around Ireland . Definitely worth the visit, If you don't Rush through. Take your time to enjoy

Positive experience: From the rugged cliffs to the rolling green fields, Ireland offers some of the most stunning landscapes ye can imagine. Each part of the country has its own charm – whether it’s the lively buzz of Dublin or the quiet beauty of the West, ye’ll always feel at home.

Fantastic experience: Really enjoyed the experience with our little boy.

Negative experience: Totally overpriced. Maybe good for a desperate fanatic of sea life but for a regular person and small children thers nothing interesting.. went around everything in maybe 15 mins, 36 euro gone.. a waste. My children are always excited to see fishes and turtles in a pet shop, and its free!

Positive experience: Great for family kids were excited. Place could be upgraded but generally its interesting. Gift shop with very poor stock, possibly because of Sunday, but still not great. Big car park beside. Place to eat something beside i recommend supermacks about 300m away. There is in this building too but crowded and various quality

Fantastic experience: Great place for all the family

Negative experience: Just arrived in Galway and planned to go to the aquarium after dropping off our bags. We were waiting to check into our holiday apartment next door and my 4 year old had to pee very badly. We went in there and asked if she could use the toilet since it was an emergency. The staff sitting there looked at her holding herself and obviously upset but said no then sent us down the street. We went to the bakery next door and they let her use it since it was an obvious emergency. Very upsetting and we won't be coming to the aquarium now after all. Edit to respond to the reply: I completely understand having that policy, but applying it to a 4 year old who is still in potty training is awful. No compassion. She was obviously upset and struggling. I did not follow where your employee sent us down the street and instead went next door to see if they would be a bit more compassionate, which thankfully they were.

Fantastic experience: The best tourist attraction we’ve been to in a long time, absolutely amazing. Gives the London Aquarium a run for its money! Fantastic for adults and children alike, would recommend to anyone.

Fantastic experience: Excellent exhibits of fish and other marine creatures. Very informative and a fun day out for all ages!

Fantastic experience: I really enjoyed my visit. Lots of different fish to be seen, especially the seahorses, and the divers in the tank. Maybe an arrow painted on the ground to indicate direction might help. Went into the coffee shop after, and again great efficient staff beautiful rhubarb crumble and coffee. Also it should be noted that parking throughout Salthill is FREE Top class.

Fantastic experience: Fabulous experience, great family outing. My son is 12 and loved it. Friendly staff and beautiful fish

Fantastic experience: Loved it! At 3pm they fed the fish and spoke about them, very interesting points, learned a lot! Would highly recommend

Fantastic experience: Atlantaquaria in Galway is an absolute gem and a must-visit for families, marine life enthusiasts, or anyone looking to enjoy a fun, educational, and interactive experience by the sea. I visited recently with my partner and two children, and we were thoroughly impressed with the quality of the exhibits, the knowledgeable staff, and the overall atmosphere. The aquarium is deceptively large inside and is very well laid out. It’s home to a fascinating range of marine life native to Ireland’s waters – everything from graceful rays and sharks to colourful jellyfish, crustaceans, and even freshwater species. The tanks are clean and beautifully presented, with lots of information displayed in a clear and engaging way. My kids especially loved the touch pool where they got to gently interact with starfish and crabs. It was a hands-on highlight that brought smiles to everyone’s faces. One of the standout features for me was the huge skeleton of a fin whale suspended from the ceiling – truly awe-inspiring and a great talking point. There’s also a really interesting section on marine conservation, which adds a thoughtful educational element to the visit. The staff clearly care deeply about ocean life and sustainability, and it shows in how they explain things and engage with visitors. The daily feeding times and talks are another great bonus – we caught the seahorse feeding session, and the presenter was excellent at making it fun and informative for both kids and adults. It was clear that the staff are passionate and enthusiastic about marine biology. Facilities were top-notch too. Everything was clean, accessible, and family-friendly. There’s a small but well-stocked gift shop with reasonably priced souvenirs, and the location right on the Salthill promenade means you can easily combine your visit with a scenic walk or a bite to eat nearby. Overall, Atlantaquaria offers great value for money and is a brilliant way to spend a couple of hours in Galway. It’s educational without being dry, fun without being gimmicky, and manages to cater well to all ages. Whether you’re a tourist or a local, I’d highly recommend stopping in – it’s a hidden treasure on the Wild Atlantic Way!

Fantastic experience: We just visited the aquarium, and it was such a fantastic experience, especially with our two little ones under three! Honestly, I was a bit nervous about keeping them entertained, but they had an absolute blast. From pointing at all the different fish to being completely mesmerized by the bigger tanks, they were engaged the whole time. It's such a relief when you find an outing that genuinely captivates toddlers – we left with two very happy (and tired!) children. We're already planning our next trip back!

Fantastic experience: Absolutely amazing. We had a 2 year old, 5 and 6 year old. The place was magic, lovely staff, excellent installations. We went 1.5 hours out of our way to stop here on route to Kerry and went to the coffee shop beside it. A fabulous stopover, will visit again!

Fantastic experience: Really good aquarium, lots of different things to see, right by the sea, and the arcades, makes a great family day out

Positive experience: Good experience, nice presentation, but not worth for 15 € maybe 7 € per head can

Fantastic experience: Very awesome semi-little aquarium! Probably about an hour to see everything (unless there is a feeding). Enjoyed learning about the local species and seeing all the cute dogfish!

Fantastic experience: Lovely aquarium. Not too big but the kids enjoyed it

Positive experience: Lovely aquarium to visit while in Salthill, Galway. You can spend about an hour maximum there. There is lots to read about marine life and how they are connected to humankind (biomimicry). We felt the price was somewhat high for what they offer.

Negative experience: First experience when you walk in friendly knowledgeable staff. But unfortunately the place is too small we had the whole thing done in less than 20 mins and prices are quite high for what its worth it if its for a family id say once youve seen it you wouldn't go back.

Fantastic experience: Amazing , and one of the girl was feeding the tank with big fish when we arrived!!

Fantastic experience: Absolutely fantastic. We weren’t sure what to expect since we are used to Australian Aquariums with an abundance of water life to rave on about…. Actually it’s better than aquariums in Australia. They’ve made great use of the space and there is heaps to see!

Fantastic experience: Nice Aquarium, a lot to see and lots of information on each species kept. Very clean and the animals seemed well taken care of! Wish I had more time to see some of them be fed. But I'll have to go again to see that! There also weren't very many larger aquatic animals, but the octopus and sting Ray were very energetic! I also love the jelly fish! Fun day out

Fantastic experience: Very well done aquarium in Galway Salt Hill Ireland senior pricing 12euro (thank you!) So impressive and interesting for young and old!!!! You won’t be disappointed.

Fantastic experience: Great spot. Very well put together. Interesting tanks and displays. Kids enjoyed feeding the fish.

Fantastic experience: Fantastic day out location helps alot

Fantastic experience: This aquarium is my childhood, hasnt changed much since the first time i visited and hits the spot every time. amazing information and staff. 100% recommend a visit

Positive experience: Nice to spend the afternoon in Galway, more variety of animal life than other aquariums.

Fantastic experience: Great aquarium! Very fun, and insightful

Fantastic experience: Fantastic experience, small but worth it and very well set up

Positive experience: Everything is fine, there is a little lack of lighting, but this is probably for the health of the fish.

Fantastic experience: The other fish were great but He sucks at camouflage

Fantastic experience: Nice place. Lots of fish. Fun.

Fantastic experience: Great little aquarium; absolutely spotless with lovely, friendly and educated staff. Very educational regarding conservation and I especially liked upstairs regarding science/medical research! Fascinating stuff! Not a huge place, you'd be around it in an hour so can easily fit it in with something else for a day trip etc. Definitely recommend just be mindful that the big splash tank in front of you on entering the aquarium after paying is LOUD so might frighten little ones.

Fantastic experience: Really nice aquarium despite its small size, there’s quite a variation of sea creatures and different tanks that showcase the creatures. The explanatory parts of the exhibit are also really informative and interesting, would be lovely for families or just aquarium enjoyers!

Fantastic experience: Guided tour with a PP school group , tour guide lovely and very well informed. Lovely and peaceful to walk around. Great variety of displays

Fantastic experience: Worth a visit, very interesting information areas about the creatures within the aquarium. Well suited place to stroll around as a couple or family

Positive experience: It was super busy when we were there, and it was awesome to see all the fishes there! The only negative I have to say about this place, however, was the crowd. Wayyy too many people all cramped into one building, which did make it feel a little overwhelming. Other than that good place to stop by.

Fantastic experience: We really enjoyed our visit to this wonderful aquarium, the tanks were very clean and all the animals and fish looked cared for. Lovely play park outside for the kids.

Positive experience: Was a little busy with school children but that wasn't a problem. I enjoyed watching the kids run about fascinated. Thought it was going to be a bit bigger but still had a great time

Positive experience: I paid 60EUR for 4 adults and 1 child, and for the time i spent inside, i thought 60EUR was a lot. The place is quite big, and you'll see a vast amount of fish but not a lot that will make you go "wow".

Fantastic experience: A great place to visit, especially if weather isn't good. Staff are friendly, fish are superb.

Positive experience: Lovely appt for a walk with interesting exhibits. On the expensive side, €45 for a family of 4

Positive experience: The place was much smaller than expected. Although we love all water creatures dearly and were progressing slowly, it was hard to spend more than one hour there. The place is well kept, and fish looked happy. Some were smiling.

Fantastic experience: Our son is very sensory sensitive and is rejecting to enter for few years now, as he is afraid of a big splash you experience at the entrance. We forced to leave a couple of times before, as he was rejecting to enter or was crying inside after entering. We keep trying occasionally if he will be ever happy again to go inside and enjoy all the fish and creatures they have as he used to few years ago. We came back again about a month ago and instantly he was alerted. We have asked staff at reception if we can try to enter without tickets and will pay few minutes later if he will be happy to continue inside. Staff was so welcoming and understanding and even offered to switch off the wave splash for us. Finally after few years we were able to enter the aquarium. They even gave us few posters and stickers with the fish they have in the aquarium. I would highly recommend this place, not only because it is so greatly maintained and some features were refurnished in the last couple of years, but also because of the friendliest and most welcoming staff ever. Definitely coming back again.

Positive experience: We always visit when In the area. Tickets are reasonable. Hasn't changed too much in a long time but it's well maintained and the staff we met were great. Some more interesting exhibits than some other aquariums we've been too, perhaps lacks a true "show stopper" feature but it's strong across the board, lots of learning to be done here and the staff great to chat too EDIT: The below paragraph was part of my original review but owner clarified that the gift shop is a separate business, did not realise this. In that case would like to have some branded merch within the aquarium itself, would definitely have picked some up, we're big fans. **A minor gripe, but the gift shop could do with a refresh, not much on offer in terms of branded merch (we like to get a magnet from places we visit, but nothing like that there) and the book section very basic (mostly young kids books, could be fleshed out with more fact/science books etc)**

Fantastic experience: Great spot to sea all the fish in our native waters. Highly recommend kids loved it too

Fantastic experience: Such an amazing and educational aquarium! I was impressed by the extent of knowledge and tanks, since it looked small on the outside. Excellent for adults and kids alike! Very clean too. Give yourself a solid 2 hours to explore it thoroughly!

Fantastic experience: This was a very lovely addition to our trip to Ireland from the USA :) Their employees were kind and patie t with answering our questions about their exhibits. Wonderful! Highly recommend The wave feature at the entrance of the aquarium is quite fun!

Fantastic experience: What a wonderful experience this place is. I have never felt so close to the marine life. On the smaller side but that allows you to really take your time and read all the little fact things. I went by myself as an adult and really experienced a child-like wonder. As a 40 year old Iraq war veteran, that is a rare feeling. Ticket was 15 euros. Very reasonable imo. 10/10.

Positive experience: Amazing Aquarium, has nice variety of aquatic life and informatics. Great place to go for all ages, bit small but makes good use of the space

Positive experience: This is a great amenity, really lovely for the kids, and really nicely laid out. Very interesting animals, great stuff to read, and lovely experience. The staff were lovely and friendly. One thought- It felt very short, even visiting everything and taking a moment with each tank we were finished very quickly. (We went around the lap again). I’m not sure what to do about that, but sharing if it’s helpful.

Positive experience: Decent aquarium in Salthill area of Galway. Not as diverse as some larger aquariums I've been to but the focus here is on species found in Irish waters. It's well presented and relaxing to walk around for kids and adults interested in this kind of thing. I found the pricing reasonable for what you get, worth a look if visiting Galway

Fantastic experience: A very well maintained aquarium, with very friendly staff, informative pieces of information and very cool skeletons. It's quite reasonable entry and they have an amazing entrance as soon as you walk in that I won't spoil. There are 2 floors, and even some puzzles for kids. All in all, it was a fun way to spend an hour asleep learned a lot from the experience. I would definitely visit it again in a couple of years.

Fantastic experience: worth a visit if you have some free time in Galway, our 2 year old loved the place, the animals. definitely a 5*

Fantastic experience: A great place where you may relax and learn of the marine life

Fantastic experience: Absolutely loved this aquarium. My family and I had an absolute ball. So much to look at. So many facts about the fish located around the tanks.

Positive experience: Such a nice experience, perfect for a rainy day! Went on a Monday morning and it was nice and quiet. Spent an hour inside. The facilities are well kept and maintained. Just the splash sound at the entrance can be a bit frightening for little ones.

Fantastic experience: Great place for kids and adults, so many fish and other sea creatures to see. Would highly recommend!

Fantastic experience: Absolutely wonderful experience as always. Kids absolutely love it. Great place to see. Staff are kind and will turn off the big wave if kids have sensory difficulties. Highly recommend

Positive experience: Had a great afternoon exploring and learning about the different species in the Atlantic waters and freshwater fish. The childlike joy blossomed within me as I toured through the exhibit, having fun all the way seeing them swim about with glistening scales. Truly beautiful.

Fantastic experience: A well maintained aquarium to visit with your family and friends!

Fantastic experience: Really nice experience. We got there in time for the 1pm fresh water fish feeding. The guide was really good and engaging with the kids allowing them to feed the fish. The place is very well set out and all the fish are from our oceans, rivers and lakes. The staff at reception were so friendly answering some of the kids questions and providing them with stickers for filling out their sheets. Would highly recommend. But don't rush it enjoy the place and the amazing fish. 5 stars

Fantastic experience: The design of each exhibition is so cool. I loved how they did the harbour, canal and weir/dam. The thought that went behind it was so intriguing and made it all the more interesting to look at. Lovely staff and so so friendly. You could do this whole place in 45 mins easily. But I was in here for nearly two hours. Absolutely grand. Thanks to all! (Gift shop could do with some work)

Fantastic experience: This is a great aquarium! There is a lot of focus on conservation, research, and education about local species. Definitely try to go at feeding time of the freshwater fish (1pm). They have a great selection of sharks, rays, and flounder. Mind the splash at the beginning!! My only criticism would be the gift shop - for a place so focused on keeping our oceans clean, the gift shop had far too many small cheap plastic toys that seemed really in contradiction with their mission.

Positive experience: On a blustery Galway day it was nice to find something to do indoors. Plenty of free parking nearby if the Aquarium park is full. A great way to spend a couple of hours. The fish and marine animals on display were fantastic. I loved the giant glass wall with big fish swimming by. The flat fish in the shallow pool were amazing popping their heads out to look at you. The tanks were clean and well looked after. It was busy but we had plenty of room to enjoy the displays. Great for all ages.

Fantastic experience: Wonderful to visit. I recommend it for anyone who is into ocean life. Adults 15€

Fantastic experience: Great place. You can walk around the territory for a long time, or just sit and watch the fish. Also, each aquarium has interesting facts or history. Thank you!

Fantastic experience: Nice place to visit, just over an hour to visit with the kids

Fantastic experience: A wonderful visit to this aquarium again. Small but good quality. It's clean, well run, really interesting exhibits, and the staff are helpful. A big thank you to Tara at the front desk who is not only cheerful and effecient but very kind. A great playground nearby so it's a lovely afternoon to do the aquarium, and then an hour in the playground, and a walk along the beach. Benches to eat a picnic and nice coffee close by.

Fantastic experience: Great wee aquarium. A lot packed into the space! We loved the sharks, jelly fish, piranhas, eels and sponges! Great way to spend a rainy morning in Galway.

Fantastic experience: Lovely friendly and compact aquarium but still with loads to see. Like the good amount of benches to sit and it's interesting to see their status as to whether they are endangered. Nicely laid out too.

Fantastic experience: Had so much fun here with my friend. Lots of fish to see. Warning that there’s a splash tank on the way in that could give unprepared children a fright. Had a fabulous time, will go again

Fantastic experience: Great location to go on a morning or afternoon with friends or family. There are many different types of sea life with very accessible and interesting information about them. The guides are so kind and enthusiastic about it. Try coming on the feeding time, especially if you have kids, as the guides will give the food to the kids to give to the fishes. They have a feeding time at 13:00.

Positive experience: Wonderful staff, brilliant displays. Great tour layout and it was brilliant fun for the kiddos. Only downside is that the gift shop was understood, and parking spaces are tricky to find on the weekend visits.

Fantastic experience: Little disappointed that in the biggest fish tank were not 2 big sharks and turtle as I saw them last time, but I hope they let them go into the ocean when they outgrew the tank. Nice and clean inside, only it's pity that submarine was closed, but still worth visiting, staff is very friendly there

Fantastic experience: I saw a lot of fish here, it was very interesting. went on a quiet Saturday afternoon and no queue. 15 entry adult, 12 for student

Positive experience: It's a nice little aquarium and good for like 45 mins, there's not a whole lot of info about the fish just stats and some snippets here and there. Doesn't feel like there a big variety of fish but just enough make it a bit of fun

Fantastic experience: Great job of mimicking the animals natural habitat and a great mix of marine life learning and conservation of marine wildlife. My only suggestion is to add a snippet description about each animal instead of just some standard quick facts

Fantastic experience: A good selection of fish and enjoying observing everything available in the aquarium! I recommend a visit because it's so relaxing!

Positive experience: A small, quaint space to explore. Although it's an old building, in need of some TLC, the staff are friendly, knowledgeable, and care about the sea life. It takes about an hr or so to fully appreciate & explore this small space. I took my 4 children, with an age range of 17 to 6 & we all loved it. In part I think it has to do with the ray fish- the tank design allows for amazing views & the rays put on a great show.

Fantastic experience: Great location, lots to see and learn. Two floors of tanks and displays. Stuff for all ages. Free car park next to Aquarium.

Positive experience: Great for kids below 12. The aquarium exhibits are built low so kids can enjoy the view. Seems they make a lot of effort to make it accessible for small children. Small venue but exhibits are packed together. Spent about an hour here just glancing through the exhibits and reading a bit. As you enter there's a splash pool that may give you a fright. Was hoping for more types of fishes but I see a lot of flat fishes.

Fantastic experience: A wonderful and interestic place to have a look into the life of the Atlantic Ocean

Fantastic experience: Such a lovely aquarium! We easily spent two hours in there looking at all the aquatic life. They’ve done a nice job of trying to make the exhibits mimic the creatures’ natural environments.

Fantastic experience: Small, but lovely. Set on two levels, this place offers quite a variety of sea life. Great for children and adults alike. And as with all places you truly enjoy, you wish it was bigger and offered more. The only downside I could point out is that in 15 years between my visits it had not changed one bit. Nothing added or expanded. Its frozen in time. A pity, truly. I recommend to visit it, you'll love it.

Positive experience: This is one of the prettiest aquariums that I've ever visited. Really lovely place. Could benefit from a gift shop - the one they use is not part of the aquarium and has no aquarium souvenirs.

Fantastic experience: It was a fantastic experience! Visiting Galway Atlantaquaria kids can see a variety of fishes and sea animals can be both educational and enjoyable for them.

Positive experience: Nice place to see all the fish and have memories with the family.

Positive experience: First time visiting the aquarium. My daughter enjoyed the experience. Not very big or modern. Displays including large tanks are good. Easy to spot the animals with good illustrations and displays. However the aquarium may benefit from a makeover or renovation. We managed find a parking space as well. It was busy due to holiday period. If you are visiting salthill promenade, and the area, it may be good for the kids to visit the aquarium too. I can imagine how busy the area will be during summer months.