They took the term diving head first into the water a little too literally here. The second you walk into the place, you’re plunged into a lobby the walls of which are an aquarium – a splash tank! A “tonne of crashing seawater” simulates the home of the large sea bass – the west coast of Ireland. The main exhibit though, is the ray pool, a flat and shallow sandy tank with five types of rays (Thornback, Spotted, Blonde, Undulate and Painted), all of whom are friendly guys that like to get to know their visitors (yes, it’s a touch pool). The Ocean tank (the largest) houses the predatory Irish fish, including five kinds of shark and also cod and halibut. Look towards the floor for those ever working water janitors – the crabs! Walk around some more, and you’ll come across the skeleton of the second largest mammal that lives – the fin whale. The big guys aren’t all dead though; the Ling, the Bullhuss and the 2m long conger Eel. There are altogether 3 touch pools here that let you get into the personal space of marine life. There’s aslo a large freshwater tank called the Weir that’s a relica of an actual weir at the River Corrib.

The Aquarium also prides itself holding awesome birthday parties. You’d have to make a reservation in advance of course, but the staff go out of their way to make the day fun. Of all the attractions in Galway, this is the one that the country holds dearest to its heart.

Galway Atlantaquaria is a very fun, interactive aquarium of enormous proportions that aims to make everyone’s interaction with aquatic life fun, enjoyable and educational. You can choose to buy tickets for Galway Atlantaquaria online on our ticket booking section, or wait in a long queue to get your hands on a couple of tickets. With our ticket section Galway Atlantaquaria ticket prices too can be accessed in detail and you can opt for tours to combine to your Galway Atlantaquaria tickets. You can also see a multitude of other tickets for Galway Atlantaquaria online too.

• A.k.a National Aquarium of Ireland.
• This is the only aquarium in the world with a Pacific white skate.

• EUR 7.50 for kids 3 to 16.
• EUR 8 for students and seniors.

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