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Given all of the wondrous monuments, world-class museums and chic cafes one can visit on a trip to Paris, a tourist could be forgiven for not putting an aquarium at the top of their list. The same people could also be forgiven for not even knowing there was an aquarium in Paris (there are actually three!). However, thanks to a TikTok video Emma saw, a visit to an aquarium was the perfect choice for the quirky itinerary Emma and I were planning during our mother-daughter week in Paris back in September 2024!
Just a few minutes walk from the Eiffel tower is the Aquarium de Paris, home to over 10,000 different species of fish from around the world. With it’s rather nondescript entrance it’s no wonder millions of tourists walk by it every year without even noticing it. But those that miss it are also missing out on some interesting history. Located in the basement of the Trocadero building, the aquarium was built in 1878 for the Universal Exhibition of 1889, making it one the worlds oldest aquariums. Now obviously it’s been renovated a few times since then.
After entering the aquarium and walking past a few exhibits and tanks, they have these cool lighted goldfish lanterns hanging from the ceiling. At the time of our visit they were also for sale in the gift shop.
The Aquarium de Paris is quite small and it’s definitely not somewhere you can spend the whole day. If you are expecting a SeaWorld level experience you will be disappointed. Even if you walk slow, you’ll only need about two hours max to see everything. It’s also geared towards children, so we skipped a few of the exhibits. However, watching fish swim about is rather mesmerizing, they are cute little things, so we still enjoyed ourselves. Our dream is to have a large salt-water aquarium in our home one day.
The biggest wow moment for us at the aquarium was the shark tank, one of the largest tanks in France with at least two dozen species of shark swimming around. We probably spent a good half hour just sitting and watching the sharks and fish swim around. I absolutely love sharks, in fact, I’ve even swam with them down in Turks. And can’t wait to do it again!
The second favorite exhibit of ours was the jellyfish.
The grumpy fish on the right reminded me of the main character of the children’s book series The Pout-Pout Fish.
And these little dudes kept us solidly entertained for a while.
On our way out of the aquarium we peek in at one last tank. When Emma bent down to look in, the fish stopped to look at her. We joked that they had some “of-fish-ial business to speak to her about.
Despite its small size, ff you’re looking for a unique and memorable experience in Paris, then a visit to the Aquarium de Paris should definitely be on your list! Have you been? If so, what did you think? If not, I hope this gives you an idea for your next Paris getaway! And if nothing else, keep it on the list for a rainy-day activity!
WHAT TO KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
- Aquarium de Paris is located at 5 Avenue Albert de Mun, 75016 Paris
- The aquarium open every day except for May 1st and December 25th from 10:00am – 7:00pm during spring and summer and from 10:00am – 6:00pm in the winter season (November to March). Last entry is one hour before closing.
- Ticket prices are a little pricey and I recommend getting them ahead of time by clicking here.
- There is no cafe inside the aquarium but there are open-air cafes just outside the entrance.
- The aquarium is very stroller-friendly
- The aquarium has a small gift shop
