National Marine Aquarium Reviews

Amazing views of the aquatic world. A really interesting day out for all ages.

Have been visiting for years now. Love taking the children. Worth the annual pass.

Too busy, can't really see a lot, they should limit the flow of traffic into here, also expecting a lot more for the money, expensive for the experience

Great day out for the kids. Fantastic watching the divers go into the tank and interacting with the massive turtles. Managed a disibilty chair all round although it was a bit busy and probably bettter to go in the middle of summer hols. Found a brilliant chinese buffet down the road to finish off the day.

The Marine Aquarium it self was awesome the staff we dealt with were very helpful and very courteous all credit to them I am afraid to say as a retired chef I must say I found the food that I ordered I e fish and chips to be a disgrace the battered fish was burnt the chips were lukewarm and the peas were actually cold my sister had sausage and mash the sausages were ot too bad but the mashed potato was inedible it was made from instant mash potato powder its texture was of a wallpaper paste mixture except one would find it difficult to hang paper with it as if was so thick and dry we were very hungry and eat it because we are not ones for causing a fuss in public if when employed as chef I served up a meal like that I am sure I would have dismissed on the spot I am going to visit the NMA in the very near future but sadly I would not eat again in Cafe and would not hesitate to recommend other people to do so either

Really good and you
Will love it

Lots of exhibits and information. Excellent cafe and gift shop

Beautiful place to take the whole family. Pay once for a year round ticket,gives you somewhere to go on a rainy day all year. Stunning exhibits. Plenty of seating all the way round plus cafe and play area

Come for the sharks, stay for the rays. The jellyfish are pretty cool too.

So much to learn about our oceans and so much to see here. I ever knew until today, that they have a picnic area with some benches and what looked like a play area. I hope they open it more often. Cafe is expensive, but the portions are generous and staff very helpful. We have a family member with food allergies and they did their utmost to ensure their safety. A lovely young lady just happened to be in the same areas as us every time we had questions she answered with enthusiasm. You have to book to visit, but a three hour block is plenty of time, even with a cafe visit.

Clean, well kept animals and tanks. Informative. Lovely staff. Too expensive for only an hour's entertainment.

Quite good value. Lots of words to take in but labeling of tanks not good. Pity about the cost of the parking. Next time we will use the park and ride if it is fine

Excellent day out, huge impressive tanks with many species, staff and volunteers massively knowledgeable. A must visit for anyone in Plymouth. Cafe was also very good. Don't forget to gift aid when you buy tickets as the aquarium is a charity and it doesn't cost you anything extra!

Overpriced but good couple of hours of fun with kids

Wind yourself around the largest fish tank. Stand under and over the fish. Lots of places to take photos including a mer cave. To much to see and do in one go. You can get a years free ticket for the same price as day entry. Fully disabled friendly with lots of toilets but no changing rooms. Would like to see more seating in exhibit areas as there's lots to read but no where to sit in between. You can sit at lots of places and watch the fish although children like to stand and bang on the glass right in front of where you sit. It wasn't nice watching a fish chomping on another because it was dying. Nature I know but not what you expect from an aquarium. Loved our day out. Great place to take kids as there's lots for them to do and see.

Been years since I last visited, really good family venue

Amazing informative place, amazing with children and without asking, a member of staff helped me carry a pushchair up the stairs which I really appreciated, 10/10 for this place!

Will be coming again!

Good family day out. I expected to see more, given they claim to be UK's biggest, but we all enjoyed it.

An informative day out with lovely views al all the marine life.

The Aquarium is absolutely amazing, the kids love it and they do guides and talks which they find very interesting. I enjoy going round looking at the different species and how beautiful some of the fish look and move

Excellent day out for all the family. It is quite expensive but in fairness once you have paid you can go back as many times as you like for a year and entrance is then free. There were a large number of exhibitions with all type of sea life to view. My personal favourite was the turtle which was quite simply awesome. There is also a soft play area and a restaurant with some lovely views of Plymouth Sound and the surrounding Barbican area. All on all well worth a visit

Really good place to visit, even if it is just to sit and chill out..

Fantastic visit to the national aquarium. What a wonderful place. So interesting and staff are on hand to give lots of information and facts.

Really good attraction. Would avoid going at the weekend as its so busy you cant see everything and the cafe is full so cant sit down anywhere

Love this place with my kids just a shame they took away the soft play!!

It's great and interesting, but very expensive unless you want to go frequently and buy a membership

A really superb and informative place to visit. Some of the displays surround you with fish of all sizes and shapes. There are excellent child friendly talks from friendly staff. There is a cafe with good views and a shop for souvenirs of all kinds. A wonderful family day out. Also, you can convert your ticket into an annual pass.

Fabulous informative afternoon out. Visited whilst waiting on a ferry connection, but could easily spend all day in front of the tanks just watching the fish & sharks...it's hypnotic! All the kids seemed to be having a whale of a time (sorry!) and the staff are great. Some info boards need a touch up, but that's the only fault I can find. Thoroughly recommend a visit if you're in the area.

Plymouth is the natural home for the Maritime Centre. The exhibition is a great family day out.

Poor access particularly for the elderly as very long walk from car park with no public car park on site . Pedestrian bridge from Barbican also closed due to ongoing repairs or upgrade.

It's a good 1 time visit. Too small for the price of the ticket.

Great fun for all kids and adults. You can sign up to a year free pass which is brilliant value. Highly recommend.

My kids love this place and they learn something in the process to. Pay once and return all year is good

Very beautiful! A little expensive but a very nice way to spend a rainy day with the family.

Me and my family had a brilliant time in the national marine aquarium in Plymouth and that's what I call a real aquarium with their massive displays of marine life. Excellent well worth the trip and money.

Fabulous experience, staff really friendly and engaging. Quite expensive!

Ok, but not great. Doesn't take more than 1.5 hrs at most to go round. Expensive tickets.

Not very big and expensive for what you actually get

Good if you get a season pass but for a one day thing it can be over too quick for the price you pay to get in

I love it. Unfortunately it's starting to look a little run down. It's not exactly some where that you'd visit more than once because not much actually changes.

A good little trip would, the information signs need redoing aa they are faded and I couldn't tell what I was looking at.
Big tank was lovely I saw Friday the turtle !

Great place to educate in marine life. Very good size of the main tank that could be explored on three different levels. Child friendly.

A truly wonderful place to visit. Very educational and informative. Great for all the family. Some amazing aquariums. Some are enormous! Fantastic fish and all things relating to them. Very educational talks relating to certain areas/tanks We have a season ticket and its been used many times. Handy restaurant.

Do not be fooled by the good reviews, drove 4 hours to go to the "biggest aquarium in the uk" and walked round it within 15 minutes! Definitely should of just drove an hour and a half and gone back to Brighton sea life. Was very disappointed that I wasted my money and a 4 hour drive to get here!

Well worth a visit although shop rather disappointing .

Highly recommended, very nice , family friendly place

Kids and adults will love this place. Not cheap but well worth the money. Multi-storey car park on the eastern side of the building within a 5 min level walk.

Loved watching the sharks swim above you and below one of the largest fish tanks in the uk

Slightly disappointing but was a good enough Day out x

Love aquariums, this one holds a place in my heart. Been there many times

The mix of fish here is simply breathtaking, the information and guidance on hand is fantastic too. A great day out whether you're 3 or 83!!

Atmospheric. A good amount of staff milling about ready to answer questions and help. Live demos and activities aimed at fun education for the children and parents!

Expected a lot more especially since Plymouth aquarium is the national aquarium of the UK. Have some nice big tanks but been to better public aquariums which are also a lot cheaper to get into.

Limited activities but still charging same price for entry although will last for 1 year and is a local charity I like to support.

1 year 50 pounds , for a family of 3 , its perfect , nice and kind staf

Amazing. So much better than Sea Life - it's clean and the animals are cared for by great volunteers. Would definitely visit again

Had a fantastic day here. Could spend ages just watching the sharks alone. Really friendly and helpful staff. All eager to chat answer any of your question. Various feeding times and talks through out the day. Managed to catch the octopus feeding time and see the enrichment they use to make it more interesting for them. Only problem we had was to get the free pass to come back again you had to bring your own printed passport photo which could be quite difficult to do whilst on holiday. Other than that the place was amazing. Highly recommended!!