National Marine Aquarium Reviews

Very interesting attraction to visit especially in bad weather

Great fun for the whole family. Lots to do and see. The games and activities for the kids were great.

Not happy to see the octopus and lobster in their tiny tanks in the wall along the corridor each time I go there. They can't even hide as the aim is for them to be on view all the time. And aren't they lonely too? These are intelligent creatures and need much more freedom.

Amazing place, beautiful giant tanks, so very reasonable in price. Just wish they had a cloakroom.

Brilliant day out and they have organised it very well for successful social distancing

Great aquarium. Shame some visitors particularly those with children have no consideration for others also trying to look at the tanks.

Great place to visit with or without kids staff are so friendly and helpful.

Beautiful place, and they have a soft play area, love it here

My daughter loved seeing all the wonderful sea creatures

Loads to see and the fish and chips in their restaurant is top notch!

Thoroughly enjoyed our time here worth the travel distance of 185 miles for my & the hubbys date day out . We was delighted to recive 12 months free passes with our admission fee for free & will deffinitly vist again within these 12 months very effective one way system in place hand sanatizer stations hand washing facilities in place.

Considering it is funded on donations the aquarium is incredible. Immaculately maintained and staff very knowledgeable. Well worth a trip for anybody visiting the area

Took my son here. He absolutely loved it. We enjoyed watching them being fed and Theo found the cheeky turtle very funny.

The expectations were quite different. Disappointed. Dear x what there is to see. The bookshop is the only positive note. I recommend you take a trip to the Aquarium of Genoa.

Always a great place to visit. My granddaughters loved it, especially the big tank when they could sit and watch the fish! A good day out!

Good place to spend a few hours or most of the day, with the kids or with out the kids, lots to see and has lots of interactive displays. Has a couple of large tanks with sharks and other big fish in, place was clean and so was the facility's

Awesome place. Will be going back, so much to do and see. Great value.

Really interesting and the kids love it. Lots things for them to see and do.

As a local I love this place on a wet day, I have a collection of items made in the arts and crafts bit, the talks are good, talk to staff as you go round, they want to chat to you and have a wealth of knowledge for all ages. Yes it has sharks, ticket lasts for a year for re-entry.

It's not worth the money cost over 55.00 for what could had been a 30min round trip ..the deep at Hull far better

We enjoyed, as did the three year old we took, but you can only look at so many fish before you need to move on. I expect it costs a lot to maintain the tanks, but entry fee was a bit steep for possibly a two hour visit. Tanks are impressive: you can look up, down and all around

Very big aquarium,activity for the little ones.and divers that dive in and feed the sharks ECT.

Great educational job and some nice exhibits but disappointing in terms of the facilities. Tired looking facade and the Cafe was grubby and expensive with food over floor and tables and toilets dirty. Visited at a relatively quiet time so would have expected higher standards of cleanliness.

Took my grandson at half term. We've been several times before. A bit pricey to get in, but ticket is for 12 months. Great talks by staff. Saw shark feeding. Recommended.

Absolutely unforgettable experience. I always make sure to stop by whenever i'm in Plymouth. Beautiful tanks and fish. Easily the best aquarium in the UK.

Pay a lot for what's there. Loads of school kids taking over. Has hardly changed in the last 20 years it feels. It's worth going if it's your first time though

Enjoyable, pay to enter once and get free admission for a year. Great if you have kids

If you can get past the confusing layout and total lack of signs / information it's a good day out, especially if you have kids.

Pros:
- Some fantastic displays with a great variety of sea life, particularly liked the jellyfish and Pacific Octopus
- Cafe with tea, coffee, cake, hot and cold food and kids meals
- Picnic area so you can bring your own lunch
- Very well informed staff, happy to answer questions
- Clean and tidy
- Disabled parking is available on site

Cons:
- Quite expensive
- Picnic area has no shade / shelter
- The layout of the place is quite confusing and there isn't a lot of signs to help you find your way round. This was made worse on our visit by the lift being out of order so we had to go round in reverse to avoid the stairs.
- No information about what's showing or the times for the video presentations

Tips:
- Book your tickets online, it makes it a lot cheaper, gives you fast track access and allows you to return again anytime within the next 12 months, you just have to make sure to book the tickets at least 3 days before you visit.
- Make sure you pick up a map as you go in, they should give you one but we weren't given one until we asked

Simply the best day out rain or shine plymouth has to offer! Kids loved it

Been to better.
Even though it's the largest in the country, it's only because of one tank.
Struggled to fill a long time there which despite the billing and also the cost was disappointing.

Children love the aquarium here. Not quite as good as it used to be, as have taken out kids play frame (and was much better years ago when the estuary section was open). Looking tired in places.

Totally enjoyed .Young volunteer (Christian !!)an absolute joy.but don't order sausages .Like chewing on leather.

Always love the Aquarium. Glad it has reopened. Annual return pass will be used a lot more this year. My daughter felt that A storm trooper outfit was the best thing to wear!

Nice little aquarium, but no comparison to the house of the sea in Vienna.

It was a really nice aquarium. The staff were friendly. Although for my 3 year old it was somewhat expensive, especially considering that you also have to pay for the indoor play area.

Best bit is the bit with the sharks and the giant plane model

Interesting, beautiful and educational. There are things to experience for all ages.

An excellent day out with lots to do for young children, including a soft play area. He whole place is set up to allow you to sit and watch the fish for hours. The cafe on site even has menus on the walls!

A really nice aquarium. Lots to see and do. There are some very spectacular exhibits.

What a great day out, lots to see and the staff were very friendly and chatty

The National Marine Aquarium caters for all. I'm not sure about the disabled toilets but other than that it is an ideal place for anyone. There are lifts to each floor so you'll have no problem getting around. We enjoyed 80% of the aquarium then had a liv6ely cookie and cup of tea in the cafe, which is quiet pleasant, and then finished off the mast 20%. There a staff dotted around that love there job and are very insightful. We spoke to 3 different people and they knew a lot about the marine life and the specific names of each fish. You also get a year pass FREE with your entry. My children also enjoyed it .

Very good value for money easy pushchair access excellent service

Magic venue. Highly educational. All age groups will be amazed!

I thought the ticket prices were very over priced for what is a slightly run down attraction that didn t last long. Lots of the information signs were missing from the walls and displays weren t working and everything seemed very chaotic, we couldn t figure out where we were or what we had seen or still had to see. We stopped for lunch thinking we were perhaps half way through but when we reached the gift shop we were very surprised and headed back in thinking we had perhaps taken a wrong turn and there was more to see but no, that was it. My children are usually very keen on an aquarium having visited several of the sea life centres, The Deep in Hull and the London Aquarium but sadly this didn t feel the same as those and I left feeling that I wished I had spent our morning and money somewhere else.

We always enjoy visiting.
Knowledgeable helpful staff. A family favourite day out.
You still have a lot to do sorting social distancing. Masks should be mandatory.
Don't just wait for government guidance, take some initiative please. I don't want to see you shut again.

Had a great time with the family. Amazing aquarium, very educational with a good variety of fish.

It's a lovely aquarium, beautiful marine life, I'd say it's on the expensive side and it's not great for parking, you need 3 hours to look around and the car park go from 2-3 hours(isn't enough) then skips up to 6-7 hours no 4-5, which is naughty, you have to pay 7.50 in parking before you start!

Beautiful pools, the aquarium is large and clean. A lot of species diversity.

A little bit dated and a bit small. They recommended 3 hours but we were done in far less. Staff are very friendly and hourly talks are interesting.

Every city in Britain should have an aquarium. The tank with the crashed ww2 plane was a stand out.

Really great, lots of different fish and sharks. The staff are really friendly. Shame the building is looking a little run down...

Super excellent has one of the largest tanks and species diversity I have ever seen

The aquarium is somewhat interesting and easily accessible for wheelchair users. Especially for children it is a great experience. The restaurant is okay too.

Easy parking in the multi storey. Very modern building with great attractions and helpful staff. Many different types of fishes and sea life. A must go.

My 2 year old loves it here. We all do! So much to see and do. A lovely soft play area too. It's great value for money as you get free admission for the year after you visit for the first time (and half price to Dartmoor zoo). Only downside is that the parking near the aquarium is so expensive and run down.

Well organised, very nice visit, lots of displays and animals

Very good and social distance and one way well organised. Very good selection of fish and under water creatures.

Fantastic aquarium with helpful staff and super clean glass. Great octopus feeding/talk from staff!
I just wish there were more octopuses, squid, and seahorses.

Thos place is amazing. And free reentry for a year! Well worth the money

Good variety of exhibits some real awesome creatures will be back for sure.

Quite disappointing. A couple of hours is to much to go through all of it. There are a couple of very large tanks that are interesting but deffinetelly not worth the ticket price.
Amazing though for children. Very friendly. A lot of children screaming and running around all the time.

Beautiful place to take the kids very educational and interesting.staff very helpful and kind. A little bit confusing when where walking around could do with better directions but all in all a nice place to go

Everything an aquarium should be, only grumble as with all family attractions, the food is very expensive

We love the aquarium! The staff are always so helpful and knowledgeable! Always clean and tidy. Beautiful surroundings too!