Palma Aquarium is a commercial aquarium and park at Platja de Palma, 500 m from the beach, opened in 2007 and owned by Coral World International. Its 55 tanks hold around 8,000 specimens of some 700 species from the Mediterranean and the Indian, Atlantic and Pacific oceans. It is known for the Big Blue, the deepest shark tank in Europe, for its collection of live coral and for the Jungle, a rainforest garden on the roof.
Palma Aquarium
Public aquarium at Platja de Palma, with a shark tank 8.5 m deep and a rainforest garden on the roof.
- Entrance
- €26 per ticket. Tickets bought online for entry after 2pm are discounted.
- Accessibility
- Wheelchair-accessible entrance, parking, toilets and seating. Awarded the 2007 Accessibility Prize by the Consell de Mallorca.
- Parking
- The aquarium has its own car park at the building, about 66 m away in a straight line, with wheelchair-accessible spaces; free street parking around it. Another car park about 107 m off is private.
- Difficulty
- None to speak of: the car park and the bus interchange are both within about 100 m in a straight line. Inside, a 900 m indoor route leads down a tunnel to the Big Blue.
- Transport
- Bus interchange Àrea d'intercanvi Aquarium (stop 1356), about 81 m away; stop ses Fontanelles (Can Pastilla), about 103 m away.
- Advance booking
- Tickets can be bought online; online tickets for entry after 2pm are discounted.
- Hours
- Open every day of the year, 9.30am to 6.30pm.
- Address
- Carrer de Manuela de los Herreros, 21, Platja de Palma i Pla de Sant Jordi, 07610 Palma, Illes Balears, Spain
What makes it special
Sharks pass directly over your head in the Big Blue. A transparent tunnel takes you down to the observation area of a tank 8.5 m deep, about the height of a three-storey building, 33 m long and 25 m wide, holding 3.5 million litres of saltwater: the deepest shark tank in Europe. Six sand tiger sharks and five sandbar sharks share it with more than a thousand other fish, and guided boats cross its surface for a look from above.
Slow down in the tropical section. Every coral in the tanks is real and alive, the largest collection of live coral in Europe, and the aquarium's own reproduction programme has raised new colonies on site.
Then go up to the Jungle, the largest roof-top garden in Spain. A waterfall and vaporisers keep the air damp enough for Amazonian plants, and after the dark tank halls the place feels like stepping into a rainforest.
Good to know
- Allow a few hours. The indoor route alone runs 900 m, and the gardens and the rooftop Jungle spread outdoors beyond it.
- Busy days are loud. When the building fills, noise carries through the halls and the darker tank rooms lose their calm.
- Good for children: starfish in the touch pools, a pirate-ship play area in the gardens, and daily entertainment through the summer.
- Extras: shark sleepovers in front of the Big Blue for ages 6 to 16, and a summer swim in the stingray tank for over-eights.
- Food on site: a cafeteria in the Mediterranean Gardens and several small restaurants.
Getting there
You arrive practically at the door. The aquarium's own car park is about 66 m away in a straight line, and the bus interchange, Àrea d'intercanvi Aquarium, about 81 m, with a second stop, ses Fontanelles (Can Pastilla), about 103 m off. The beach at Platja de Palma is 500 m away, so the visit fits easily into a day on that stretch of coast.
The walking starts once you are inside. The indoor route runs 900 m and leads down through the tunnel to the Big Blue observation area, and the Mediterranean Gardens and the rooftop Jungle take up another 41,825 m² outdoors.
Best time to visit
Best: the morning, soon after opening. At 11am the halls can still be quiet enough to take the tanks at your own pace.
Avoid: grey or rainy days in high summer, when an indoor attraction in a beach resort takes in everyone at once.
The tanks reward standing still in front of them, and that gets hard once a hall fills up and turns noisy.
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Frequently asked questions
How big is the shark tank?
The Big Blue is 8.5 m deep, 33 m long and 25 m wide, and holds 3.5 million litres of saltwater, which makes it the deepest shark tank in Europe. Six sand tiger sharks, five sandbar sharks and more than a thousand fish live in it, and a transparent tunnel leads down to the observation area beneath them.What is there for children?
Touch pools with starfish, a play area built around a pirate ship in the Mediterranean Gardens, and children's entertainment every day through the summer. Children aged 6 to 16 can join the shark sleepover in front of the Big Blue, and over-eights can swim in the stingray tank in summer.How long does a visit take?
Plan on a few hours. The indoor route is 900 m long, and the Mediterranean Gardens and the rooftop Jungle add an outdoor area of 41,825 m².Can you get in with a wheelchair?
Yes. The entrance, parking, toilets and seating are wheelchair accessible, and the aquarium received the 2007 Accessibility Prize from the Consell de Mallorca.Can you get there by bus?
Yes. The Àrea d'intercanvi Aquarium bus interchange is about 81 m from the aquarium, and the ses Fontanelles (Can Pastilla) stop about 103 m away.