A tunnel through the main tank puts sharks and rays over your head as you walk, and the other tanks in this starfish-shaped building at Qawra Point show Mediterranean species from the sea around Malta.
Landmark, St. Paul's Bay. Meridian Dispatch.
The aquarium opens every day from 10:00 to 18:00, with last entry at 17:30, as of November 2026. The website lists each day's talks by time and tank.
From Valletta, take route 45, 48 or 31, or the direct TD13; the ride takes 50 to 60 minutes. From Sliema, look for route 212, or expect one change. Route 221 runs direct from Mellieħa.
As of November 2026, the 11:00 Mediterranean talk at tanks 2, 3 and 4 is the one with a feeding. Other talks run through the day: baby sharks at 10:30, jellyfish at 12:00, sharks at 13:00 and 16:00, reptiles at 15:00 and big fish at 17:00. The 14:30 talk covers piranhas on some days and the octopus on others.
One hotel's visitor guide describes it as family friendly and pushchair accessible, with large tanks and sharks to hold children's attention. For children, plan the visit around one of the timed talks.
Yes. The site has a multi-storey car park for visitors arriving by car. Drivers should ask at the reception desk whether access to it is free.
Yes. The aquarium is wheelchair and pram friendly, with step-free access and lifts between reception and the attraction. The floor is slightly uneven in places, and a wheelchair is available on request, subject to availability. Mobility scooters are best discussed with the team before a visit.
The building holds more than 50 tanks, with tropical marine life and animals from further afield alongside the Mediterranean displays.
The main tank is 12 metres wide and holds Indo-Pacific species: blacktip, zebra, leopard and bamboo sharks, with rays and eels. Shoals of colourful fish share the water above the tunnel. You can also watch it from the Main Tank Window, where the shark talks are held.
Several zones take their themes from the islands, with displays inspired by Valletta Harbour, Gozo and Comino, and others are built as shipwreck scenes.
A separate area holds reptiles and amphibians. Look out for the jellyfish and the octopus, which have tanks of their own, and for the piranhas.
Head for Triq it-Trunciera in Qawra, the aquarium's address on the seafront. Buy your ticket online before you come, or at the ticket office.
Inside, the tanks are numbered, and the aquarium's homepage lists each talk by time and tank number. Pick the talk you want and plan your walk round it, because the talks run at set times through the day and one of them includes a feeding.
The site carries on after the tanks, with a restaurant, a beach club, a shop, a tourist information kiosk and a public landscaped terrace on the promenade.
Leave time for the promenade outside. The aquarium sits on the resort strip that runs from Buġibba through Qawra, so a walk or lunch by the coast is easy to add.
If you are driving from Valletta, allow 35 to 40 minutes.
Stay on the Buġibba seafront and you can take a bus out every morning, swim off the rocks at Qawra Point in the afternoon and eat on the promenade at night.
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