The Oceanogràfic is Europe's largest aquarium. Out of season you're unlikely to find it sold out, but at Easter, during Fallas, in August and over Spanish bank holiday weekends some dates get tricky online and the box office queue becomes painful. If the official website won't let you book your date, these are the options left, in the order worth trying them.
What options are left?
| If you want… | Option | From |
|---|---|---|
| A nearby date | Official website, price calendar | €35.90 |
| To buy on the spot | Box office, until an hour before closing | Price of the day |
| Free entry | No free hours; under-4s only | €0 |
| A single ticket | Oceanogràfic ticket, 4.7★ (11,540) Book | €37 |
| Oceanogràfic and Science Museum | Combo ticket, 4.7★ (2,797) Book | €39 |
| All three attractions | 3-in-1 ticket with Hemisfèric and Science Museum, 4.5★ (3,518) Book | €46 |
| A private tour with entry | Art Nouveau Valencia with Oceanogràfic option Book | €137 with entry |
| An animal alternative | Bioparc Valencia, 4.8★ (2,988) Book | €29.50 |
1. The official website: prices by date
Official sales are at entradas.oceanografic.org, linked from oceanografic.org. There's no single price: the site publishes a calendar with several rates depending on the date.
| Ticket | Price depending on the date |
|---|---|
| Adult | €35.90-€43.05 |
| Child (4-12), over-65, pensioner, disabled | €26.65-€31.95 |
| Under-4s | Free |
| Oceanogràfic + Science Museum | €37.70-€45.40 |
| Oceanogràfic + Hemisfèric | €37.50-€45 |
| Oceanogràfic + Science Museum + Hemisfèric | €44-€51.25 |
If your date shows no availability:
- Check the combos even if you only wanted the aquarium. They're sold as separate products, and with two or three attractions the price per attraction drops a lot.
- Move your visit by a day. At Easter or over a long weekend, the working day next to it is usually much quieter.
- Check that day's hours. It opens at 10am, but closing time follows the official calendar: some days 4pm or 6pm, others 8pm, 9pm or 10pm. With a 3-4 hour visit, a late start on an early-closing day isn't worth it.
Discounts: large and single-parent families get 15% online and at the box office. Students, Carnet Jove holders and the unemployed get 15%, but only at the box office. With the Valencia Tourist Card, the Visit València shop takes 10% off.
2. The box office
The box office sells same-day tickets and closes an hour before the aquarium. It's a decent plan B if the website misbehaves on a normal day, but during Fallas or in August the queue can eat into your visit. If you're with children, bring proof of age: reduced and under-4 tickets are checked.
3. An authorised reseller ticket or a tour with entry
Authorised resellers buy tickets in advance and often have them when the official site is tight. You pay about the same or a little more, and skip the queue:
- Single ticket (from €37): the most direct option.
- Combo with the Science Museum (from €39): with children, the museum is the best value after the aquarium.
- 3-in-1 with the Hemisfèric (from €46): to spend the whole day at the City of Arts and Sciences.
If you'd like a guide, the private Art Nouveau Valencia tour spends three hours on the Estación del Norte, the Mercado de Colón and the Ensanche townhouses before reaching the City of Arts and Sciences. The full option includes skip-the-line Oceanogràfic tickets, from about €137 per person for two; the guide doesn't go into the aquarium with you.
4. If you can't get in: alternatives
- Bioparc Valencia (from €29.50): an immersive zoo with savannah, equatorial forest and Madagascar, with no visible barriers. The closest substitute if you're going for the animals.
- Science Museum and Hemisfèric (combo from €14): on the same site, a few minutes' walk from the Oceanogràfic.
- The complex from outside, free: the Umbracle, the pools and Calatrava's buildings need no ticket. We cover it in how to visit the City of Arts and Sciences.
When it sells out and how far ahead to book
The official site doesn't publish a booking window or flag full days. This is our advice:
- Easter, Fallas (March), bank holiday weekends and August: book at least a week ahead and go for the first slot.
- Spring and autumn weekends: two or three days ahead is usually enough.
- Weekdays out of season: rarely a problem, even on the day.
Common mistakes
- Comparing one day's price with another's. The rate changes with the date; check yours before deciding.
- Going in at 3pm on a day that closes at 6pm. You'll miss half of it. Check the calendar.
- Buying the single ticket and then the museum separately. The combo is cheaper than both.
- Forgetting proof for discounts. Student and Carnet Jove discounts are box office only, with the card.
- Assuming the private tour includes a guide inside the aquarium. It includes entry, but the guide stays outside.
In a nutshell
If the Oceanogràfic is sold out, check the combos and nearby dates on the official site or buy a reseller ticket from €37; if nothing is left, Bioparc and the Science Museum are the best alternatives. To plan the rest of your trip, Valencia in 2 days fits the aquarium in with the old town.
