Frequently asked questions

Skip-the-line entry on a guaranteed time slot, full access to the aquarium — the central ocean tank and all four surrounding habitats — and the current temporary exhibition. You receive an instant e-ticket to show on your phone, plus a 5-minute audio history before your visit.

Yes. The Oceanário admits visitors on timed entry slots to manage how busy the building gets. We book you a guaranteed slot and issue a skip-the-line e-ticket, so you arrive in your window and walk straight in past the ticket-desk queue.

Children aged 3–12 use the child ticket, and under-3s enter free with no ticket needed. The child ticket gives exactly the same full access as an adult — the whole aquarium, the ocean tank and the sea otters.

Book one ticket per person at the right age band — adults 13–64, children 3–12, seniors 65 and over — and under-3s enter free with no ticket. Everyone gets the same full access and the same guaranteed time slot, so the whole family walks in together past the ticket-desk queue.

Most visitors spend about 2 to 2.5 hours inside. The single one-way route spirals gently down around the central tank, so it's easy to pace with children. Many families make a half-day of it by adding the surrounding Parque das Nações.

It's one of the best wet-weather options in the city — entirely indoors, climate-controlled and engaging for all ages. Because it's so popular as a rainy-day plan, slots fill faster when the weather turns, which is exactly when booking ahead pays off most.

Yes. The building is fully step-free, with a gentle descending ramp and lifts connecting every level, so a stroller is easy throughout. There are accessible toilets, and the one-way route means you won't be doubling back through crowds.

Very. Toddlers love the big glass windows and the sea otters, the route is short and pram-friendly, and under-3s go free. Quieter slots — first thing in the morning or late afternoon — are calmest for little ones.

Around 16,000 animals of roughly 450 species — sharks, rays and shoaling fish in the giant ocean tank, plus puffins, penguins and the much-loved sea otters in the surrounding habitats. The Oceanário is also one of the few aquariums to keep the giant ocean sunfish (Mola mola).

Take the metro Red Line to Oriente station, then walk 5–10 minutes through Parque das Nações — about 20–25 minutes total from the centre. From Lisbon Airport it's just two metro stops to Oriente.

Yes, and most visitors do. The Oceanário sits in Parque das Nações, the riverside district built for Expo '98, with a cable car along the Tagus, gardens, the Vasco da Gama tower and bridge views, and plenty of restaurants — an easy, walkable half-day around your aquarium slot.

The first slot after opening or the last hours of the afternoon are quietest. Weekend mornings, Portuguese school holidays and rainy days are busiest. Booking a slot lets you pick a calmer window and avoids the ticket-desk queue whenever you go.

Yes — it's the defining feature, holding around five million litres of seawater, deep enough that the far side disappears. You see it again and again through huge windows as you descend, framed by each of the four ocean habitats, so it reads like one continuous sea.

Yes. Alongside the permanent aquarium the Oceanário runs a changing temporary exhibition, included with your ticket. The theme rotates over time, so it's worth a look even if you've visited before.

If your plans change, reply to your confirmation email and our concierge team will rebook you to another open slot. Booking early gives the widest choice of dates and times.

Fully accessible — a continuous gentle ramp and lifts make the entire route step-free, with accessible toilets on site. It's one of the more comfortable Lisbon attractions for visitors with limited mobility or for families with prams.

On the Esplanada Dom Carlos I in Parque das Nações, on the eastern Lisbon riverfront beside the Tagus estuary, built on its own pier over the water. The nearest metro and train hub is Oriente, a short walk away.