Hastings Aquarium
Hastings Aquarium
3.5
10:00 - 17:00
Monday
10:00 - 17:00
Tuesday
10:00 - 17:00
Wednesday
10:00 - 17:00
Thursday
10:00 - 17:00
Friday
10:00 - 17:00
Saturday
10:00 - 17:00
Sunday
10:00 - 17:00
About
Hastings Aquarium is home to over 3500 incredible aquatic animals and reptiles. Embark on an amazing underwater safari exploring the hidden mysteries of our own native waters before dipping beneath the teeming freshwater rivers of South East Asia and the faraway ocean reefs of the South Pacific. Along the way, you’ll meet seahorses, pufferfish, turtles and tropical sharks; not to mention Huxley, the Giant Pacific Octopus! Hastings Aquarium is also home to a host of snakes, spiders, lizards and much more in its tropical Jungle Room as well as a shoal of deadly sea creatures in the terrifying Lethal Reef tank. Offering scheduled talks and feeds with its team of Aquarist Experts, animal handling sessions and a gigantic ocean tank complete with underwater walkthrough tunnel, Hastings Aquarium is the perfect family destination.
Duration: 1-2 hours
Meets animal welfare guidelines
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3.5
748 reviews
Excellent
167
Very good
241
Average
192
Poor
84
Terrible
64
Nathan&Gemma
Kent, UK235 contributions
May 2024 • Family
I visited this aquarium with my 18 month old as it’s the first time he has ever experienced an Aquarium and it had also been a considerable time since i last visited one.
I had never been to this particular venue before and i believed at one point it did use to be a Sealife Centre before being privately taken over. Adults are £15 but my child was free due to his age. Other reviews comment on how small the venue is and it could be done quickly to which i totally agree with. The Aquarium took 20 minutes to walk around before i was back at the beginning again. Inside however you have a very large amount of fish to view and also reptiles and you can also see these fish very close up as they come to the windows of the tank. Throughout the day they have various feeding sessions whereby you can witness the sharks and other fish have their breakfast/lunch/dinner and there are also various information sheets on the walls explaining about each fish and it’s current risk of extinction.
Personally i do feel £15 is quite steep for 20 minutes and part of me acknowledges the fact that i guess the pride is a bit steep to also cover the care of the animals inside, which i sort of reason with, however when i attended it was very quiet..
The aquarium remind you that when you purchase a ticket you can come and go as many times as you like throughout the day. Whilst a good gesture and one i imagine made to try and justify the cost of the ticket, i feel like when you have done this aquarium once you probably wouldn’t come and visit again in the same day..
The gift shop was expensive for some simple gifts such as toys and stuff like that.
The receptionist on my visit was very helpful and friendly and also advised me on when and where the feeding was taking place.
I had never been to this particular venue before and i believed at one point it did use to be a Sealife Centre before being privately taken over. Adults are £15 but my child was free due to his age. Other reviews comment on how small the venue is and it could be done quickly to which i totally agree with. The Aquarium took 20 minutes to walk around before i was back at the beginning again. Inside however you have a very large amount of fish to view and also reptiles and you can also see these fish very close up as they come to the windows of the tank. Throughout the day they have various feeding sessions whereby you can witness the sharks and other fish have their breakfast/lunch/dinner and there are also various information sheets on the walls explaining about each fish and it’s current risk of extinction.
Personally i do feel £15 is quite steep for 20 minutes and part of me acknowledges the fact that i guess the pride is a bit steep to also cover the care of the animals inside, which i sort of reason with, however when i attended it was very quiet..
The aquarium remind you that when you purchase a ticket you can come and go as many times as you like throughout the day. Whilst a good gesture and one i imagine made to try and justify the cost of the ticket, i feel like when you have done this aquarium once you probably wouldn’t come and visit again in the same day..
The gift shop was expensive for some simple gifts such as toys and stuff like that.
The receptionist on my visit was very helpful and friendly and also advised me on when and where the feeding was taking place.
Written 21 May 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Alexis G
14 contributions
Aug 2024 • Family
Took our baby daughter for the first time to an aquarium and a couple of the adults in our party including myself love aquariums. This is a small and cheerful aquarium with a variety of sea creatures. The seahorses and magnified blind cave fish exhibits were lovely. The rays in the big tank are always fun wherever you are but it felt like something was missing - it was a little samey throughout and uninspired in places. The entry fee is very high (we paid £60 for 2 adults and 2 concessions) for the size of the place - there is not enough to see and do to justify that price tag. I would expect to pay that in a huge aquarium like sea life in London, not here.
Written 21 August 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ckgharrison18
Chichester, UK5 contributions
Oct 2024 • Couples
Fantastic views of the fish and spiders. Cafe very poor same as the service the girl in the cafe looked very stressed but felt time to neel down behind the counter looking at her phone. Very poor choice of cake and tray bakes left on the cake display uncovered with people walking past and coughing felt very let down
Written 9 October 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ladykane1982
Chingford, UK1,086 contributions
Apr 2024 • Family
We visited today for the Easter half term, we used Tesco vouchers for the entry. It was very busy when we arrived due to the weather but this soon dispersed and it didn’t feel as crowded. We had a lovely visit, the different species of fish are amazing. The reptile house was a huge hit with us. Overall a lovely visit.
Written 3 April 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Macheala
49 contributions
Oct 2024 • Family
Came to the aquarium for a family day out had a 2yr old and a 6yr old with us , the staff were very friendly, helpful and made us feel very comfortable being there even when the children where having a melt down .
The fish looked so happy and well looked after , we did a trail on are way round which was lovely. The aquarium was clean and welcoming . We were able to come and go through out the day and the staff member remember us which we felt was a lovely touch .
Would recommend bring a few coins with you as there is sharks teeth you can get when in side the aquarium. Lots to see around the aquarium and talks on which were good . There is a car park right next to the aquarium and some fishing museum near by , would highly recommend a visit
The fish looked so happy and well looked after , we did a trail on are way round which was lovely. The aquarium was clean and welcoming . We were able to come and go through out the day and the staff member remember us which we felt was a lovely touch .
Would recommend bring a few coins with you as there is sharks teeth you can get when in side the aquarium. Lots to see around the aquarium and talks on which were good . There is a car park right next to the aquarium and some fishing museum near by , would highly recommend a visit
Written 20 October 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sophie p
6 contributions
Jan 2025 • Family
We visited the aquarium with our 17 month old who absolutely loved it here. They have different height windows to see the fish so everyone can see and you havent got to be picking up the little ones all the time.
Lots of different fish and bits of information about each to read.
It wasn’t very big but we were told we could wonder round multiple times. Very friendly staff and gift shop at the end. Would recommend 🙂
Lots of different fish and bits of information about each to read.
It wasn’t very big but we were told we could wonder round multiple times. Very friendly staff and gift shop at the end. Would recommend 🙂
Written 18 January 2025
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Chelsea L
9 contributions
Aug 2024 • Family
Small and is very quick to walk round but has everything you’d want to see at an aquarium! We enjoyed the opportunity to touch a snake and loved getting to see a shark, particularly in the glass tunnel where we could see the shark swimming above us. We also liked that we could use our ticket to pop in and out all day
Written 14 August 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
hellymcg
Sittingbourne, UK1,004 contributions
Mar 2024 • Family
Visited here yesterday whilst staying at Coombe Haven. We decided to take my three year old here and he loved it. Not the cheapest of visits but it is an all day ticket if you wished to go back on the same day, we didn’t and spent around 30-40 minutes in there.
Lots of different fish all well looked after, think there were talks you could listen to but obviously didn’t with a three year old. There is a gift shop, cafe and toilets so everything you need and lots of parking local.
Recommend if you are in the area.
Lots of different fish all well looked after, think there were talks you could listen to but obviously didn’t with a three year old. There is a gift shop, cafe and toilets so everything you need and lots of parking local.
Recommend if you are in the area.
Written 24 March 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ken M
Wadhurst1,993 contributions
Aug 2024 • Family
Took our 9 year old godson here yesterday when we visited Hastings for the day. It was very well presented and he thoroughly enjoyed himself. It was nice because you went around at your own pace so you could take as long as you liked and so long as you keep your ticket you can leave and come back later - it is also valid for 6 months so you could go back again as many times as you like within this period and go in free.
Written 20 August 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Maya
Edinburgh, UK390 contributions
Aug 2024 • Friends
Pretty small for the money without the deal of the aquarium, smugglers and the castle. The best part is the tunnel section which is till quite small. The cafe is awful and I’d avoid it at all costs. We waited a long time and never even got served. The toilets were also not great with no toilet paper. All in all I wouldn’t recommend it unless you’ve got nothing else to do.
Written 25 August 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
BlueReefAquariumH
Hastings, United Kingdom
Hi
We have several varieties of sharks from our Black TIp Reef Sharks in the main ocean display to several native sharks including the endangered Angel Shark.
Hope this helps.
Blue Reef Aquarium
Written 13 August 2018
Hi, I have an Assistance Dog who does medical alerts. He has a vest, patches and a lead clearly stating he's an Assistance Dog. Would he be allowed into the aquarium?
Written 4 May 2018
BlueReefAquariumH
Hastings, United Kingdom
Hi Sophie,
I think we may have spoken via email also. Assistance dogs are permitted into the aquarium.
See you soon!
Written 12 May 2018
I’m really annoyed, as Ive just dropped my children off to the aquarium and told them I’d wait for them in the cafe as I’m disabled and needed to sit down, can you tell me why, with no many dietary requirements these days, you, 1, don’t have soya milk, and 2, don’t have decaffeinated coffee..??.... I was stunned..... it’s not difficult to stock these things, the response I got from the staff was pretty poor too, I’ve had to walk into Old Town just to get a coffee in the rain, and then am having to walk back again....... Not impressed at all ...
Viki Rockliffe.
Written 23 October 2017
Well what a question. You need to speak to the manager. I found everyone very nice 👍
Bring flask and have a great time
Written 24 October 2017
is there easy acces for disabled visitors
Written 8 October 2016
BlueReefAquariumH
Hastings, United Kingdom
Dear Susan. The aquarium is mostly accessible however there are seven steps down and up again to the underwater tunnel. Many thanks, Blue Reef Aquarium, Hastings.
Written 23 October 2016
is the place wheel chair friendly? and do they always have balloons up? daughter allergic to latex so cant be around balloons.
Written 22 May 2015
BlueReefAquariumH
Hastings, United Kingdom
Hi all
If you have any issues or complaints following your visit please put them in writing and send to us or via the contact form on our website.
Many thanks
Written 7 June 2016
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