Tynemouth Aquarium
Tynemouth Aquarium
3
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
About
Situated on the award winning Longsands beach Tynemouth Aquarium is home to some amazing animals. See sharks, seals and some amazing fish as well as monkeys and reptiles! The new exhibit; River Giants takes you away to a tropical rainforest and brings you up close to some huge fish! Make sure you check out some of the interactive talks and feeds throughout your visit.
Duration: 2-3 hours
Meets animal welfare guidelines
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  • MackemCouple82
    Sunderland, United Kingdom51 contributions
    2.0 of 5 bubbles
    Poor and expensive
    We decided to take our grandchildren ( aged 2 and 9) here for the day. Firstly, it’s very expensive for what it offers . The Lady in the desk was quite abrupt, bordering on rude . My wife asked if they accepted the Blue Light Card, and she just answered No. My wife pointed out that they’d website says it does, and she replied, again abruptly “We’ll we’ve asked them to take it off the website but they havent” . The place looks old and in need of refreshing, and the exhibits are not as exciting as We expected. The girls were fascinated by some of them, but there’s nothing really mega exciting . There’s also not really that much to see either, so you really can’t spend that much time here. We had a little break in the very expensive cafe, 2 coffees and 2 very small ice creams for £13.00 and then we went round again. The shop is also very expensive with confusing prices on display. The seal show was the highlight of the trip, but that just demonstrates how poor the rest of the experience was. Won’t be returning here.
    Visited March 2023
    Travelled with family
    Written 1 April 2023
  • ScotsMag
    160 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Great way to pass a couple of hours, interesting and informative
    Trip in with two small kids who were highly entertained. Not busy, but all staff had plenty time to chat and answer questions. Kids got given wee passports to get stamped at each attraction and the place has plenty to see. Seals obviously being the highlight of the place, but by no means the only fascinating attraction.
    Visited June 2023
    Travelled with family
    Written 9 June 2023
  • Ian
    Northumberland, United Kingdom3 contributions
    2.0 of 5 bubbles
    Don't Waste your Money!
    Incredibly poor value attraction. You'd be better off taking the kids rockpooling in nearby Cullercoats Bay. You'd be far more likely to see something of great interest. Even things like putting your hands in the holes to see what sharks eat were empty. Exceptionally poor value. When you get to the end it's pretty much a case of 'is that it? The restaurant is an absolute rip-off too. £6.50 for two chicken nuggets and a few chips (each) for the kids. So nearly £80 for an hour and a half of poor entertainment and poor rip-off food. Save yourself the money. Utter rubbish!
    Visited July 2023
    Travelled with family
    Written 17 July 2023
  • alistairrobinson1977
    Durham, United Kingdom220 contributions
    3.0 of 5 bubbles
    Overpriced and small. Ok for children
    I would have to say this is a bit of a mixed bag. It's not a massive place and you can be around it in under an hour, it's child friendly but the play area by the cafe is tiny. The seal show was enjoyable and you can come in and out all day so it's good value from that point of view. The restaurant was overpriced with very limited gluten free options, there is a window serving the play area at the same time and staff appeared to be struggling to cope, if wasn't particularly busy either. For a family of 4 it comes in at over £50 which for the size of the place is steep, we have carers cards and had checked the website before attending which said it was pay on the day , the chap serving was somewhat abrupt when we asked saying "if you can prove he needs two carers", (re our son) he did accept our cards but it's a unpleasant comment. The staff on duty later were very friendly. For adults this place frankly isn't worth the money, if you use it with children and come in and out all day it's diverting enough.
    Visited September 2023
    Travelled with family
    Written 2 September 2023
  • Hayley R
    Stockton-on-Tees, United Kingdom183 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Wonderful day out!
    Me and my mum had a spur of the moment trip here today and really enjoyed it. Lots to see, affordable parking and close to the sea. There’s lots of different fish and animals to see, the seals and rays are my personal favourites :) There was a lovely staff member on reception who was very friendly and acted quickly when I reported that one of the turtles was trying to eat a sweet wrapper and they came and retrieved the wrapper. We also had lunch here at the on-site restaurant. For drinks, my mum had a skinny decaf latte, and I had a Diet Coke. For food we shared some chips, halloumi fries (they were gorgeous) and a kids vegetable bites meal. Everything was lovely but a bit on the pricy side. Also the staff here were wonderful :) Overall, a brilliant day out and it a a place I would recommend people go and see! One comment for Tynemouth Aquarium though, would maybe to have some staff going about the premises, as there were people taking flash photos despite your signs saying not too.
    Visited November 2023
    Travelled with friends
    Written 12 November 2023
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3.0
3.0 of 5 bubbles731 reviews
Excellent
128
Very good
173
Average
180
Poor
119
Terrible
131

MarilynMacDonald
Greater Manchester, UK547 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2024 • Couples
A informative centre. Plenty to experience for all ages. A warm welcome. You have your hand stamped so you can return multiple times in one day. Has a gift shop andcsfe
Written 11 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.

Safctilly
Newcastle upon Tyne, UK22 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2024 • Family
£16:50 each!!!!! And the whole experience lasted less than 20 minutes! RIP off not worth £5 absolute disgrace!!!! Oh, and no car park, have to pay the council a fortune on top of the entrance fee
Written 10 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.

Bob
5 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2024 • Family
We booked this having attended another party there. My son is 8 and I was looking for something other than the sweaty noisy parties. It’s essentially a private tour (done at the end of the day) of the aquarium with some hands on experiences and it really did hold the kids focus and entertain them! A brilliant and different party
Written 6 January 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.

LVG0606
Hartlepool, UK3 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2023 • Family
Visited the aquarium today and the breakfast with Santa event.
Really well organised. Staff went over and above to make this a lovely experience for the children. Something different to do as a Christmas experience. Would highly recommend.
Written 23 December 2023
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.

Hayley R
Stockton-on-Tees, UK183 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2023 • Friends
Me and my mum had a spur of the moment trip here today and really enjoyed it.
Lots to see, affordable parking and close to the sea.
There’s lots of different fish and animals to see, the seals and rays are my personal favourites :)

There was a lovely staff member on reception who was very friendly and acted quickly when I reported that one of the turtles was trying to eat a sweet wrapper and they came and retrieved the wrapper.

We also had lunch here at the on-site restaurant. For drinks, my mum had a skinny decaf latte, and I had a Diet Coke. For food we shared some chips, halloumi fries (they were gorgeous) and a kids vegetable bites meal.
Everything was lovely but a bit on the pricy side. Also the staff here were wonderful :)

Overall, a brilliant day out and it a a place I would recommend people go and see!

One comment for Tynemouth Aquarium though, would maybe to have some staff going about the premises, as there were people taking flash photos despite your signs saying not too.
Written 12 November 2023
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.

xHappywhenonholidayx
Durham, UK35 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2023 • Family
Well located with parking nearby and plenty to see.

Fair few different fish to see but we were round in less than an hour.

Small play park for children there too
Written 13 October 2023
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.

Treevey
2 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2023 • Family
I visited Tynemouth Aquarium today (Saturday) with my seven year old who is autistic, as am I.

First of all I got in at a discounted price using carers’ badge. If you aren’t a carer, the app Kids Pass has a deal on there to get so much off.

The First Lady on the desk was very good with me and my little one, making us feel calm and not rushed whilst dealing with paying and stamping our hands (you can use your entrance all day so you can leave the building and come back as long as you have your stamp on your hand). Very pleasant and surprising to find someone taking their time and being genuinely nice instead of making us feel bad about holding queues up.

The lady supervising the ‘rock pool’ section was also very patient, cheerful and helpful, making the experience so much better than I thought it would go.

There was plenty for us to look at and we spent a good hour and 45 minutes looking around. I would say this is an attraction for families with very young children as you can walk it in 20 minutes if you’re bored and not into it like some older kids might not be. But for an autistic girl who doesn’t go out very often, it was the perfect size, enough visual inputs for us both and very sensory in the areas with beautiful lit up tanks.

Little girl spent at least 15 minutes just standing in the bevelled tank window just looking at the water, colourful fish and even the sharks! There was a chance to get her hands in a ‘rock pool’ exhibit to touch starfish, urchins and hermit crabs, giving little girl the sensory inputs she needed to stimulate and encourage her to engage with her surroundings, knowing that the wildlife/marine life was real that she was looking at.

Plenty of seating areas with a little climbing frame outside for little tots but maybes only toddlers could use it.

The only downside to the day was that the cafe and gift shop are very expensive. Like ridiculously expensive. I paid this time for drinks and a snack but went else where for dinner as it was overpriced. But next time I plan on taking a packed lunch to save big amounts money.

All in all, I’d recommend this visit to anyone who likes a relaxed, small place to take their kids for look around. I’d highly recommend to those with SEN and Sensory needs as it was very therapeutic and stunning to look at. I will mention it was fully accessible for wheelchairs and those who can’t manage steps or stairs very easily.
Written 2 September 2023
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.

alistairrobinson1977
Durham, UK220 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2023 • Family
I would have to say this is a bit of a mixed bag. It's not a massive place and you can be around it in under an hour, it's child friendly but the play area by the cafe is tiny. The seal show was enjoyable and you can come in and out all day so it's good value from that point of view. The restaurant was overpriced with very limited gluten free options, there is a window serving the play area at the same time and staff appeared to be struggling to cope, if wasn't particularly busy either.
For a family of 4 it comes in at over £50 which for the size of the place is steep, we have carers cards and had checked the website before attending which said it was pay on the day , the chap serving was somewhat abrupt when we asked saying "if you can prove he needs two carers", (re our son) he did accept our cards but it's a unpleasant comment. The staff on duty later were very friendly.
For adults this place frankly isn't worth the money, if you use it with children and come in and out all day it's diverting enough.
Written 2 September 2023
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.

pente40
Northampton, UK234 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2023 • Family
Friendly and informative staff.
Lots of fishy things to see and great timed talks.
The Seal show was enjoyable with lots of information about the seals and rescue program.
Well worth a visit.
Written 19 August 2023
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.

Emily Hunter
Newcastle upon Tyne, UK140 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2023 • Couples
A fun and informative day out, for couples as well as families. Entry to the aquarium is on the expensive side, but my partner and I had a great time studying the wide range of marine life on display. Even as someone with a biology degree, I found the exhibits engaging. The seal feeding was definitely a highlight. Would recommend planning the timings of your visit in advance, however, as we did miss out on one or two other displays.
Written 10 August 2023
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.

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TYNEMOUTH AQUARIUM: All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)

Frequently Asked Questions about Tynemouth Aquarium

Tynemouth Aquarium is open:
  • Sun - Sat 10:00 - 17:00


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