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Temporarily closed until further notice
Macduff Marine Aquarium
Macduff Marine Aquarium
4.5
Temporarily closedClosed until further notice
About
This fascinating attraction leads you to discover the Moray Firth’s underwater habitats, with realistic displays taking you from the shoreline to the murky seafloor. The aquarium is temporarily closed for a 'fin-tastic' refurbishment and will reopen bigger and better in late 2025.
Duration: 1-2 hours
Meets animal welfare guidelines
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4.5
348 reviews
Excellent
217
Very good
101
Average
22
Poor
6
Terrible
2
Amydb31
Grantown-on-Spey, UK177 contributions
Jun 2024 • Family
We visited on Sunday 9th June in the afternoon and it was busy with lots of families so if you prefer it quieter I’d recommend visiting in the week. Welcoming people on the ticket desk, we had a map to help us go round.
Lots of marine life to see and they have a touch pool too.
The feeding at 2pm was such a good experience to watch. Get a seat 15 minutes before as it fills up quickly.
Loved the place. Nicely stocked shop too.
My only gripe is the toilet cubicles are very small.
Good parking with plenty of spaces.
Lots of marine life to see and they have a touch pool too.
The feeding at 2pm was such a good experience to watch. Get a seat 15 minutes before as it fills up quickly.
Loved the place. Nicely stocked shop too.
My only gripe is the toilet cubicles are very small.
Good parking with plenty of spaces.
Written 12 June 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.
Hi there and thank you for your comprehensive review! Glad you enjoyed your visit. We note your feedback about the toilet cubicles - we are soon to be undergoing a big extension and upgrade to the building and although this will mean the aquarium is closed to the public for a year or so after September, we will have much better facilities when we reopen in late 2025. Hope you come back to visit us again then :)
Written 18 July 2024
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
CarolineWR
U.K.282 contributions
Aug 2023 • Couples
Decided to have a break from castles & do something different - really wish we hadn't wasted our time. I had read such good reviews, but we just found the whole place lame; murky tanks, "shark feeding" that involved a teenager with a handful of mince & unidentifiable tiny fish & nowhere to get refreshments. We have visited several world famous aquaria, so our opinion may be a bit unfair & just £7 entry should have set off alarm bells. However, don't expect anything mind-blowing here! We spent 30 minutes. Maybe on a wet day with young children...?
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.
Ah so sorry to hear you were disappointed. Would love to hear more about what you were expecting - if you have time to complete our 'o-fish-ial' survey: https://www.macduff-aquarium.org.uk/visit/cod-we-do-better Thanks :)
Written 4 September 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
lindap1982
58 contributions
May 2024 • Couples
Great Little find
Loved the fact this is all about the fish that live off our own coastline. Really informative and well laid out.
The big fish tank was memorising and could have spent all day just watching the fish
My only complaint is there was no aquarium fridge magnets lol
Well worth the entry fee
Loved the fact this is all about the fish that live off our own coastline. Really informative and well laid out.
The big fish tank was memorising and could have spent all day just watching the fish
My only complaint is there was no aquarium fridge magnets lol
Well worth the entry fee
Written 1 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.
Thanks so much for your great review! You're right, our central kelp reef display is very absorbing and it's fun to watch the fish doing what they do each day! We will take the feedback on fridge magnets, thanks. :)
Written 18 July 2024
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
SharonMAberdeen
Aberdeen, UK107 contributions
Aug 2020 • Family
We checked for a time slot on Sunday and found a slot on Monday morning. The time slot system is really good because visitors are spaced throughout the day making it a far calmer experience....! Some lovely fish and very educational. We all loved it..!!!!
Written 4 August 2020
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.
Thank you so much for your review! Great to hear the booking system works and you enjoyed your visit. We hope to 'sea' you again soon :)
Written 6 August 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Helen C
Kingston-upon-Hull, UK831 contributions
Oct 2020
Even as two adults we loved this! We arrived at 4pm, and basically had the place to ourselves. We walked around, and although a lot of the installations are unavailable due to Covid restrictions, there was still loads to see. An hour was plenty to make our way around the place, if its busier you might need more time.
Written 14 October 2020
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.
Many thanks indeed for your review! Glad to hear you enjoyed your visit even within the Covid restrictions. Hope to see you again soon :)
Written 16 October 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Cl4ir3
Hampshire, UK145 contributions
Aug 2021
We visited on a weekday in August and were lucky that the aquarium was quite quiet. The lady on reception was really helpful and we found the layout worked really well (we didn't feel we missed anything). All the items were well explained. The tanks were all clean and it was easy to see the fish and understand which were which. We found the names on the sponsored fishes very funny too! Lovely place to visit for couples or families.
Written 3 September 2021
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.
_joycegordon
Dundee, UK8 contributions
Sept 2021
Staying close by a visit was in no doubt. We were welcomed first thing by cheery lady who later took time to explain and display some of the feeding routines. We spent two hours enjoying watching the fish and learning from displays. Very much worth a visit.
Written 16 September 2021
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.
Richard R
1 contribution
Sept 2022
The whole thing is quite amazing. Of particular note are the main tank with the larger fish, which you can observe from various angles, and the smaller tank with the younger fish, where you can observe feeding times if you time your visit right. The touch tank sessions with a staff member is also very interesting; learnt a fair bit about starfish!
The aquarium isn't as large as the Sealife Centres but we felt that it was better in that it is focussed on the local sealife found in the Moray Firth and the staff there are accessible, more than willing to answer questions, and obviously very enthusiastic about the work they and the aquarium do.
Added bonus is that once you're in, you're in; go around once, then go around again, go back on yourself to check something else out.
Well worth visiting.
The aquarium isn't as large as the Sealife Centres but we felt that it was better in that it is focussed on the local sealife found in the Moray Firth and the staff there are accessible, more than willing to answer questions, and obviously very enthusiastic about the work they and the aquarium do.
Added bonus is that once you're in, you're in; go around once, then go around again, go back on yourself to check something else out.
Well worth visiting.
Written 13 October 2022
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.
Thank you very much for your lovely review. Very glad to hear you got so much from your visit and we hope to welcome you back again soon... :)
Written 31 October 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
forrestsmithd
Arrochar, UK15 contributions
Jul 2023 • Couples
A great little fined, Full of scottish marine life and loads of information. Tanks were clean and staff very friendly and good. Feeding the sharks at 3pm was worth seeing and very informative. Ample car parking and would be great for kids on a rainy day
Written 16 July 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.
Many thanks for your 5 stars! Great to hear you enjoyed seeing our Scottish marine life and the feeding session. We hope to see you again soon.
Written 17 July 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Kim B
Mold, Wales, United Kingdom21 contributions
May 2023 • Couples
Glad I came to see this lovely little, but informative Aquarium. We have stayed in the area a few times, but never had time to call in. Staff, very friendly. Easy to chat to. Well set out area. No one seemed to rush you and you had plenty of space as well as time to view the different areas. Plenty of parking outside, which is free. Well worth a visit.
Written 8 May 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.
Many thanks indeed for your 5 stars - much appreciated! We hope to see you again next time you're in the area :)
Written 3 July 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Hi, thinking about coming here tomorrow and I wondered if you have wheelchairs for customer use? My wife has mobility issues. Thanks, Gaz
Written 13 March 2019
Hi there, sorry for the delayed response. Yes we have a wheelchair for those customers with limited mobility to use. The aquarium is on one level too. Thanks!
Written 11 April 2019
Can you take your dog around? I've looked through the website but no answers. Thanks
Written 7 October 2018
Sorry, just picked up your question. We only allow assistance dogs in the aquarium. Thanks
Written 31 October 2018
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