For as long as I can remember, I have always loved aquariums and fish. Needless to say, when I first visited Dubai, there was no question about whether to visit the aquarium at the Dubai Mall. Many years later, I found myself back here, but this time with my children. I knew exactly what to expect and wanted to show them around.
The aquarium in Dubai is not the largest in the world, but it is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the largest indoor oceanarium. It’s always interesting to see such record breakers. However, the city is famous for its great achievements, and the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa, is located nearby. Actually, we bought one ticket that included admission to the aquarium, the zoo above it, and a trip up the tower. That way, the price was better.
Of course, you can see the aquarium for free from the outside, but it’s behind a fence. To get inside and up close, you need to buy a ticket.
Dubai Aquarium reviews
How to get to the aquarium in Dubai Mall
The aquarium is located in the city centre. You can get there by any convenient means:
- With a tour.
- No explanation needed. You can buy a tour from a tour operator
a million times more expensiveand they will take you there in comfort and show you around. - Free from the hotel.
- On average, once a week, on a specific day and at a specific time, free shuttles run here from hotels.
- But getting back is more difficult. You have to find the parking lot where your bus is and then find the bus itself. We wandered around looking for it, ran into some other lost tourists, got together and found it. It turns out that our bus didn’t arrive right away, but at the departure time, which is why we couldn’t find it. And there are complications with time restrictions, as you are tied to the allotted time.
- By taxi.
- If you don’t want to deal with public transport, this is the way to go. Taxis here are not cheap, but the cars are luxurious. However, I know a cheaper way to get there by taxi. I’ll share it later in my review of Dubai.
- By metro.
Where to buy tickets
First, you need to decide what you want to see:
- just walk through the tunnel under the aquarium and go behind the fence,
- visit the zoo from above,
- swim in the aquarium on a boat with a transparent bottom
- swim with sharks.
We bought tickets on the first website we found. We just Googled ‘Buy tickets to the aquarium in Dubai Mall and Burj Khalifa’ and the first result was a language website where we purchased our tickets (not the official website!). To do this, we had to install an app with a barcode.
You can also buy tickets at the entrance. But the price will be higher there, so it’s cheaper to buy tickets on the website.
Where to buy tickets to the aquarium in Dubai Mall
How much does a ticket to the Dubai Aquarium cost? Prices for 2023 converted to pounds
Children under 3 years old are free.
The ticket includes a voucher for 10 dirhams to purchase food at the local café (just over 200 roubles, very generous) and 20 dirhams to purchase souvenirs at the local shop, but the prices there…
Here are some examples of ticket prices at the box office and online:
➤ Underwater tunnel + zoo – 199 AED | 170 AED
➤ Tunnel + zoo + submarine tour – 299 AED | 195 AED
➤ There is also the option of watching penguins, which is added to the ticket price. But, in my opinion, it’s not worth it. It’s just a small corner where you can look at penguins through glass.
➤ For thrill seekers, you can swim with sharks as a diver (790 AED) or in a cage (370 AED). In the first case, you need a certificate, but if you don’t have one, you can be trained on site for an additional fee (470 AED). In the second case, namely diving in a cage, no equipment or training is required, and even children from 8 years old can participate.
➤ If you plan to visit Dubai often or live here, you can purchase an annual pass and visit for free for a year with a 25% discount on additional services.
➤ We decided to buy a combined ticket for Burj Khalifa + aquarium with an underwater zoo.
Tickets for Burj Khalifa and the aquarium in Dubai Mall with an underwater zoo
This is my third time here, and I’m unlikely to go again, simply because I’ve seen everything and remembered everything, even though it’s been about 10 years between my visits.
If you are in the Emirates for the first time, I recommend visiting the Dubai Aquarium. It’s interesting to find yourself not only next to a record-breaker, but practically inside it and see everything up close, rather than standing behind a fence from a distance, but for free.