Istanbul Aquarium Tickets 2027: Price, Hours, How to Get There and Is It Worth It

Q: Where is the Istanbul Aquarium?

It is in Florya, in Bakırköy on the European side, beside the Aqua Florya mall. It is far from the Old City, about 45 to 60 minutes door to door from Sultanahmet by tram and Marmaray.

Q: How long does a visit take?

Plan 2 to 3 hours. The route is a long indoor walk, and younger children tend to stop often, so add time if you plan lunch in the mall.

Q: Is it worth visiting with kids?

Yes for children under ten, especially on a wet or cold day, and less so for adults on a short trip. The round trip to Florya costs you about half a day.

Q: Can I visit the aquarium and the Old City in one day?

It is possible but tiring. Go to Florya in the morning, return by mid-afternoon, and keep the Old City to one short stop such as the Basilica Cistern.

The Florya aquarium lists 1,000 TL for adults, 900 TL for ages 2-18 and opens 10:00-19:00 on weekdays (20:00 weekends). Marmaray route, timing and cheaper family options.

Ayşe ArslanAuthor13 November 20267 min read

Istanbul Aquarium Tickets 2027: Price, Hours, How to Get There and Is It Worth It — Photo: Family bosphorus railing

The Istanbul Aquarium in Florya lists 1,000 TL for an adult and 900 TL for children aged 2 to 18 on its own ticket page, with babies up to 24 months free, and opens at 10:00 every day. Closing time is 19:00 on weekdays and 20:00 at weekends. We read the official page on 13 November 2026; it does not show a separate tariff for foreign visitors, so treat the numbers below as the baseline and check the final price at checkout.

If the aquarium is one stop in a bigger family plan, our Istanbul tour packages for families cover 4 to 10 days with kid-paced days, and the 4-day Istanbul city package starts at $699 per person.

At a glance

Item	Detail (checked 13 Nov 2026)
Where	Florya, Bakırköy, European side, next to the Aqua Florya mall
Hours	10:00 to 19:00 Mon-Fri, 10:00 to 20:00 Sat-Sun (official site)
Adult	1,000 TL
Ages 2-18, students, over-65s	900 TL (ID required)
Babies 0-24 months	Free
Family pack	2,900 TL for 3 people, 3,800 TL for 4 (lower campaign prices are for Turkish citizens only)
Time needed	2 to 3 hours
Nearest station	Florya Akvaryum, Marmaray

What the official page does and does not say

The aquarium's site, istanbulakvaryum.com, carries the tariff above under "Hemen Bilet Al". It also lists bundles with extra experiences (photo, VR dive, giant-ocean exhibition), from about 1,400 TL to 2,550 TL for adults depending on the package. The page has no update date and the footer still reads 2024, so prices may have moved since. Cheaper "campaign" rates (for example 2,750 TL instead of 2,900 TL for the 3-person pack) are marked on the page as valid for Turkish citizens only, so they do not apply to visitors on a foreign passport.

Resellers sell a foreign-visitor ticket in euros, usually around €35, and some bundle a shuttle from Sultanahmet. That is higher than the lira tariff, which is the usual trade-off: you pay more for a fixed slot and pickup. One independent guide also states the weekday closing time as 20:00 in its footer, so the sources disagree slightly. The official visiting-hours line, 19:00 on weekdays, is the safe one to plan around. During religious holidays the hours can change, so look again the week you travel.

How to get there from Sultanahmet

Florya is far out on the Marmaray line, so this is a half-day trip, not a quick detour. The simple route:

Take the T1 tram from Sultanahmet to Sirkeci, or walk down to Sirkeci.
Board Marmaray towards Halkalı and get off at Florya Akvaryum.
Walk about ten minutes to the entrance through the mall area.

Trains run roughly from 06:00 to midnight every 8 to 15 minutes. Allow around 45 minutes to an hour from the Old City door to door, then the same back. An Istanbulkart works on Marmaray, and our things to do in Istanbul with kids page covers the rest of a family day.

Two children at the railing by the Golden Horn with the New Mosque behind, a typical family stop before the Marmaray ride to FloryaPhoto: Ömer Derinyar, Pexels License, via Pexels

Is it worth it?

For children under about ten, yes, with a clear plan. The visit is one long indoor walk through themed zones, and most families need two to three hours. Rain, a cold January afternoon or a hot August midday are exactly when it pays off. For adults travelling without children, it is a weaker use of a short Istanbul stay. The Old City sights, the Bosphorus and the bazaars all sit on the other side of town, and the round trip to Florya eats the time you would spend there.

A fair rule from the way we plan family days: if you have three days or fewer, spend them on the Old City and the water. If you have five or more and the children are young, put the aquarium on a rainy day.

A child feeds gulls from a Bosphorus ferry deck, the cheap sea-life option for toddlersPhoto: Vedih Akbaş, Pexels License, via Pexels

How to avoid the queues

Weekends and school holidays are the busy windows, and the first hour after 10:00 is quieter than mid-afternoon. Buy online for a fixed time rather than joining the ticket line. Arrive by train, not taxi, since the Florya seafront road is slow when the weather is good. Bring a light layer; the halls are cool.

An M1 metro train at an Istanbul station; rail is the easiest way across the city with kidsPhoto: t-mizo, CC BY 2.0, via Openverse

Cheaper ways to see sea life and water in Istanbul

Nothing replaces tanks full of fish, but a short ferry crossing gives toddlers gulls, dolphins in some seasons and the whole skyline for the price of an Istanbulkart fare. Jellyfish in the shallows are a common sight near the piers in warm months.

A jellyfish drifting in Bosphorus shallows, the wild cousin of what the Florya tanks showPhoto: eutrophication&hypoxia, CC BY 2.0, via Openverse

A seated Bosphorus lunch cruise is easier with small children than a long walking day. Our Bosphorus lunch cruise with hotel pickup costs $75 per person, and the Princes' Islands full-day tour with ferry and lunch is $90 per person and suits families who like bikes, carriages and sea air. Boat charters for a private family trip are on our sister site takeyacht.com.

A ferry leaving the Kadıköy terminal, a half-hour crossing that children usually enjoyPhoto: Esra Afsar, Pexels License, via Pexels

A rainy-day family plan

Morning: Marmaray to Florya, aquarium until about 13:00. Lunch in the mall. Return towards Sirkeci by mid-afternoon and finish with the Basilica Cistern, which is dim, dry and close to Sultanahmet. Kids usually like the fish swimming among the columns.

Arches and reflections inside the Basilica Cistern, a dim, cool stop on a wet-weather family dayPhoto: Husien Bisky, Pexels License, via Pexels

If you would rather have a driver and guide handle the whole day, the private Mercedes Vito city tour with driver is $299 per vehicle, and the Istanbul tours for kids page explains how we shorten the programme for small children. For more family ideas see places to visit in Istanbul with family.

Children feeding pigeons on an Istanbul square, a free pause between paid attractionsPhoto: Murat Ak, Pexels License, via Pexels

Questions travellers are asking

How much are Istanbul Aquarium tickets?

The official page lists 1,000 TL for adults and 900 TL for ages 2 to 18, with babies up to 24 months free, as read on 13 November 2026. Foreign-visitor tickets from resellers are usually about €35, and the official page shows no separate foreign tariff.

What are the Istanbul Aquarium opening hours?

The aquarium opens at 10:00 and closes at 19:00 on weekdays and 20:00 at weekends, according to its official site. Hours can change around holidays, so check before a weekday evening visit.

Where is the Istanbul Aquarium?

It is in Florya, in Bakırköy on the European side, beside the Aqua Florya mall. It is far from the Old City, about 45 to 60 minutes door to door from Sultanahmet by tram and Marmaray.

How do I get to the Istanbul Aquarium from Taksim or Sultanahmet?

Take Marmaray to Florya Akvaryum station and walk about ten minutes. From Sultanahmet, ride the T1 tram to Sirkeci first. From Taksim, take the M2 metro to Yenikapı and change to Marmaray.

How long does a visit take?

Plan 2 to 3 hours. The route is a long indoor walk, and younger children tend to stop often, so add time if you plan lunch in the mall.

Is it worth visiting with kids?

Yes for children under ten, especially on a wet or cold day, and less so for adults on a short trip. The round trip to Florya costs you about half a day.

Is there a discount for foreign tourists or tourist cards?

The cheaper campaign rates on the official page are marked for Turkish citizens only. We could not confirm a tourist-pass discount, so ask the reseller or card issuer before relying on one.

Can I visit the aquarium and the Old City in one day?

It is possible but tiring. Go to Florya in the morning, return by mid-afternoon, and keep the Old City to one short stop such as the Basilica Cistern.

Plan it with us

We plan family days in Istanbul year-round and can build the aquarium into a private route with a driver. The 4-day Istanbul city package is $699 per person, the Bosphorus lunch cruise is $75, and the Princes' Islands day is $90. For a wider Turkey plan, our partner site getturkiyetours.com has multi-city routes. Tell us the children's ages on WhatsApp, +90 545 307 67 88, and we will shape the days around them.

Sources: istanbulakvaryum.com ticket and visiting pages, read 13 November 2026; reseller listings for the euro price, 13 November 2026.