A visit to the aquarium is one of the highlights of your visit to La Rochelle. It is housed in a modern glass building on the harbour. Within the aquarium there are 70 separate sections containing 12,000 marine animals and - most exciting for visitors - 20 species of shark.
Explore the aquarium of La Rochelle
Your tour starts with a descent in a large elevator that judders along in a slightly alarming fashion. This takes you into a corridor next to a tall narrow aquarium containing tiny jellyfish: this is a very artistic start to the tour!
You then walk through a glass tunnel surrounded by water and fish, really quite an extraordinary experience.
As you proceed through the different sections of the La Rochelle aquarium you discover life in the different seas and oceans of the world: the Atlantic, Mediterranean, Pacific, Caribbean.
Along the way you see a wide range of sea life including stingrays, murray eels, shoals of sardines, numerous brightly coloured tropical fish, sea urchins, starfish, etc. A personal favourite was the numerous species of seahorses.
The highlight of your visit is, of course, the massive tank containing the large sharks, looking every bit as coldly scary as they do in the movies.
After previous disappointing visits to other aquariums in Europe I almost didn't visit this one - but I can now confirm it is one of the unmissable attractions of the region!
The visit as a whole takes approximately two hours. After your journey through the aquarium you will find is a cafe / bar on a terrace on the roof of the modern building, with great views across La Rochelle.
Attractions nearby
There are numerous monuments and places of interest in La Rochelle. The one with th most dramatic contrast to the aquarium is perhaps the stuffed animals of La Rochelle Natural History Museum!
You can find more travel ideas in the Charente-Maritime guide and the Poitou-Charentes guide.
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Map of La Rochelle aquarium and places nearby
Visit near La Rochelle aquarium with France This Way reviews

La Rochelle
The historic town and monuments and the vibrant harbour area make La Rochelle one of our favourite towns in France
La Rochelle guide
La Rochelle harbour
The harbour area in La Rochelle is the liveliest part of the town, with numerous restaurants, street entertainers, artists and the aquarium
La Rochelle harbour guide
La Rochelle Natural History Museum
The Natural History Museum in La Rochelle contains an eclectic mix of items collected by 19th century explorers
La Rochelle Natural History Museum guide
La Rochelle towers
These three fortress towers protect the entrance to the harbour in La Rochelle
La Rochelle towers guide
Chatelaillon-Plage
The seaside resort of Chatelaillon-Plage has a long sandy beach and a friendly atmosphere
Chatelaillon-Plage guide
La Flotte-en-Re
The village of La Flotte-en-Ré is a pretty village on the Ile-de-Ré
La Flotte-en-Re guide... or see ALL recommended places to visit in Charente-Maritime
The French version of this page is at La Rochelle aquarium (Francais)