Vancouver Aquarium: Hours, Tickets & Visitor Guide

Large viewing tank at the Vancouver Aquarium in Stanley Park

A viewing tank inside the Vancouver Aquarium, Stanley Park

Address 845 Avison Way, Stanley Park, Vancouver, BC V6G 3E2
Hours Open daily, 10:00 am to 5:00 pm (extended hours during summer, holidays, and special evening events)
Admission Dynamic pricing, roughly $40 to $55 for ages 13 to 64, with reduced rates for children, students, and seniors, and free entry for children under 3
Getting there Inside Stanley Park, a short walk from the Georgia Street entrance, with paid parking and nearby transit stops

About the Vancouver Aquarium

Sea lion at the Vancouver Aquarium

Tucked into the southeast corner of Stanley Park, the Vancouver Aquarium is Canada’s largest aquarium and one of the most visited attractions in the city. It’s home to tens of thousands of animals, from rescued sea otters and Steller sea lions to reef fish, jellies, sloths, and frogs, spread across indoor galleries and outdoor habitats.

The Aquarium is also a working marine mammal rescue centre, so many of the animals on site, including some of the sea lions and otters, were originally brought in as rescues and are now part of long-term care and education programs rather than being able to return to the wild.

Most visitors spend somewhere between ninety minutes and two hours moving through the galleries, though it’s easy to stretch a visit into half a day once you add the 4D theatre, feeding presentations, and a stroll through the rest of Stanley Park afterward.

Photo Gallery

What to See

Jellyfish tank at the Vancouver Aquarium

The galleries are organized so you move through different regions of the world as you walk. A few sections tend to be visitor favourites:

  • Steller’s Bay, where Steller sea lions swim right up to the glass
  • The sea otter habitat, home to some of the Aquarium’s rescued otters
  • The glowing jellyfish tanks, one of the most photographed spots in the building
  • The Amazon gallery, with sloths, monkeys, and tropical fish under a rainforest canopy
  • The Wet Lab and touch pools, where kids can handle starfish, sea cucumbers, and anemones
  • The 4D theatre, included with general admission and running short films throughout the day

The Axolotl and Amphibian Exhibit

Amphibian exhibit at the Vancouver Aquarium

The Aquarium’s axolotl display has become one of its most searched-for exhibits, and it’s easy to see why. Axolotls are small Mexican salamanders that never lose their gills or fully grow out of their larval stage, which gives them a permanently youthful, almost cartoonish look, complete with feathery external gills and a wide, smiling mouth.

The exhibit sits alongside the Aquarium’s broader amphibian and reptile displays, where poison dart frogs and other small, colourful species are worth slowing down for. It’s a quieter corner of the building and a good spot to pause if the main galleries feel busy.

Best Time to Go

Weekday mornings, right when the doors open, are the quietest time to visit. The Aquarium fills up quickly on weekends, school holidays, and rainy summer days when families are looking for something indoors to do, so if you have flexibility, aim for a weekday.

Feeding times and animal presentations are scheduled throughout the day and posted on the daily events board near the entrance, so it’s worth checking that board as soon as you arrive and planning your route around the presentations you most want to catch, particularly the sea lion feeding.

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Tip: Buy tickets online before you go. Prices change based on demand and time slot, and booking ahead usually locks in a lower rate and guarantees entry, since walk-up availability can be limited on busy days.

Membership Benefits

If you’re a Metro Vancouver local, or you know you’ll want to come back more than once or twice a year, a membership tends to pay for itself quickly since it’s priced close to the cost of two regular visits and then unlocks unlimited entry for a full year. Memberships come in three tiers:

Silver

  • Unlimited visits for one year
  • Discounted rates on animal encounters and behind-the-scenes tours
  • Savings on events, photo packages, the gift shop, and food

Gold

  • Everything in Silver
  • Early entry on select mornings
  • Reduced-price guest tickets
  • Bring-a-friend-free days through the year

Platinum

  • Everything in Gold
  • Bonus guest passes
  • The deepest discounts on purchases and photo packages
Membership pricing and perks are updated from time to time. Confirm current tiers and rates on the official Vancouver Aquarium membership page before buying.

Events and Experiences

Sea lions swimming at the Vancouver Aquarium

Beyond the daily galleries, the Aquarium runs a rotating calendar of seasonal and members events, including adults-only evening events with food and drink, holiday-themed activities like Scuba Claus dives around Christmas, and up-close animal encounter add-ons where small groups spend time behind the scenes with the sea otter trainers.

Animal encounters are a separate paid add-on, usually with a minimum age requirement and limited daily spots, so they need to be booked ahead of your visit rather than added at the door.

Where to Eat

Starfish touch pool at the Vancouver Aquarium

There is a café inside the Aquarium, along with a seasonal weekends-only bar and grill and an ice cream window, so you won’t go hungry during your visit. That said, food on site is priced the way most attraction cafés are, on the higher end for fairly simple options like sandwiches and hot dogs.

A lot of regular visitors pick up something from one of the food trucks or nearby cafés around Stanley Park before heading in, or bring a packed lunch. General admission tickets typically allow re-entry with a hand stamp or receipt on the same day, so you can step out, eat somewhere cheaper, and come back in without buying a new ticket. There are also picnic tables and grassy spots just outside the Aquarium entrance if you’d rather sit down and eat there instead of inside.

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Good to know: As of 2026 the Aquarium is fully cashless across admission, food, and retail. Bring a card or a phone with a payment app, or use one of the free cash-to-card kiosks on site if you’re only carrying cash.

Parking and Getting There

The Aquarium has its own parking lot just off Avison Way inside Stanley Park, along with several other nearby lots. Parking throughout Stanley Park runs on a pay-by-time system with unattended pay stations, and a single parking receipt is valid at any stall in the park for the time you’ve paid for, not just the lot you started in.

If you’d rather skip driving, public buses stop near the Georgia Street entrance to Stanley Park, leaving a five to ten minute walk to the Aquarium. Cycling and walking along the seawall are also popular ways to get there, and there are bike racks near the main entrance.

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Heads up: Parking is not included with Aquarium admission and is not free. Lots near the entrance fill up fast on sunny weekends, so arrive early or budget extra time to circle for a spot.

There’s a particular kind of quiet that happens when you’re standing in front of a tank full of drifting jellies, phone forgotten in your pocket, just watching them glow.

Frequently Asked Questions

The Aquarium is open daily from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm, with extended hours during peak summer weeks, holidays, and special evening events. Confirm the exact hours for your visit date on the official site before you go, since they do shift seasonally.
There’s a parking lot right next to the Aquarium off Avison Way, plus several other lots throughout Stanley Park. Parking is pay-by-time at unattended stations and is not included with your admission ticket. One paid parking receipt works at any stall in the park, so you can move around after paying once.
The Aquarium is located at 845 Avison Way, Stanley Park, Vancouver, BC V6G 3E2. Their guest services line can be reached for ticketing and general questions, and they also take questions by email for ticket-related issues. Check the official contact page for the current phone number and email before reaching out, since these details can change.
Ticket prices use dynamic pricing that shifts by date and demand, generally landing somewhere between $40 and $55 for adults, with lower rates for children, students, and seniors, and free entry for children under 3. Booking online ahead of time is the best way to lock in the lowest available price for your date.
It sits inside Stanley Park, near Brockton Point in the park’s southeast corner. Enter the park from the Georgia Street entrance, then follow signs toward Avison Way. By transit, buses stop near the Georgia Street entrance, leaving a five to ten minute walk. Walking or cycling in along the seawall are also popular routes.
Yes. The Aquarium has a dedicated axolotl exhibit within its amphibian galleries. Axolotls are Mexican salamanders known for keeping their feathery gills and larval features their entire lives, which gives them a distinct, wide-smiling look that’s made the exhibit one of the more popular recent additions.
There’s a café and a seasonal bar and grill on site, so you can definitely eat there, but pricing runs higher than what you’d pay outside the park for similar food. Many visitors bring their own food or grab something nearby and eat at the picnic tables outside the entrance, then use their same-day re-entry stamp to head back in.
If you expect to visit more than twice in a year, most likely yes. Silver membership pricing is close to the cost of two regular admission tickets and includes unlimited visits for a year, while Gold and Platinum tiers add perks like early entry, discounted guest tickets, and bring-a-friend-free days.

Planning a full day out? The Aquarium is just one stop inside Stanley Park’s seawall, gardens, and beaches.

Explore Stanley Park