Aquarium of the Bay: San Francisco Marine Life Exploration
3.5
261 Ratings
San Francisco
Explore the diverse marine life of San Francisco Bay at Aquarium of the Bay. Get up close with sharks, rays, sea stars, and river otters in this interactive and educational experience.
Duration: 2 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Aquarium of the Bay - When you arrive at Aquarium of the Bay, located on San Francisco’s bustling Embarcadero (also home to other attractions like Fisherman’s Wharf, the Pier 39 sea lions, Boudin Bakery and the ferries to Alcatraz Island), head inside with your general admission ticket and begin your self-guided exploration of the aquarium.

Your admission allows you to visit the aquarium’s main exhibit areas. With a focus on the marine life of San Francisco Bay and its surrounding bodies of water, the Aquarium of the Bay is home to 20,000-plus animals that live in 700,000 gallons (2.6 million liters) of carefully maintained bay water. Stay at the aquarium as long as you like to learn about sea creatures like jellyfish, octopus, and sharks.

Discover the Bay exhibit:

See orange garibaldi, green moray eels, colorful rockfish, and other wildlife native to the San Francisco Bay. Learn about how anchovies stick together and avoid predators, and find out how the bay acts as a breeding ground for perch and many other fish.

Under the Bay exhibit:

Walk through a 300-foot (90-meter) tunnel system of clear glass for a look at the fascinating fish and other sea life in the bay and nearby Pacific waters. See mesmerizing jellyfish, a giant Pacific octopus, graceful rays, sturgeon, and multiple local shark species like sevengill sharks, leopard sharks, soupfin sharks, and spiny dogfish.

What's Included
  • Aquarium of the Bay entry included
What's Not Included
  • Food and drinks
  • Souvenir photos (available to purchase)
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off
Additional Information

Experience an immersive journey into the aquatic life of San Francisco Bay and the adjacent Pacific Ocean at the Aquarium of the Bay. This entry ticket gives you admittance to the primary display sections of the Aquarium, home to over 20,000 marine animals. Come face-to-face with species such as sharks, rays, sea stars, and river otters. Conveniently situated at the base of PIER 39, nestled between Fisherman’s Wharf and the Alcatraz ferry dock, integrating the Aquarium of the Bay into your San Francisco tour itinerary is a breeze.

  • Free admission for children ages 3 and under
  • Wheelchair and stroller accessible
  • The aquarium is open every day except Christmas Day
  • Current operating hours are 11am-6pm
Location
Aquarium of the Bay
Embarcadero & Beach St, Pier 39
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
3.5
(261 Ratings)
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Cynthia
Mar 17, 2024
Worth it! Do it! - A fun, clever, informative experience that we would gladly do again. The walk through tunnel was an incredible immersive adventure!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Luz_r
Nov 24, 2023
Awesome experience - Very small but worth the experience very nice and clean and some employees are very attentive. Would do it again if we had more time
Review provided by Viator
423rutas
Nov 11, 2023
Beautiful Aquarium - It is a small aquarium but well done. Highly recommend especially if you are with children. I loved the robotic guide!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
609brandir
Apr 2, 2024
Great locale and nice exhibits! - A small attraction but enjoyable, it felt like a break from the crowds at Pier 39. The otters were amazing and a family favorite.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Zoeg275
Jan 6, 2024
Sweet little aquarium but a little expensive for what it is. - A nice little aquarium at pier 39. It is quite small as they go and we only took an hour. Exhibits are very good with a great jelly fish exhibit and a fish tunnel. Personally I think it was a little expensive for what it was but the atmosphere was very good and it is in pier 39. may be quite expensive for a family but there were only two of us. If you are strapped for time or cash I would recommend the aquarium at the California Academy of Sciences.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Bradziker1
Nov 22, 2023
excellent but pricey - I really enjoyed my experience and loved the hands-on touching exhibits. I got to touch a sting-ray and it was so velvety. You do have to stick your arm deep so roll up your sleeves. The tunnel was excellent as well. There are 2 floors and you have to use the elevators - they are a bit slow. The otters were very cute. There are exhibits of about 12 different kinds of jellyfish and fascinating. The price at $33 was quite steep for only about an hour experience, but everything in the area is overpriced.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Shalome_t
Apr 7, 2024
Over priced - I rate it a 3/5 it was cool but the tickets are overpriced, it was a quick & fast experience. Not too many sea animals to see.
Review provided by Viator
Manuel_o
Apr 7, 2024
I think it should be a little more for what you pay! - I liked being able to touch the stingray! It was nice walking through the water tunnel Learning about the different kinds of fish and sharks was pretty cool
Review provided by Viator
Julie_g
Apr 3, 2024
Not worth the money - Not as good as we expected. Only small - we’d done it all in 45 minutes. Augmented reality section shut. Not many different species. I heard one mum ask if they had an octopus as her son loved them and they’d come to see one but they didn’t have any despite having a large painting mural of an octopus outside! Have other things like a squirrel, snakes, tortoises which have nothing to do with aquariums. We paid £106 for a family of 4. Waste of money and would not recommend.
Review provided by Viator
Jane_nbmn
Mar 15, 2024
Save your money - The building looks big. But the whole aquarium is essentially 2 rooms. It took us about 20 minutes to look at it all. Purchased tickets outside and then when we got in we found out the otters weren’t even available for the rest of the day. Very underwhelming and disappointing.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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up to 15 guests
1 Adult
May 2024
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