Aquarium of the Bay in San Francisco, CA

Embarcadero at Beach Street • San Francisco, CA 94133
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Aquarium of the Bay in San Francisco, California
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Overview

From adorable river otters to green moray eels, you’ll discover the natural wonders of marine life at Aquarium of the Bay. With over 1000 aquatic animal species to see and learn about, this aquarium is ideal for all ages. Dive deep into the bay (without the diving, of course) to see the octopus, jellyfish, and more. A touch exhibit is available but remember to respect the marine life!

Good To Know

from Ashley, one of our San Francisco Travel Experts
  • The aquarium is closed on Christmas Day.
  • Aquarium of the Bay does not validate parking.
  • Exhibits feature thousands of aquatic animals and plants.
  • Interactive exhibits provide visitors with hands-on learning opportunities.
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Description

from Aquarium of the Bay
Explore the magic, beauty, and wonder of San Francisco Bay at Aquarium of the Bay. Your visit will take you through three main habitat areas that display the amazing riches that lie beneath the surface of the San Francisco Bay and surrounding waters.

DISCOVER THE BAY
Your exploration begins in Discover the Bay, which features eight exhibits holding over 1,000 aquatic animals. Exhibit highlights include the bright orange Garibaldi (the California State Marine Fish), green moray eels, rockfish, swirling schools of anchovies and newly hatched skates, baby perch, and other fish.

UNDER THE BAY
Continue your journey and see mesmerizing jellies before entering our two tunnels with leopard shark, giant sea bass, bat rays, giant Pacific octopuses, eight-foot seven-gill sharks San Francisco's Bay’s largest predators, and five other locals species of sharks.

TOUCH THE BAY
Get ready for an unforgettable experience with the change to touch bay rays, sharks, sea stars, sea cucumbers and more.

At the interactive PG&E Bay Lab, learn from our naturalist how climate change is affecting the Bay’s animals on land in the water.

NORTH AMERICAN RIVER OTTERS: WATERSHED AMBASSADORS
These active and engaging wildlife ambassadors help to teach us how important it is to have a healthy environment to live and swim in. Watch their antics as they romp, wrestle and tumble around in cascading waterfalls, two pools, and naturalistic climbing logs.

Your ticket also includes admission to the Sea Lion Center – PIER 39, Eco Center at Heron Park – South end of San Francisco and the Bay Model – in Sausalito. The Sea Lion Center features interactive displays, educational videos, fascinating presentations, and one-on-one interactions with Naturalists. Visitors can touch real sea lion artifacts, including pelts and skulls, or size themselves up next to a life-sized sea lion skeleton.

The EcoCenter at Heron’s Head Park is an education community center that uses sustainable on-site power, water, and wastewater systems. Nearly every feature of this facility is designed to educating the public about
renewable energy, pollution and greenhouse gas reduction, wastewater treatment, sustainable building materials, rainwater harvesting, and the green economy. Features Solar Photovoltaic Energy System, Living Roof, and Native Only Landscaping.

The Bay Model shows the effect of the water flow of the San Francisco Bay and the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. This allows scientists, educations, and visitors the chance to view the complete bay-delta system complete with working tides and currents.

Closed on Christmas Day.


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Promotional Images (46)
Under The Bay - Aquarium of the Bay in San Francisco, California Aquarium of the Bay in San Francisco, California Discover the Bay - Aquarium of the Bay in San Francisco, California Near Shore Tunnel Bay Model Alliance Visitor Center - Aquarium of the Bay in San Francisco, California
Customer Photos (106)
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Tripster Customer Reviews

161 Reviews
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Vanessa G.
Vacaville , CA
1 Review
Verified Traveler
"EASY, MONEY SAVER, AWESOME!!"
September 2019
My fiancé and I were in San Francisco for the day. We had absolutely no plans and came up with the idea of heading to the aquarium.
Not only did we save $20, the purchase was so quick and so easy!!!
We will definitely be using this again!
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Tip: FAST, MONEY SAVER

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Tripster Customer
Brentwood , CA
2 Reviews
Verified Traveler
"Flippin’ Fantastic"
July 2019
This Aquarium is wonderful! The exhibits are fun and well taken care of. They had the cutest baby bat rays that were very social in the touch pool. They had the largest freshwater fish in North America. They also make a point to express the need for conservation and care of our oceans and those who live there. Fantastic, Thanks!
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Tip: It is on pier 39, and they stamp your hand so you can be exploring other places, and come back for shows and feedings!

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Jael Raymond
Midland , MI
1 Review
Verified Traveler
"Small but nice"
June 2019
There was some really cool areas in the aquarium like the tunnels that has sea life surrounding you. Just wish it was a little bigger.
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Darian Wang
San Jose , CA
1 Review
Verified Traveler
"SF Aquarium of the Bay"
June 2019
Fast and easy, download tickets in phone and screen it when arriving.
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Tip: Go straight to the entrance to redeem your ticket

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Ty Ferguson
Twain Harte, CA
1 Review
Verified Traveler
"Not Worth the Price"
June 2019
I was expecting a lot more than was delivered. If you have visited any other major aquarium in the past do not waste your money on this one. Very small (took less than 30 minutes to see 'everything') and very little interaction or activity. The Sea Otter "encounter" amounted to two sea otters asleep in the rocks.
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Tip: High price for the experience

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Ana Rivera
1 Review
"We love this Aquarium"
June 2019
Its very good place . Clean, safe and they have a friendly staff.
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Luis Becerril
Winter Park, FL
1 Review
Verified Traveler
"visit to San Francisco"
May 2019
it was simple to get access to get my tickets
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Tip: The visit to pier 39

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Mohinder Kumar
Fremont , CA
1 Review
Verified Traveler
"Fabulous Trip to SF Pier 39"
April 2019
Aquarium of the Bay is a beautiful place to take kids . It was a learning experience for my 7 and 9 years old. They loved visiting sea animals especially Sharks at theBay. I recommend parents to take kids to this place and explore sea life to them.
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Tip: Sharks and Sea lions.

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TripAdvisor Reviews
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merinski
Canada
"Fun tunnel aquariums"
TripAdvisor user rating 4 out of 5
Reviewed October 13, 2019 NEW
The aquarium is not real big. It does have 2 tunnel tubes you walk through, one with fish all around and one with sharks & sting rays.
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Kailasanath
Lorton, Virginia
"A gem in the heart of town"
TripAdvisor user rating 5 out of 5
Reviewed October 13, 2019 NEW
this is a relatively large aquarium for a location in the busy area of Embarcadero in the Bay area. Ample parking is also available near by. Both toddler as well as older children will enjoy the set up and variety on offer.
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cp_0010
Manama, Bahrain
"Our 1st visit to an aquarium"
TripAdvisor user rating 5 out of 5
Reviewed October 05, 2019 NEW
This was our 1st visit to any aquarium and we enjoyed the time inside. We had bought a combo ticket which included Dungeon as well costing us $49 pp. Aquarium of the Bay is a public aquarium located at The Embarcadero and Beach Street, at the edge of Pier 39 in San Francisco, California. The Aquarium is focused on local aquatic animals from the San Francisco Bay and neighboring rivers. There are many varieties of fishes and are very colourful. It may take an hour to take a view of the aquarium.
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kristenh2014
Medfield, Massachusetts
"Disappointingly small"
TripAdvisor user rating 3 out of 5
Reviewed October 01, 2019 NEW
I guess I expected much more out of a large coastal city aquarium. What was there was nice just not nearly enough.
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AmandaB652
Worle, United Kingdom
"1st visit "
TripAdvisor user rating 3 out of 5
Reviewed September 07, 2019
Unfortunately we found this aquarium quite small and had stopped and looked at everything and were still out in 1.5 hours. We didn’t encounter any staff during our visit. It’s nice that most of these fish would be swimming locally so you can see what would be in the bay. The place was clean and tidy. We would possibly come again if we were in the area and had time to fill.
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Aquarium of the Bay is located at Embarcadero at Beach Street • San Francisco, CA 94133
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Frequently Asked Questions about Aquarium of the Bay

Is parking available?
Parking facilities are available at Pier 35 or across from the main entrance at the PIER 39 garage. The garage is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Aquarium of the Bay does not validate parking, but many PIER 39 restaurants do.

What is the best way to get to Aquarium of the Bay?
Utilizing public transportation is highly recommended. Present a valid Bay Area public transportation pass and receive $2 off adult admission, and $1 off child/senior admission (cannot be combined with any other offer).

What programs are available to ticket holders?
Aquarium of the Bay hosts several daily programs for guests, including Shark Station, Sharks of Alcatraz, Meet Our Otters, California touch pools, and many “up close and personal” opportunities with several animals.

Can I bring my service dog?
Yes. Guests may bring service dogs into the aquarium.

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Contact us for support or help booking your trip at 1-844-560-7215.

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