Is Malta National Aquarium Worth It?

Yes, if you're spending any time in Malta's Qawra or St Paul's Bay area. The Malta National Aquarium's 12-metre main tank and walk-through tunnel are the exhibit most visitors remember, and a visit realistically takes 45 minutes to two hours rather than a full day. At €16.90 for an adult at the door, it slots into a day around Qawra and St Paul's Bay rather than needing one of its own.

What not to miss

Featured location Malta National Aquarium San Pawl il-Baħar, Malta The aquarium holds over 175 species, spanning fish, molluscs, reptiles and insects. Animals on show include sharks, Jellyfish, Piranhas, Octopus and stingray.

The main tank is the reason to come: 12 metres wide, with a walk-through tunnel that puts sharks and rays overhead rather than behind glass. It's one of more than 50 tanks and habitats across the building, holding around 300 species between them.

Time your visit around the scheduled talks if you want more than a walk-past. The Baby Sharks Talk is titled "From the Egg to the Sea", and a separate Main Tank Talk, "Are you afraid of sharks?", is timed at the main tank itself.

Upstairs, a Heritage Trail exhibit run with Heritage Malta lets you explore Mediterranean wreck and archaeological sites without diving:

virtually dive the depths of the Mediterranean using cutting-edge technology

It uses holograms, projections and cinematic presentations to bring wrecks most visitors will never dive to the surface.

Getting there

The aquarium is at Triq it-Trunciera in Qawra, part of San Pawl il-Baħar. Several bus routes serve the Qawra and St Paul's Bay area, with connections from the airport, Valletta, Sliema, Mellieħa and Rabat, so you don't need a car to reach it.

If you're driving, parking beside the aquarium is free: take a ticket as you enter and get it validated at reception before you leave.

Tickets and saving money

An adult (13+) ticket costs €16.90 at the door, a child (4-12) ticket €10.90, and a senior (60+) ticket €13.90, as of September 2026. Booking online for entry from 4pm onward cuts those to €13.90, €8.90 and €10.90 — an 18-22% saving, and still leaves hours before closing at 8pm. Malta ID holders pay those same discounted rates for standard admission.

If you'll be back within the year, an adult annual pass costs €45 and adds a 10% discount on food and drink plus savings in the gift shop; a family annual pass covering up to two adults and three children costs €99. Visitors planning to see more of Heritage Malta's sites can instead buy the Heritage Malta Multisite Pass, which includes the aquarium and costs €60 for an adult.

Every ticket, at any rate, is valid for one entry only, usable once within six months of purchase — so buying ahead doesn't commit you to a date.

With kids and accessibility

Bring ID for children: the aquarium asks to see proof of a child's age at entry before charging the €10.90 rate. The talks schedule suits shorter attention spans too — the Baby Sharks Talk and Main Tank Talk run as separate sessions rather than one long tour.

The building is step-free throughout, with lifts between reception and the attraction, and the aquarium describes itself as wheelchair- and pram-friendly.

Best time to visit

There's no real off-season reason to avoid the aquarium: it's an indoor visit, open every day from 10am to 8pm, which makes it a reasonable stand-in for a beach day when Malta's summer heat reaches its August peak of around 31°C. Winters are mild by comparison, with January daytime temperatures averaging around 15°C, so the aquarium works just as well as a warm indoor stop when the rain that falls mostly in autumn and winter rules out the coast.

Advance booking isn't normally needed for standard admission — tickets are sold at the door — so the aquarium is one Malta plan you can leave until the day itself.