Updated for September 2026
The Best Aquariums in Scotland
How this list is ordered: by how complete our listing is — how much we hold on opening hours, ticket prices, accreditation, photographs, animals and facilities. It is a measure of our own coverage, not a judgement of the venue. We hold no visitor scores or conservation assessments, so “best” here means every aquarium in Scotland that qualifies for the list, fullest entry first.
Listed alphabetically
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Keeper talk or showDisability admission concession
St Andrews Aquarium
Aquarium in St Andrews
St Andrews Aquarium is an aquarium in St Andrews, United Kingdom. Animals on show include Asian Short-Clawed Otter, Caribe Piranha, Common Snapping Turtle, Cuvier’s Dwarf Caiman and Humboldt Penguin.
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Guided tour
Macduff Marine Aquarium
Aquarium in MacDuff
The aquarium opened on 18 April 1997. It closed in 2017 so that the main tank could be drained and repaired, and Aberdeenshire Council announced a successful bid to the Levelling Up Fund in 2023. An expansion was planned that would add a second storey with a cafe.
Aquariums nearby
Our ranking methodology
This is not a ranking. The 2 venues above are listed alphabetically by name, the same order used throughout this site. We do not collect visitor reviews, star ratings, ticket-sales figures or a conservation-impact score, so none of those exist here to rank by — “best” in this page’s title means every venue that qualifies for this list, not first-to-last by quality. If we ever add a data source robust enough to support an honest ranking, this note and the order above will change together.