Name: Hastings Aquarium
Rating: 5.0

Hastings Aquarium

Blue Reef Aquarium, Rock-a-Nore Road, Hastings, UK

1-90 Years

Paid

Website

Contact

Message

Description

Hastings Aquarium in East Sussex is a family-friendly attraction filled with fascinating marine and land animals. From tropical fish to reptiles and amphibians, it offers a fun and educational experience for all ages. With themed exhibits, daily talks, and feeding sessions, it’s an exciting day out by the seaside.

Highlights include the Ocean Tank Tunnel with blacktip reef sharks, rays, and hundreds of colourful fish, the Ray Tankfor close encounters, and the Jungle Room featuring snakes, chameleons, and tarantulas. Families can also enjoy interactive feeds, including the famous Archerfish demonstrations, and explore UK marine life in the Native Zone.

Admission prices are: Adults £15.65, Children (3–12) £12.50, Seniors/Students £14.65, Family (2A+2C) £54.70, with under-3s free.

Overall, Hastings Aquarium is a great mix of learning and adventure, perfect for children and adults alike. With hands-on exhibits, daily shows, and themed birthday party packages, it’s a must-visit for families exploring the South Coast.

Features

Paid
Host birthday parties: Yes

Features

Animals: The aquarium showcases an impressive array of marine life, including standout species such as Blacktip Reef Sharks, Pufferfish, and Big-Bellied and Lined Seahorses, alongside a vibrant mix of fish like Archerfish, Ballan Wrasse, Cardinal and Bleeding Heart Tetras, Regal Tang, Common Clownfish, and many more tropical varieties. Reptile and invertebrate highlights include the Tree Python, Panther Chameleon, Argentine Tegu, Fly River Turtle, Madagascan Day Gecko, African Bullfrog, Axolotl, Sun Beetle, Giant African Millipede, Upside-Down Jellyfish, Sea Cucumber, European Lobster, and Boxer Shrimp. Visitors can also explore the Jungle Room, home to snakes and a colour-changing chameleon.
Exhibits: Hastings Aquarium features immersive zones including the Native Zone showcasing UK marine life like seabass, lobsters, rays, and starfish; the Nursery housing breeding displays; the Ray Tank offering up-close encounters with curious rays; the Ocean Tank with an underwater tunnel filled with over 300 tropical species such as blacktip reef sharks, pufferfish, tangs, wrasse, and triggerfish; Rivers & Estuaries highlighting diverse freshwater species; and the Jungle Room, a dry-land exhibit featuring reptiles, amphibians, insects, and arachnids like snakes, chameleons, and tarantulas.
Talk and Feeds: Hastings Aquarium offers five daily animal presentations included with standard admission: Ocean Tank feeding at 11 am and again at 2 pm (featuring blacktip reef sharks); a Jungle Encounter talk at 12 pm highlighting reptile inhabitants; and Archerfish feeding demos at 1 pm and 3 pm where they shoot water jets to catch their food.

Facilities

Parking: Parking is available next to the aquarium in a pay-and-display council-operated car park.
Food & Drinks: The café serves hot and cold food and drinks, as well as snacks and ice creams.
Toilets: There are disabled toilet facilities, as well as baby changing facilities in addition to standard toilet facilities. These are available for both aquarium and café visitors.

Website

Contact

Price

Price: Paid

Price Details

Standard: £15.65
Child (3-12): £12.50
Under 3: Free
Family (2+2): £54.70
Senior/Students: £14.65

Pricing URL: https://hastingsaquarium.co.uk/visitor-info/admission-prices/

Birthday Parties

Offer Birthday Parties: Yes

Birthday Party Details

Hastings Aquarium offers fun indoor birthday celebrations for £17.00 per child with Swashbuckling Pirate and Magical Mermaid themes. Each party includes a guided aquarium tour with tropical and underwater tunnel views, a themed birthday tea, a take-home party bag for every child, plus a special gift for the birthday child and free entry for two adults. A guide also leads a quiz and the birthday child receives a year’s free membership. Visit the website for more information.

Opening Times: 10am – 6pm (last entry 5:15pm)
Opening times vary seasonally, so please check before your visit.

Address: Blue Reef Aquarium, Rock-a-Nore Road, Hastings, UK

Post Code: TN34 3DW

Council: Hastings

County: East Sussex

By Car: Use post code for any navigational device: TN34 3DW. Follow the brown tourism road-signs, they have shark symbols on, so they’re easy to spot. You can follow these from whichever direction you enter Hastings. Parking is available next to the aquarium in a pay-and-display council-operated car park.
By Train: Hastings Station is only 0.8 miles from us (approx. 20-minute walk). Hastings has excellent rail links throughout East and West Sussex, and London.