Unforgettable SEA LIFE London Aquarium: Dive into Ocean Wonders!

Really enjoyed my visit on my birthday (13/10) and is definitely worth a visit and the displays are incredible and well as informative.

Visited: With a 4 year-old and a 10 year-old on a weekend. Overall: We had a wonderful, memorable time. The aquarium is perfectly designed to captivate young children with its immersive exhibits and magical atmosphere. It's a solid 4-star experience for families, but a few practical tips would have made our visit even smoother. The Highlights for Kids: · The Shark Walk & Ocean Tunnel: This was the undisputed winner. Walking through the glass tunnel with sharks, giant sea turtles, and rays swimming overhead had both kids (and us!) utterly mesmerized. My 4 year-old was pretending to be a deep-sea explorer for the rest of the day. · The Penguin Point: The penguin exhibit is fantastic. We arrived just in time for a feeding talk, which held the children's attention for a full 15 minutes—a miracle! Seeing the penguins swim and dive so close was a big hit. · Perfect Pacing: The route is a one-way loop, which is genius with little ones. There's no arguing about which way to go, and you naturally see everything without backtracking. The dark, moody lighting with colourful tank lights feels like a real adventure. · Interactive & Hands-On Bits: The touch pools are a must-do. My 4 year-old was initially hesitant but was beaming with pride after (gently!) touching a starfish. The digital interactive floors where fish "swim" away from your feet were also a great energy-burner. Things to Consider with Young Children: · Buggy/Wheelchair Friendly? Mostly. The paths are wide and accessible, but it can get very crowded, making it tricky to navigate a pushchair. We ended up using our compact stroller for the 4 year-old and were glad we did. Baby-wearing would be an excellent option for smaller infants. · The Gift Shop Exit: Be warned—you exit directly through a large, enticing gift shop. Have your "we're just looking" speech prepared, or maybe pre-promise a small treat from the penny squishers outside to avoid the meltdown! · Pricey, But Expected: It's a central London attraction, so the tickets are on the higher side. Book online in advance! You save a significant amount compared to buying at the door and can often choose a timed entry slot to avoid the worst of the queues. · Crowds: We went on a rainy Saturday, so it was very busy. If you can, a weekday visit would be much less hectic for little ones who want to get right up to the glass. Top Tips for Parents: 1. Pre-book online for a cheaper price and guaranteed entry. 2. Go potty before you start! The toilets are located right at the beginning and then again near the end of the route. There aren't any in the middle, so make a pitstop first. 3. Pack light but bring snacks. There's a cafe, but having a few crackers or a banana on hand for a quick energy boost is a lifesaver. 4. Don't rush. The entire visit took us about 2 hours, which was the perfect amount of time before the afternoon nap called. Verdict: A brilliant, child-friendly attraction that truly sparks wonder. The look on my children's faces was worth every penny. Just plan ahead for the crowds and the gift shop, and you're guaranteed a fabulous underwater adventure

We had a lovely Sunday morning at the Sea life Aquarium London. It's very well laid out and there's plenty to see and do. My son especially liked the sting rays.

Penguins it’s not fish they not supposed to be under ground. Very sad… The rest it’s great but please save penguin’s they deserve to see sun…

Visited on 04.09.25. The penguin enclosure was bleak. We were greeted by a penguin staring at a painted mural on the wall and I, along with other visitors, found the whole thing quite unsettling. I personally found it extremely sad. There is no daylight and no fresh air for these animals. It was an odd experience to be honest with people just stood by quietly watching before moving on quickly. I will not be returning to this ‘attraction’ and would fully support any removal of these animals to a more appropriate environment.

i had the BEST time and found all the staff to be lovely. seeing all the animals from the different views they had was so so good. the whole family enjoyed it so very much.

Meh. Looking tired and old. Due a revamp. Better suited to younger children. The penguins were good though

I went with my nephews for the school holidays. A lot of the aquarium was fine, but the penguins looked really sad and unhappy. They barely moved and don't seem to have access to much natural light. They didn't seem to enjoy having all the visitors around and it was quite depressing. Not like London Zoo, where they are outdoors and have quite a big space to move around in. One of my nephews got quite upset after seeing them. I don't think this attraction should have penguins.

I feel really conflicted writing this review because as a family we’d really enjoyed the Sea Life Aquarium up until we reached the penguin section which has left us all really upset. I’ll start with the positives: We went with our 7 month old baby, he was in baby carrier on me and my husband pushed pram around. There was a pram park at the entrance where you can leave your pram if you like. You have to go through airport style security at entrance so it’s a bit annoying getting all the baby bags out the pram etc but understandable. Our baby was mesmerised watching the fish with the bright colours, lights and bubbles. It was really special to watch and we created some lovely memories. Even though it was a busy day during summer holidays we still managed to get to see all the fish. There is an underwater tunnel halfway through where you go under the water; I’m really claustrophobic so I’d dreaded this part but as there is a slow lane and a fast lane, I was able to get through quickly in the fast lane without feeling trapped. You then go into a creepy crawly section which wasn’t as appealing to our baby, then you go into the jellyfish section which is great for babies as they have different coloured lights in there. It’s also worth noting it was incredibly hot due to all the tanks and lights etc. Now to the upsetting part, right at the end is the penguin section. I instantly felt something wasn’t right as we saw them. It’s in the basement with no natural lighting, with a small pool and a landscape of Antarctica painted on the wall. The penguins were all lined up staring at the painted wall. It was really heartbreaking to see. Gentoo penguins can dive up to 600ft in the wild and swim at 22mph, this tiny 6ft pool at Sea Life does not allow for this, it’s so sad. It really stayed with us after our visit and my husband and I started googling about these penguins and found a petition which has gone to parliament to free these 15 penguins. We’ve subsequently signed the petition to ask for them to be rehomed at an accredited sanctuary and emailed our local MP to ask for him to support the debate in the commons chamber.

Fantastic couple of hours in there. Six year old Grandson was amazed by it all. His favourite was the sharks. Only downside for me was the amount of buggies / prams blocking the narrow tunnels. There is a place to leave them at the start but many didn’t. Overall, great experience.