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Aquarium Gran Canaria, Quick Facts
Aquarium Gran Canaria, Poema del Mar Tickets With Optional Bus From The South
Sharks over your head. An octopus that stares back. A fish that has been extinct for 380 million years and still looks angry about it. That is Poema del Mar, the main aquarium in Gran Canaria, sitting in the harbour of Las Palmas. One small problem: you are probably in Maspalomas, an hour south. So we put a return coach on the road, Wednesdays and Fridays. Grab the ticket, add the bus, done.
Meet A Few Of The Locals
Every photo here was taken by our own team on a normal visit. No stock images, no press pack. And yes, we asked them for a quote.
🐙 "Oh. You again." I have eight arms, three hearts and nine brains. You have a phone and a bus ticket. Most people walk past me in four seconds. Stay a little longer and I will change colour for you. No pressure.
The Octopus Is Watching You Too
This is the local common octopus, the same one living off the Canary coast. Walk past fast and you see a purple lump on a rock. Stand there three minutes and it changes colour, changes texture, and slides across the glass with one eye on you.
It is the animal most guests tell us about afterwards. There is no queue pushing you along, so take your time.
The 380 Million Year Old Fish With No Teeth
Set into the rock wall in the jungle section is a full Dunkleosteus skeleton. Six metres long, armour plated, and the top predator of the ocean long before sharks turned up.
The part that gets everyone: it had no teeth at all. Its jaw was two bony blades that sharpened each other every time it bit. One of the strongest bites ever measured in a fish. Stand next to it and the size does the explaining.
🦴 "No teeth. Never lost a fight." Six metres. Armour plated. My jaw sharpened itself every time I closed my mouth. Sharks came along later and took all the credit. Typical.
🐉 "I am not a seahorse. Please." I am a weedy sea dragon. These leaves are camouflage, not decoration, thank you. You have probably never seen one of me in your life. Go on, take the photo. Everybody does.
The Sea Dragon Nobody Expects
Related to seahorses, found only off southern Australia, and almost nobody has seen one in real life. Those leaf shaped fins are camouflage, so it drifts along looking exactly like floating seaweed.
Of everything inside, this is the one our team struggled to walk away from. It is also the most photographed animal in the building, which tells you plenty.
And It Does Not Even Start With Fish
Most people assume an aquarium means one room of tanks. The route opens on a jungle: rock walls, thick planting, a wobbly rope bridge over water, and a cast that includes tortoises, lizards, poison dart frogs and a Siamese crocodile.
It is a slow green start and it works. The seawater comes later, and the contrast is on purpose. If anyone uses a wheelchair or a pushchair, there is a step-free route around the bridge.
🐢 "You came here for fish, didn't you." Rude. We live in the jungle bit at the start, with the crocodile and the frogs. Everyone runs past us to see the sharks. We will still be here when you come back. Obviously.
Then You Walk Into This
The route saves the big one for last. The Deep Sea tank sits behind one of the largest curved viewing windows in the world. Sharks, rays, turtles and shoals of fish moving across it like weather. There are seats in front of it, which tells you how long the aquarium expects you to stay.
Most people plan to glance and end up sitting down for twenty minutes. It is the reason this visit lands harder than two hours should.
Our actual advice: sit down, put the phone away for one minute, and just watch it. Then take the photo. It will still be there.
Because the aquarium is the easy part. Getting there is not. We run a return coach from the south on Wednesdays and Fridays, collecting near your hotel and dropping you back at the exact same spot. Ticket prices are the official ones, no markup. A local Canary Islands team on WhatsApp every day from 08:00 to 22:00, and every other activity bookable in the same place.
Tickets 29€ adult and 19€ child. Add the return coach for 31€ adult and 21€ child, Wednesdays and Fridays only.
How Long Do You Actually Need?
⏳ About 2 Hours. Yes, Really.
Straight talk: this is not a full day attraction like Siam Park or Loro Parque. Poema del Mar is focused and very well made, and most people are done in around 2 hours at a relaxed pace.
So do not build your whole day around the aquarium alone. Treat it as the anchor of a Las Palmas day. It is in the harbour, minutes from Las Canteras beach, the old town of Vegueta and the shops around Triana. Aquarium in the morning, lunch by the sea, afternoon wandering. That is a properly good day.
And that is exactly how the coach day is built, with free time in the city before the ride home.
On A Cruise Ship In Las Palmas?
Then this is about the easiest thing you can do with your hours ashore. Poema del Mar is in the same harbour your ship docks in. No crossing the island, no racing your all aboard time.
🚶 Five minutes on foot. Out of the terminal, across the open area, turn right, and there it is. Depends slightly on your berth, but you will not miss it. The building is enormous and there are usually people handing out flyers on the way.
Book the ticket only, not the coach. The coach is for guests staying an hour south, and it would steal your entire day.
Why it suits a port day: about 2 hours inside, fully indoors whatever the weather, and you are back near the terminal quickly. Add lunch at Las Canteras or a wander through Vegueta and you still have margin.
Tell us your ship and your all aboard time in the order notes, or message us on WhatsApp. If it does not fit your hours, we will say so.
The Return Bus From Maspalomas And Playa del Inglés
Here is the real reason most people staying in the south never get to this aquarium: it is an hour away. Hire a car for one day, find the port, find parking, drive back. Or decode a public bus timetable on holiday. Neither is fun. So we run a return coach instead, picked up near your hotel and dropped back at the exact same stop.
🚌 How the coach day works. Pickup between 08:30 and 09:10 depending on your zone, with a guide at the stop. Straight up the motorway to Las Palmas. Time in the aquarium, then free time in the city for lunch, Las Canteras or the shops. The coach leaves Poema del Mar at 16:00 and takes you back where it found you.
Wednesdays and Fridays only. No service on other days. Your ticket on its own works any day the aquarium is open.
31€ per adult and 21€ per child on top of the ticket, and that is the return trip, both ways.
This is new. We set this up with a local transport partner from winter 2026. Until now there was no simple way to get here from the southern resorts without a car. That is the whole reason it exists.
Find Your Pickup Stop
Five zones across the south, each with its own time. Find yours below. You are dropped back at the same one, so there is nothing to work out when you are tired.
Zone 1 08:30
Zone 2 08:40
Zone 3 08:50
Zone 4 09:00
Zone 5 09:10
🕑 When To Book The Coach
Seats are limited and the route is fixed, so book ahead. The latest we take a booking for the next day is 19:00 the evening before.
Booking for tomorrow after 14:00? Message us first to check there is still space. Two minutes now beats standing at a stop watching a full coach go past.
If the coach is full, you are not charged. We confirm your seat before the booking is final, then refund you straight away or move you to another day.
Prices
No fake discounts, no crossed out numbers. Ticket prices are the official ones. The coach is an optional extra.
| Option | Price |
|---|---|
| Adult ticket | 29€ |
| Child ticket, 3 to 11 | 19€ |
| Add return coach, adult | +31€ |
| Add return coach, child | +21€ |
| Baby, 0 to 2 | Free |
| Canary Islands resident | On request |
📌 How It Works, In Three Steps
1. Pick your ticket. Adult, child, or both. Valid any day the aquarium is open.
2. Add the coach if you want it. Only if you are staying in the south. It runs Wednesdays and Fridays only, so pick one of those two dates.
3. Tell us your hotel and we confirm your stop and time after booking.
⚠️ The Coach Price Here Is For Ticket Holders
The 31€ and 21€ coach prices on this page are the combined rate, for guests booking their aquarium ticket at the same time. Booking both together is cheaper than booking them apart. That is the point.
If you add the coach without a ticket, we send you a payment link for the difference, 5€ per person. Nothing sneaky. We just cannot give the combined rate on a transport-only booking.
Already have your ticket and only need the ride? Message us and we will sort it at the transport-only price.
The practical stuff, tap a section to open it
What Your Booking Includes
- Entry to Poema del Mar on your selected date.
- Access to every zone, from jungle habitats to the Deep Sea tank.
- More than 350 species, including sharks, rays, octopus and sea dragons.
- Free WiFi throughout the aquarium.
- A digital Club Canary e-ticket after booking.
- Return coach from your zone in the south, both ways.
- A guide who meets you at the pickup stop.
- Drop-off at the same stop you were collected from.
- Free time in Las Palmas after the aquarium.
Hours, Location, Entry And What To Bring
- 9:30 to 17:30, Monday to Sunday, open 365 days a year. Hours can still change for holidays or special events, so check your ticket for your date.
- Pickup between 08:30 and 09:10 depending on your zone, with a guide at the stop.
- The coach leaves Poema del Mar at 16:00 for the journey back.
- You are dropped at the same stop you were collected from.
- Be at your stop 5 minutes early. The coach runs a long route and cannot wait.
- Latest booking for the next day is 19:00 the evening before.
- Booking for tomorrow after 14:00? Message us first to check there is still space.
- Seats are confirmed with the transport company before your booking is final. If the coach is full you are not charged, and we refund you or move you to another day.
- The 31€ and 21€ coach prices are the combined rate, for guests booking the aquarium ticket at the same time.
- Add the coach without a ticket and we send a payment link for the difference, 5€ per person.
- Already have your ticket and only need the ride? Message us and we arrange it at the transport-only price.
- Every coach booking goes on hold until we confirm your seat. Only then is it final.
- Paying by card or PayPal? Nothing is collected while your order is on hold, it sits as a pending authorisation. If we cannot fit you on, nothing is ever taken.
- Paying by iDEAL and Wero, Bancontact, Revolut Pay or Bizum? Those charge straight away. Your order still goes on hold, and if the coach is full we refund you in full. Quick and no trouble.
- Either way, you never pay for a seat you did not get.
- Av. de los Consignatarios, s/n, 35008 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, in the harbour near Las Canteras beach. Open on Google Maps.
- Paid parking is available in the harbour area nearby. Your ticket alone is valid any day the aquarium is open, not just Wednesday and Friday.
- Valid for one entry during opening hours. Have your Club Canary e-ticket ready, on your phone or printed. Booking online helps you skip waiting in busy periods.
- Néstor Restaurant, à la carte dishes and a daily menu, with views over the Deep Sea tank.
- Nemo Snack Bar beside the reef exhibition for a quicker stop halfway round.
- Free WiFi throughout, and a gift shop at the end of the route.
- Eating is only allowed in the designated dining areas, so if you bring food on the coach, eat it before you go in or afterwards in the city.
- No flash photography anywhere, which protects the animals. Normal phone photos without flash are fine.
- Professional camera gear only on request.
- No pets inside.
- Do not feed the animals or throw anything into the tanks.
- Smoking in designated areas only, casual clothing is fine, and entry may be refused to anyone under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
- The route is step-free, including a flat way around the rope bridge in the jungle section. Tell us in advance if anyone in your group uses a wheelchair or a pushchair.
- Your e-ticket, comfortable shoes and a camera. Taking the coach? Bring what you need for a few hours in the city too.
- Canary Islands resident rates may be available on request.
- School groups can be accompanied by an aquarium teacher through the route, subject to availability.
- For larger groups, message our team and we will organise it.
Aquarium Gran Canaria, FAQ
The questions people ask us most about the aquarium in Gran Canaria. Still unsure? Chat with our local team on WhatsApp, we help fast.
What is the main aquarium in Gran Canaria?
Poema del Mar in Las Palmas, in the harbour beside Las Canteras beach. It is one of the most modern aquariums in Spain, built as a single walk-through route that takes you from jungle habitats through coral reefs to the deep ocean, ending at one of the largest curved viewing windows in the world with sharks and rays passing in front of you.
How long do you need at Poema del Mar?
About 2 hours at a relaxed pace, with time to stand at the big tanks. Being straight with you, this is not a full day attraction like a theme park, and you should not plan your whole day around the aquarium alone. The smart move is to treat it as the anchor of a Las Palmas day: aquarium first, then lunch by the sea, Las Canteras beach and the shops. That is exactly how our coach day is built.
How do I get to Poema del Mar from Maspalomas or Playa del Inglés?
This is the real problem for most visitors, because the aquarium is in the capital and most people stay about an hour south. You can drive and park in the harbour area, or take the public bus, which takes a while. Or you can add our return coach, which collects you near your hotel on Wednesdays and Fridays and brings you back to the same stop. Pickup runs between 08:30 and 09:10 depending on your zone, and it costs 35€ per adult and 30€ per child on top of the ticket.
Is the coach return, and where does it drop me off?
Yes, the price covers both ways. A guide meets you at your pickup stop in the morning, the coach goes straight to Poema del Mar, and at 16:00 it collects you from the aquarium for the ride back. You are dropped at the exact same stop you were picked up from, so there is nothing to work out at the end of the day. The coach runs on Wednesdays and Fridays only. Your ticket on its own is valid any day the aquarium is open.
I am arriving by cruise ship in Las Palmas. Is the aquarium close?
Very. Poema del Mar is in the same harbour your ship docks in. Walk out of the cruise terminal, cross the open area in front, turn right, and it is there, roughly 5 minutes on foot depending on your berth. You will not miss it. Book the ticket only, not the coach, since the coach is for guests staying an hour south and would take you away from your ship all day. The visit takes about 2 hours and it is entirely indoors, so it fits a port day comfortably. Tell us your ship and all aboard time and we will confirm it works before you book.
How much are Poema del Mar tickets?
29€ per adult and 19€ per child aged 3 to 11, with babies aged 0 to 2 free, please add them in the order notes. Those are the official prices, we do not mark them up. Adding the return coach from the south costs 35€ per adult and 30€ per child, so an adult with transport is 64€ and a child is 49€. Canary Islands resident rates may be available on request, just message our team.
How far in advance do I need to book the coach?
The latest we can take a coach booking for the next day is 19:00 the evening before. If you are booking for tomorrow and it is already after 14:00, message us first so we can check there is still space, because seats are limited and the coach runs a fixed route. Every coach booking goes on hold until we confirm your seat. If you pay by card or PayPal nothing is collected while it is on hold, and with other methods the payment goes through but we refund you straight away if the coach is full. You never pay for a seat you did not get.
Is Poema del Mar good for children?
Yes, it is one of the easier family activities in Gran Canaria. Children get close to sharks, rays and hundreds of tropical species, the route is step-free and easy with a pushchair, and there are rest areas along the way. The deep ocean window tends to hold them longer than anything else. Because the whole visit is about 2 hours it suits shorter attention spans, and being indoors and air conditioned, nobody gets overheated.
Is the aquarium a good plan in bad weather or during calima?
It is one of the most reliable plans on the island for exactly that. Poema del Mar is fully indoors and air conditioned, so it works when it is too hot for the beach, when it rains, or during a dusty calima when being outside is unpleasant. It is also open every day, usually 9:30 to 17:30. If your beach day collapses, this is the plan B most people are glad they had.
What else can I do in Las Palmas after the aquarium?
Plenty, and this is why the day works. Las Canteras, one of the finest city beaches in Spain, is a short walk away with a long promenade full of restaurants. The old town of Vegueta has the cathedral, cobbled streets and the Columbus house museum. Around Triana you will find the main shopping streets. If you take our coach you have free time in the city before the 16:00 departure, so you can do the aquarium and still see a good part of the capital.
Can I book only the bus without aquarium tickets?
You can, but it costs a little more. The coach prices on this page are the combined rate, for guests booking their Poema del Mar ticket at the same time, which is why booking both together works out cheaper than booking them apart. If you add the coach on its own, Club Canary will send you a payment link for the difference of 5€ per person before your booking is confirmed. Already have your ticket and only need the ride? Message the Club Canary team and we will arrange it at the transport-only price.
Does Poema del Mar have shows like Loro Parque?
No, and it is worth knowing before you go. Poema del Mar is a pure aquarium, so there are no dolphin, sea lion or parrot shows and no fixed show times to plan around. You simply walk the route at your own pace, from the jungle habitats through the coral reefs to the deep ocean tank, and stop wherever you like. Club Canary's advice: that is why about 2 hours is enough here, and why we build the coach day around the aquarium plus free time in Las Palmas rather than the aquarium alone. If you want shows and a full day in one place, Loro Parque in Tenerife is the one you are thinking of.
Booking And Cancellation Policy
Tickets And Entry
- Your ticket is valid for one entry during opening hours on your selected date. Show your Club Canary e-ticket at the entrance.
Free Cancellation
- Groups of 10 people or fewer: free cancellation up to 72 hours before the visit.
- Groups of 11 to 49 people: cancellation up to 3 days before the visit.
- Groups of 50 or more: at least 6 days notice required.
- After these deadlines, tickets are not refundable.
The Coach
- The coach runs on Wednesdays and Fridays only and must be booked in advance, not on the day.
- The coach prices shown are the combined rate for guests booking an aquarium ticket at the same time. If the coach is added without a ticket, we send a payment link for the difference of 5€ per person before the booking is confirmed.
- The latest booking for the next day is 19:00 the evening before. For tomorrow after 14:00, please message us first to check availability.
- Your seat is confirmed with the transport company before the booking is final. If the coach is full you are not charged, and we refund you in full or move you to another date.
- Be at your stop 5 minutes before the time on your ticket. If you miss the coach it counts as a no-show and cannot be refunded, as the seat was held for you on a fixed route.
- If you miss the outbound coach and travel to Las Palmas yourself, tell us straight away and we will ask about a seat on the return, though it cannot be guaranteed.
Inside The Aquarium
- Some areas or exhibits may be closed for technical, safety, operational or animal welfare reasons. The aquarium does not offer a refund or a date change for this, and nor can we.
- No flash photography anywhere, professional camera gear only on request, no pets, and no feeding or throwing objects to the animals.
- Eating is only permitted in the designated dining areas.
Responsibility
- Club Canary is an official ticket seller. The aquarium and everything inside it are run by Poema del Mar, and the coach is run by a licensed local transport company.
Building a Gran Canaria plan? Add a whale and dolphin boat trip, browse boat hire, or see all Gran Canaria experiences.
Questions about the coach, resident tickets or a group visit? Chat with our local team on WhatsApp. We reply fast.
Club Canary's Honest Take
Real talk from your local team in the Canary Islands
Poema del Mar is not a wild adventure. It is a calm, very well made aquarium, and that is exactly the point. The Deep Sea tank gets adults as much as children, and the whole thing is easy and comfortable.
Two honest things. You need about 2 hours, not a full day. And it is in Las Palmas, an hour from the southern resorts, which is the real reason most people in Maspalomas never make it.
That is what the coach fixes. Wednesdays and Fridays we collect you, you do the aquarium, then you get free time in the city for lunch, Las Canteras and the shops, and we drop you back at the same stop.
And if the octopus or the toothless 380 million year old fish made you smile on the way down this page, that was on purpose. We put real effort and a bit of fun into this stuff, because booking your holiday should feel as good as the holiday.
The aquarium is the easy part. Getting there is what we are actually for.
🎫 Book Now 💬 WhatsApp Our Local TeamMade with love by the Club Canary Team.
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