On a recent trip to Riccione we decided to head to Cattolica Aquarium. We were told by the hotel we were staying in that it wasn’t very big and wouldn’t take long to get around but with a 3 year old in tow and lunch to get out the way we were there a good 4 plus hours. So if you have children this is definitely a must see if you are travelling with children.
Cattolica Aquarium
There are four sections to the aquarium, blue, yellow, green and purple. Which are rivers and streams (yellow) this includes the adorable otters (best to be seen during the feeding seasons) and the caimans. Another world (green) which has the reptiles/amphibians including snakes, frogs and insects. Sounds of the sea (purple) which is an interactive section. Learn how the animals communicate with each other. This is the section we spent ages in, my son enjoying listening to the animal noises!
And finally Close Encounters (blue) this has over 100 display tanks full of different fish, sharks, turtles, penguins and jellyfish. Your children will definitely have a learning experience at this aquarium and its fascinating watching all the different animals in their tanks. There is also an outdoor play area which my son played in for a could 30-40 minutes.
Ticket Prices
To check out up to date prices and opening dates check out the main website. They are sometimes closed during the off peak season. Prices are reasonable, though maybe a little expensive but then this is just our opinion.
Food & Drinks
There is a self service restaurant at the aquarium. We didn’t use the restaurant we went inside a little cafe which I think is a sub section the the self service restaurant. We just ate a sandwich and some crisps. They have meal deals which are reasonably priced for what you get. Food was also decent quality.
Overall
It was a good place to visit if you are staying near Riccione with children. Definitely enough to keep the kids entertained and something different to do than go to the beach. Be aware though if you don’t have a car you would have to pre arrange a taxi to pick you up or at least have a number with you. The way we arrived into the aquarium there wasn’t much life going on. There was other entrances though so could possibly be better to find a taxi from one of these entrances. You can check how to get there on their website.
* Reviews are our own opinion. We haven’t been paid in anyway for writing this.
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