In the centre of the city, facing the Old Port, the La Rochelle aquarium is one of the largest private aquariums in Europe.
For 1h30, you can visit the heart of the oceans and meet more than 12,000 marine animals, representing 600 species, in 82 aquariums, on 8,445m2 and in 3 million litres of seawater.
René Coutant, who died in 1984, an aquarium manufacturer, exhibited his collection publicly for the first time in 1972. He was followed by his children Roselyne and Pascal who opened in 1988 the largest Aquarium in France on the port of Les Minimes. Then, in 2001, in response to the company's success, the aquarium moved to a location near the Old Port, where it has welcomed 800,000 visitors every year since it opened.
In 2017, the Aquarium de La Rochelle will offer a new journey to the great depths. In the darkness, the marine species are illuminated with bright colours... The immersion in the Gallery of Lights is a real wonder.
Visits
The aquarium offers nine areas to visit:
- Mediterranean Sea
- Jellyfish and Oceanic
- Caribbean Sea
- Indo-Pacific Region
- Sharks
- Sea Turtles
- Rainforest
- Gallery of Lights
- Children's Journey.
Spend an hour and a half exploring the heart of the oceans and marvel at the biodiversity of the Atlantic, Mediterranean, and Tropics.
On each visit, you can admire the evolution of one of the 82 ecosystems and check out the latest news from the underwater world in the Aquarium lobby.
The gift shop, “Mémoires d'Océans,” offers an original selection of souvenirs.
All in all, the 800,000 visitors each year help fund numerous scientific research projects and raise public awareness of the need to preserve biodiversity.
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Open 365 days a year
Aquarium of La Rochelle
Quai Louis Prunier,
17000 La Rochelle
Tel: 05 46 34 00 00
http://www.aquarium-larochelle.com/
