Istanbul Aquarium Ticket with Shuttle Bus from Sultanahmet

Istanbul Aquarium in Florya: the route from the Black Sea to the Pacific

Istanbul Aquarium opened in 2011 on the Marmara shore of Florya, in the Bakırköy district, and is laid out as a geographical journey rather than a random series of tanks. The route is about 1.2 kilometres long and passes through 17 zones that follow the seas around Turkey and beyond: the Black Sea, the Sea of Marmara, the Aegean and the Mediterranean, then the Suez Canal and the Red Sea, the Indian Ocean, the Pacific and the Atlantic, with a Panama section and a tropical rainforest at the end.

Each zone combines its tanks with scenery, sound and short films, so children follow the story as much as the fish. Together the halls hold around 1,500 species and 17,000 sea and land creatures. Allow two to three hours to walk the whole route at a relaxed pace; with the shuttle option you have about four hours in Florya, which leaves time for lunch at the cafés inside or in the shopping centre next door.

The highlights inside: sharks, rays, penguins and the rainforest

The most photographed spot is the ocean tunnel, a curved acrylic walkway through the largest tank where sand tiger sharks and broad rays pass overhead and schools of fish wheel in the blue light. The Pacific zone has the biggest sharks, the Black Sea section shows the sturgeon and other fish of Turkey's own northern coast, and the Red Sea tanks are the most colourful, with corals and clownfish.

Children usually vote for the penguins, which have their own cold enclosure, and for the piranhas and the giant Amazon fish of the South American hall. The rainforest at the end is a warm, humid greenhouse with a waterfall, free-flying birds and reptiles behind glass, a real change of climate after the air-conditioned halls. Feeding shows and a 5D cinema run at set times for a small extra charge paid on site, and are the best time to see the sharks moving.

The practical visit with the shuttle from Sultanahmet

The shuttle bus is the reason to choose this ticket. It leaves Sultanahmet Square at 10:30 or 11:30 (you pick the time when you book), follows the coastal road west past Yenikapı and Bakırköy for about 40 minutes depending on traffic, and drops you at the aquarium entrance. Your voucher gets you in through a separate entrance without joining the ticket queue, which can be long at weekends and in the school holidays.

The return bus leaves the aquarium at 16:00 and brings you back to the same spot in Sultanahmet; there is one return departure, so keep an eye on the time. Istanbul Aquarium opening hours are generally 10:00 to 20:00, so the ticket-only option lets you arrive whenever you like. There is no guide inside; the exhibits are labelled in Turkish and English. Prams and wheelchairs can use the whole route, which is level with ramps and lifts.

Florya and the Marmara coast

Florya is a residential seaside district on the European side, known to Istanbul residents for its coastal park, its summer beach and its long promenade along the Sea of Marmara. The aquarium stands right on the shore, with the sea visible from the entrance plaza, and a large shopping centre with a food court and halal restaurants of every kind is attached next door, which is where most families eat before the return bus.

If you choose the ticket-only option, how to get to Istanbul Aquarium is simple: take the Marmaray suburban train to the Florya stop (from Sirkeci it runs under the Bosphorus line directly, about 30 minutes) and walk ten minutes towards the sea; buses along the coastal road and taxis also work. The area also has Istanbul's old airport nearby, now being transformed into a vast public park, and the coastal path towards Yeşilköy makes a pleasant walk in good weather.