The Blue Reef Aquarium is Southsea’s go-to rainy-day attraction, an indoor world of sharks, rays and jellyfish right on the seafront. It is open all year, which makes it a reliable fallback when the Solent weather turns, as it often does.
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The Portsmouth And team rates it as one of the best family outings in the city, and this guide covers what you will see, what it costs and how to find it.
What you will see
The aquarium is built around a series of themed tanks that lead you from local rock pools to tropical reefs. It is compact enough for younger children yet varied enough to hold older ones, which is the balance a good family attraction needs.
Along the way you will meet sharks, rays and stingrays, playful otters, chameleons, snapping turtles, frogs and pufferfish, with a mesmerising jellyfish display that tends to stop everyone in their tracks. Keeper talks at feeding times add a bit of theatre and plenty of questions from the little ones.
The highlights that keep families coming back include:
- The underwater walkthrough, with fish gliding overhead;
- The otters, usually the noisiest crowd-pleasers;
- The glowing jellyfish tanks;
- The daily feeding talks with the keepers.
“The jellyfish tank is where we lose the kids for twenty minutes,” one parent told us, “and honestly the adults are just as bad.”
Tickets and opening times
Tickets are mid-range for a family attraction, and booking online can save a little against the gate price. Here are the current rates and hours to plan around:
| Ticket or detail | Price or time |
|---|---|
| Adult | £12.50 |
| Child | £9.50 |
| Senior | £11.50 |
| Family of four (2 adults, 2 children) | £42.00 |
| Opening, April to October | 10:00 to 17:00 |
| Opening, November to March | 10:00 to 16:00 |
Prices and hours can change, so it is worth a quick check before you travel, especially in the school holidays.
Getting there and tips
The aquarium sits on Clarence Esplanade, right beside the Pyramids Centre and a short walk from Southsea Castle and the D-Day Story. Drivers can use the seafront car parks nearby, and buses from the city centre stop close to the front.
It works best as part of a seafront day, with the beach and castle on the doorstep, or as a dry bolt-hole when the forecast lets you down.
Is it worth a visit
For families, and for anyone who likes a close-up look at marine life, our editors would say yes, particularly on a grey day when the beach is off the table. Keep it to a couple of hours, aim for one of the daily feeds posted at the entrance each morning when the tanks are at their liveliest, and pair it with the seafront, and the Blue Reef earns its place on a Southsea day out.
