Beijing Ocean Aquarium is located on the north bank of Changhe River within Beijing Zoo, Haidian District, Beijing. As one of the first batch of national 4A-level tourist attractions, it integrates sightseeing, science education, and recreational entertainment, and is currently the largest inland aquarium in the world. The aquarium covers an area of 120,000 square meters with a building area of 42,000 square meters. Equipped with advanced life support systems, it uses artificial seawater with a total water volume of 18,000 tons. Its unique architectural design resembles a giant blue conch, with the main building featuring blue and orange as basic tones, symbolizing the mysterious ocean and the endless vitality of marine life.
History and Culture
Beijing Ocean Aquarium opened in March 1999 and has received tens of millions of Chinese and foreign visitors since its opening, winning praise from visitors worldwide. It has won the highest award of the 11th Capital Tourism Forbidden City Cup — the Best Collective Award, and has been continuously rated as a "Capital Civilized Tourism Scenic Area". Meanwhile, it serves as a marine science education base and a youth science education base awarded by multiple government agencies, and has become a research base and propaganda platform for aquatic organism domestication and breeding research by many scientific institutions, actively engaging in marine science promotion, aquatic species protection, and research.
Main Attractions
Rainforest Wonder
Simulating the tropical rainforest scenery of the Amazon Basin, it features winding paths, flowing waterfalls, murmuring streams, etc. Twenty-two exhibition tanks of different sizes are ingeniously embedded among the forests and rock crevices like scattered pearls, displaying the natural landscape of South American tropical rainforests and freshwater fish living there.
Beach Style
With a 48-meter-long simulated vibrant coastline, visitors can touch various marine creatures such as blue tangs and bread starfish with their own hands.
Underwater World
Visitors can experience a global underwater journey and explore the ocean world here. With colorful underwater visual effects and super-large arc acrylic display windows, 37 exhibition tanks showcase ornamental fish from the most representative sea areas on Earth. In May 2011, new exhibition areas "Coral Garden" and "Jellyfish Secret Realm" were launched. The "Jellyfish Secret Realm" displays more than ten species and thousands of jellyfish, while the "Coral Garden" restores the natural ecological environment of coral reefs.
Bering Town
An interactive area where real displays blend with virtual scenes, with docks and towns supporting each other. In front of Asia's longest acrylic integral display window, in the dim underwater environment, beluga whales pass by visitors, displayed in a three-dimensional full-view manner, with a near-thousand-square-meter sky screen showing the charm of the ocean floor.
National Treasure Chinese Sturgeon Pavilion
Near-viewing the Chinese sturgeon king through the world's longest acrylic integral display window. The pavilion's interesting science knowledge display boards systematically introduce the mysterious and charming life of the Chinese sturgeon, and underwater feeding shows of Chinese sturgeons are also available.
Whale and Dolphin Bay
A venue for watching dolphins and sea lions. The open design allows visitors to communicate face-to-face with these friends from the depths of the ocean, while introducing many legends about whales.
Ocean Theater
China's largest marine theater of its kind with more than 3,000 seats, it is a venue for dolphin and sea lion shows, presenting the rich and romantic Hawaiian seaside scenery.
Food
Haowei Island and Beach Bar
Located inside the aquarium, they serve as warm havens for the body and mind and energy-filled gas stations, providing special marine drinks and simple meals for visitors to rest and relax.
Surchrounding Food: Around the aquarium, there are various restaurants and snack stalls near the zoo, offering diverse cuisines such as Chinese fast food, pizza, hamburgers, etc., to meet the taste needs of different visitors.
Admission Ticket
The admission ticket (including Beijing Zoo) is 175 RMB per person.
You can search for the official WeChat public account "北京海洋馆" on WeChat to get the latest updates or purchase tickets online.
Opening Hours
Summer: 9:00 - 17:30; Winter: 10:00 - 17:00.
Tour Route
After entering from the entrance, start by visiting Rainforest Wonder to experience tropical rainforest scenery; then go to Beach Style to touch marine creatures with your hands; next, explore the ocean world in Underwater World; then visit Bering Town to see beluga whales; afterward, tour National Treasure Chinese Sturgeon Pavilion to learn about Chinese sturgeons; go to Whale and Dolphin Bay to watch dolphins and sea lions; finally, enjoy wonderful animal shows at Ocean Theater. The whole journey takes about 3-4 hours.
Transportation
- Bus: Take bus routes such as Yuntong 104, Yuntong 105, Yuntong 106, 332, 347, 360, 362, 534, 563, 608, 632, 697, Te 4, Te 5, Te 19, etc., get off at Beijing Zoo Station, and walk to the aquarium.
- Subway: Take Subway Line 4 to Zoo Station, exit from Gate A or Gate B, and walk for about 10-15 minutes to reach the aquarium.
Must-visit Attractions
- Underwater World: Featuring a unique deep-sea tunnel, it is the exhibition area with the largest number of fish species, along with new areas like Coral Garden and Jellyfish Secret Realm, where visitors can admire numerous colorful marine creatures.
- Ocean Theater: Watch wonderful dolphin and sea lion shows in a large indoor animal performance theater with over 3,000 seats, feeling the rich Hawaiian seaside atmosphere.
- National Treasure Chinese Sturgeon Pavilion: Near-view the Chinese sturgeon king through the world's longest acrylic display window and learn scientific knowledge about this precious species.
Tour Tips
- Check the performance times of marine animals in advance, arrange the tour order reasonably, and try not to miss the wonderful shows.
- You can bring some snacks and water, but please keep the aquarium clean. You can also replenish energy at Haowei Island and Beach Bar inside the aquarium.
- You can rent a tour guide device or follow the guided tour team inside the aquarium to better understand marine life knowledge during the visit.
Notes
- Observe the visiting order inside the aquarium, do not make loud noises to avoid affecting other visitors and marine animals.
- Do not touch marine creatures except in the designated touching areas of Beach Style to avoid causing harm to them.
- Do not use flash photography to prevent scaring marine animals.
- Take care of personal belongings, especially in crowded places such as the Ocean Theater.
- Visit according to the opening hours, plan your time in advance, and avoid being late or missing the closing time.