Parkcentral Hotel
🏖️ a few minutes' walk from Bournemouth Pier (Excellent water quality)
Bournemouth
Aquariums · Bournemouth
Oceanarium
📍 BH2 5AA
Photo: Tiia Monto (CC BY-SA 3.0), via Wikimedia Commons
- Walk through an underwater tunnel with sharks and a turtle
- See a colony of Humboldt penguins at outdoor Penguin Beach
- Explore the Shark Wreck Reef shipwreck-themed exhibit
- Daily animal talks and feeding experiences
- Outdoor terrace and penguin viewing area
The Oceanarium is a tropical aquarium on Bournemouth's seafront, home to sharks, a loggerhead turtle, otters, jellyfish, clownfish and a colony of Humboldt penguins. You can walk through an underwater tunnel, explore the shipwreck-themed Shark Wreck Reef, and enjoy an outdoor terrace and penguin viewing area, with daily talks and feeding experiences adding extra interest for families. It's an all-weather attraction suited to visitors of all ages, open daily from 10am. Located in Bournemouth, Dorset, it's just a mile from Bournemouth station and only 0.1 miles from Bournemouth Pier beach, with 149 bookable places to stay within 5 miles if you're planning a longer visit to the area.
Practical details
- Open
- 10am daily, closing at 5pm weekdays and 6pm weekends
- Booking
- Tickets, memberships and Open Day tickets available online
From the attraction's own website on 20 Sep 2026 — check before you travel.
Facilities
- ✓ Cafe
- ✓ Toilets
- ✓ Gift Shop
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Create a free account to claimPlaces to stay near Oceanarium
Make a proper break of it — these stays are all within 25 miles.
0.1 mi
0.1 mi
The Hermitage Hotel
🏖️ a few minutes' walk from Bournemouth Pier (Excellent water quality)
Bournemouth
0.2 mi
Saltwater Breeze
🏖️ a few minutes' walk from Bournemouth Pier (Excellent water quality)
Bournemouth, South West England
Sleeps 4
£1,825 per break
Check availability
0.2 mi
Royal Bath Hotel
✓ Prime seafront location overlooking Bournemouth Beach
🏖️ a few minutes' walk from Bournemouth Pier (Excellent water quality)
Bournemouth
0.2 mi
0.2 mi
🎪 What's on near Oceanarium
Events from
Skiddle
Fri 13 Nov · 19:30
Comedy At The Fishermans Haunt
The Fishermans Haunt, Christchurch · 5.7 mi
Tickets on Skiddle ↗
Fri 13 Nov · 19:30
National Dance Company Wales presents Blue | Glas
Pavillion Dance South West, Bournemouth · 0.1 mi
Tickets on Skiddle ↗
Fri 4 Dec · 19:00
Balcony Bar Hire
Canvas, Bournemouth · 0.6 mi
Tickets on Skiddle ↗
Fri 4 Dec · 19:30
Sounds of the 70s
The Regent Christchurch, Christchurch · 4.5 mi
Tickets on Skiddle ↗
🗓️ Make a break of it
Turn a visit to Oceanarium into a proper getaway — ready-made plans, and the drive worked out with fuel, EV charging and the best stops.
A weekend in Bournemouth: an accessible itinerary →
A weekend in Bournemouth with the kids →
A weekend in Bournemouth →
🗺️ Plan the drive to Oceanarium
🚆 Or come by train
- Bournemouth 1 miles
- Branksome 2 miles
- Pokesdown 2.4 miles
Straight-line distances · live departures on each station page