We recently visited the London Aquarium with our two year-old daughter. As it was freezing outdoors we wanted to go somewhere warm and somewhere that would keep our daughter's attention. The aquarium proved to be the perfect solution.
We managed to avoid the high entrance fees by taking advantage of a 2 for 1 offer that we found when booking train tickets to London. That helped considerably and resulted in a cheap outing for the three of us.
The aquarium itself is packed with stunning tanks of fish from around the world. While there is a large amount of fresh water fish that tend to all look the same after awhile, the tropical fish are absolutely beautiful - wish there would have been more.
The enormous shark tank was incredible and we stood there for ages watching them glide through the water. Most of the tanks were easily accessible for children. Those that were higher from the ground were minor displays and we didn't feel the need to lift our daughter to see them.
Our daughter loved standing against the tanks and watching the fish before heading off to the next display. For someone who normally doesn't walk much, she managed to walk through the whole building with excitement. There were lots of toddlers there so the London Aquarium is definately a hot spot for tots to visit. (We were there on a Sunday.)
The petting tanks were also very popular with the kids, though our daughter was a bit small to safely touch the fish without falling in! She enjoyed just splashing the water though and watching the others having fun.
For the more serious fish fanatic satisfaction is guaranteed. Good descriptions of the fish are available to read. Only slight downfall is that some of the descriptions are on the other side of the tanks - after you've actually looked at the fish.
The Aquarium does have a small cafe nestled by the entrance. There is, however, a McDonalds right next door and is accessible indoors following a visit to the impressive gift shop on the way out.
Overall, an enjoyable outing and well-worth the visit.
For further details vist the London Aquarium website. Prices vary from about £10 to £11 depending if you fall into a peak season or not - seems to change every few weeks. They are located right by the London Eye - Waterloo Station nearest station.
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K1ttyCat 02.02.2006 18:27
For further details vist the London Aquarium website. Prices vary from about £10 to £11 depending if you fall into a peak season or not - seems to change every few weeks. They are located right by the London Eye - Waterloo Station nearest station.
Hope this helps.
VC81 02.02.2006 17:16
It sounds a nice place to visit, but where is it and how much does it cost? Vic
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Advantages: can't think of any this time around Disadvantages: Can get busy, sometimes full of screaming kids over the holiday periods, dumbed down feel
Advantages: can't think of any this time around Disadvantages: Can get busy, sometimes full of screaming kids over the holiday periods, dumbed down feel
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