Which animals and habitats should you prioritise?
Ocean tunnel and shark tank
Ride type / habitat: Tropical ocean tank
This is the section almost everyone comes for, and it earns the hype. The 8-meter tunnel drops you under sharks, rays, and the rescued green sea turtle, which makes even a compact aquarium feel immersive. What most people miss is the panoramic viewing window just beyond the tunnel but it’s often a better place to pause than the tunnel itself when crowds are heavy.
Where to find it: In the main ocean zone, roughly mid-to-late in the one-way route after the freshwater and coral sections.
Amazon Rainforest
Species / habitat: South American freshwater ecosystem
The Amazon zone changes the pace of the visit completely, with warmer air, darker lighting, and species like piranhas and red-tailed catfish. It’s worth slowing down here because most visitors treat it as a pass-through on the way to the bigger tank. The interactive floor usually grabs children first, but the fish displays themselves deserve more time than they get.
Where to find it: After the central marine exhibits, in a smaller enclosed room toward the later part of the route.
Coral reef panorama
Species / habitat: Tropical coral reef
This wraparound reef tank is one of the most visually rewarding parts of the aquarium, especially if you want color and movement rather than big-animal drama. Clownfish, tangs, and other reef species make it feel packed with life, but many people only give it a glance before pushing on. The detail that gets missed most is how much is happening low in the rockwork, not just at eye level.
Where to find it: Before the ocean tunnel, in the brighter tropical marine section.
Seahorse nursery and jellyfish lab
Species / habitat: Seahorses and moon jellyfish
This is the easiest area to skip too quickly, which is a shame because it shows some of the aquarium’s most delicate animals. The seahorses reward patient looking, and the jellyfish tank is one of the most photogenic spots in the building. Most visitors rush through because the space is smaller and darker, but that’s exactly why it feels calmer than the headline exhibits.
Where to find it: In the dimly lit smaller galleries near the tropical marine displays before the later interactive zones.
Rhine to North Sea exhibits
Species / habitat: Local river and freshwater habitats
The opening section grounds the entire visit in the region’s own aquatic life, with trout, carp, and sturgeon tracing the Rhine’s journey. It matters because it gives the aquarium a sense of place instead of starting with generic tropical tanks. Most people move through it too fast because they’re eager for sharks, but it’s where the visit’s story is set up best.
Where to find it: Right at the start of the one-way route after entry.
Interactive rockpool
Species / habitat: Hands-on rockpool species
The touch pool is short, supervised, and often one of the most memorable moments for younger children. It’s less about rare species than about turning the visit from something you only look at into something you physically experience. What gets missed is timing because if a session has just ended, families move on without checking when the next supervised touch window starts.
Where to find it: Around the middle of the route, near the family-interaction zone before the final exhibits.
