Sea Life London Aquarium Review 2025

As a family living in South East London, one of the things we’ve always loved as a fairly ‘close to home’ activity, is visiting the SEALIFE London Aquarium, based on London’s busy Southbank near the London Eye. It’s a perfect way to spend a few hours whatever the weather, and somewhere we love visiting during school holidays or on the weekends!

As London dwellers we’ve taken our three children many times at all different ages as there’s something for everyone – from babies right through to teens, all the kids still enjoy our visits! My photos here in this review are a little darker than usual due to the lighting there (you understandably can’t use a flash so not to startle the fish or other animals), but you can still get a good idea of what we managed to see during our time there (definitely allow a few hours for a visit!). It’s hard to know where to start with telling you all about the aquarium, as there is so much to do, but I will give it my best shot!

Getting to SEALIFE London Aquarium

SEA LIFE London is based in County Hall, which is right next to the London Eye and directly opposite Big Ben (so great to combine with a visit to these attractions too!). It’s really easy to get to by public transport, which I’d advise as parking is crazy-expensive in central London and within The Southbank area in general. We travelled from South East London, so we just hop on the train and get off at Waterloo East, and it’s only a few minutes’ walk from there and the main Waterloo Station. Blackfriars Station is also a stroll along The Southbank if you’re perhaps getting a Thameslink or South Eastern train.

The nearest tube to SEALIFE London is Westminster which is on the District, Circle or Jubilee lines, and then head across the bridge. Waterloo tube is also a short walk away and is on the Jubilee, Northern or Waterloo and City lines. You can even arrive by bus or river boat if you fancy something different!

About SEALIFE London Aquarium

The SEALIFE London Aquarium is one of approx 40-odd SEALIFE aquariums across the world, with 10 of these being located in the UK (including London). The National SEALIFE Centre in Birmingham is actually the biggest, although London is not far behind.

SEALIFE London has changed a fair bit over the past few years, with new exhibitions and areas to check out, so I was very much looking forward to our visit. We were fortunate to have been allocated a specific time slot on arrival, so all we had to do was pick up our tickets. I strongly advise that you book a slot in advance (arrive at least 15 minutes beforehand), as we went on a very busy day, and there were several disappointed families who had just turned up to buy tickets and were told to come back 1.5 hours later as it was full. It definitely pays off to be prepared! 

What Animals and Sea Creatures can you see at SEA LIFE London Aquarium?

There are 6 ‘Aquarium Zones’ at SEALIFE London: Coral Kingdom, Ocean Invaders, Rainforest Adventure, Polar Adventure, Open Oceans, and the famous Aquarium Tunnel (a big fave here!). Within each zone you can enjoy seeing loads of sealife creatures and aquatic animals, including sharks, stingrays, jellyfish, penguins, seahorses, hundreds of tropical fish and much, much more.

Coral Kingdom

Coral Kingdom is home to the UK’s largest living coral reef. It’s a vibrant, immersive space where you can wander through the mangroves and watch the reef change from day to night (very cool!). The 40ft-long tank is packed with colourful marine life like clownfish, regal tangs, and cardinal fish. There’s even a fun clownfish challenge for kids (and grown-ups!) to weave and shuffle through the reef like the fish themselves.

Ocean Invaders

Ocean Invaders is another must-see at SEA LIFE London as it’s the UK’s largest jellyfish experience. Spread across three interactive zones, you can explore world, of jellyfish, with glowing displays and hands-on elements. All of us find jellyfish fascinating, so this is a bit of a treat.

Rainforest Adventure

Rainforest Adventure is fronted by explorer Ben Fogle as of 2025. After a tropical storm hits, you’re invited to help uncover the secrets of the Amazon, with snakes, creepy crawlies and rainforest creatures hiding beneath the surface.

Polar Adventure

Don’t miss the Penguin Point exhibit, where you can meet a colony of Gentoo penguins in an polar setting. We also love penguins, so this was a highlight!

Open Oceans

The Open Ocean zone is stunning! Here you can see tropical fish weaving through the replica bones of a giant grey whale, while graceful Cownose Rays glide overhead and Southern Stingrays patrol the seabed below. It really does feel like being in the ocean!

Getting Around the Aquarium

After a bit of a slow start into the main aquarium (you have to navigate a lift and obligatory family photo-taker first BUT also get to take time walking over reinforced glass for the BEST view of a whole myriad of sea life), you arrive at the first viewing points/aquariums. The marine life always look so well cared for at Sea Life London, something we’d noticed previously and thankfully this hadn’t changed. I also like the fact that some aquariums are up higher, and some down lower, so smaller children can see.

Arlo, our littlest, absolutely LOVED seeing all the different fish, and got very excited!

What’s great about SEALIFE London is it’s one of those days out that’s suitable for all ages. Freddie in particular is a big nature and geography kind of guy, so got a kick out of finding out where all the marine life comes from in the world. I was impressed at how clearly the facts and information is displayed around the entire centre, and also that there are the different ‘themed’ areas that I’ve mentioned above. By doing this your experience ‘flows’ well and you get a real feel for what the waters must be like in the various parts of the globe. 

What is especially nice for kids is the chance to get up close to some of the exhibits. The Ray experience talk is fantastic, Sasha got to touch a starfish (with a very knowledgeable member of staff on hand to help and tell you more about them), and some cool ‘pop up’ tunnels where you head is in a plastic bubble and you feel like you’re ‘in’ the enclosure. 

We also came across a large VR experience area, where the kids can sit in pods. This was charged at £9 for 1 person, or 2 people for £14, so not cheap IMO, but might be worthwhile if your kids are really into this kind of thing.

Freddie is a shark fan, so we also spent a fair bit of time spotting and working out what kind of sharks they were. 

The Polar Adventure with the penguins in is absolutely brilliant- so much bigger than when we last came a few years back, with much more space to view them as well as find out their names. Freddie and Sasha loved working out which one was which from their colour coded tags! 

SEALIFE London Aquarium – Hints and Tips

Sea Life London is always going to be busier than other Sea Life centres due to its location, but once we were in it didn’t feel overcrowded and we could still easily see everything we wanted to see. If you can though, I’d definitely advise taking a sling or back-carried for a baby or toddler, as negotiating a buggy around the place is a pain (I should really know better third time around). 

As I also mentioned previously, I would book ahead, especially during the school holidays, so you have a better choice of slots and so that you aren’t disappointed if you just show up.

If you’re wondering how long it takes to go around, I would allow 2 hours, depending how involved your kids like to get with interactive features and hands-on events, although the website says 1-1.5 hours. I personally think it’s nicer to take a bit more time and really get involved with what the aquarium has to offer.

How much are London Aquarium tickets?

As of summer 2025, standard ticket entry is from £28 per adult if you book online, and from £39 per adult on the door. This price seems to fluctuate depending on the day of the week, though so definitely worth checking and booking ahead as I’ve mentioned! With standard entry you book a specific time slot, where as with the more expensive tickets you can arrive at anytime. Children’s tickets start at £25. Under 2s are free (which is ideal!), but you still to book a ticket for them so the aquarium has an idea of numbers.

In terms of extra costs, you can add on a ‘SEA LIFE Guidebook + Ranger Mission Pack’ when buying tickets for £6, which was quite cool. 

There are various other ways of saving money and buying tickets when going to the SEALIFE London Aquarium. I personally tend to use our Tesco Clubcard Vouchers to buy tickets, as part of the Merlin Rewards.

There are also multi-attraction tickets that you can buy if you want to combine your visit with other attractions along South Bank, which include the London Eye, Madame Tussauds and Shrek’s Adventure. National Rail also give you a third off as of 2025. 

Current Events at SEALIFE London Aquarium

It’s always worth checking what current events are on at the aquarium. You can check HERE.

At the moment there is something on called ‘Colourful Creatures‘ where you can ‘Create your own adventure storybook with a Colourful Creatures activity book, packed with fun facts, creature challenges, and space to record your journey’.

If you have a child with SEN, and/or who prefers a quieter experience, there is ‘Quiet at the Aquarium‘, where on selected dates they open their doors an hour early, with limited tickets available, to provide a quieter SEA LIFE experience.

Opening Hours for SEALIFE London Aquarium

Hours are currently 9.30am until 7pm, with the last entry being 6pm. Make sure you check the current opening times on their website though, just to be safe.

My Final Thoughts!

Overall I was really impressed with the whole place, and I can’t wait to take the kids again- who have already asked when they can next go back!

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Becky

Meet the award-nominated UK lifestyle blogger behind Spirited Puddle Jumper – a mum of three living in South East London! Becky shares the real ups and downs of family life, parenting tips, and lifestyle inspiration, proving that being a mum doesn’t mean you stop being fun or having other interests! Follow along for honest insights into UK family life and opinions on a whole range of topics, from travel and food, to beauty reviews, home and DIY, business and health and wellness.