The public aquarium is a Victorian invention that never went out of style. This list ranks the 20 oldest aquariums in the world that are still open to visitors in 2026, by the year they first admitted the public — each one verified as operating today.
The crown belongs to SEA LIFE Brighton, which has run on the same spot beneath Brighton’s seafront since 1872, its original Victorian arcades still part of the visit. Naples is close behind: the Anton Dohrn Aquarium (1874) still shows Mediterranean species inside its original 19th-century building.
The 20 Oldest Operating Aquariums
The full ranking is below. Institutions with a ThrillZing profile are linked. A historical footnote: London Zoo’s 1853 Fish House was the world’s first public aquarium and gave the word ‘aquarium’ to the language, but its dedicated aquarium building closed in 2019, so it sits outside this operating list.
| # | Aquarium | Location | Opened |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SEA LIFE Brighton | Brighton, England | 1872 |
| 2 | Naples Aquarium (Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn) | Naples, Italy | 1874 |
| 3 | ARTIS Aquarium | Amsterdam, Netherlands | 1882 |
| 4 | New York Aquarium | Brooklyn, New York | 1896 |
| 5 | Vasco da Gama Aquarium | Dafundo, Portugal | 1898 |
| 6 | Waikiki Aquarium | Honolulu, Hawaii | 1904 |
| 7 | Belle Isle Aquarium | Detroit, Michigan | 1904 |
| 8 | Civic Aquarium of Milan | Milan, Italy | 1906 |
| 9 | Oceanographic Museum of Monaco | Monaco, Monaco | 1910 |
| 10 | Leipzig Zoo Aquarium | Leipzig, Germany | 1910 |
| 11 | Antwerp Zoo Aquarium | Antwerp, Belgium | 1911 |
| 12 | Aquarium Berlin | Berlin, Germany | 1913 |
| 13 | Uozu Aquarium | Uozu, Japan | 1913 |
| 14 | Steinhart Aquarium | San Francisco, California | 1923 |
| 15 | Sjofartsmuseet Akvariet | Gothenburg, Sweden | 1923 |
| 16 | Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo | Flatts Village, Bermuda | 1926 |
| 17 | Aquarium Donostia-San Sebastian | San Sebastian, Spain | 1928 |
| 18 | Shedd Aquarium | Chicago, Illinois | 1930 |
| 19 | Key West Aquarium | Key West, Florida | 1935 |
| 20 | Marineland of Florida | Marineland, Florida | 1938 |
Victorian Marvels That Refused to Die
The 19th-century entries survived world wars, fires, and fashion. Brighton’s aquarium was requisitioned by the RAF in World War II; Berlin’s aquarium (1913) was destroyed by bombing in 1943 and rebuilt on the same site; and Japan’s oldest, Uozu Aquarium (1913), spent a decade closed after being converted to a fish-processing plant during the war.
Others earned their place through sheer stubbornness of institution: the New York Aquarium opened at Battery Park in 1896 and moved to Coney Island in 1957 without ever ceasing to exist, making it the oldest continually operating aquarium in the United States.
Comebacks and Curiosities
Detroit’s Belle Isle Aquarium (1904) closed in 2005 and was resurrected by volunteers in 2012, its green-tiled Albert Kahn hall intact. Amsterdam’s ARTIS Aquarium (1882) just completed a years-long structural restoration and reopened in June 2026. Monaco’s Oceanographic Museum (1910), founded by a prince, still hangs over the Mediterranean like a cliff-face palace.
The list ends with two very American ideas: Key West Aquarium (1935), the country’s first open-air aquarium, and Marineland of Florida (1938) — the world’s first oceanarium, built as an underwater film studio before ‘marine park’ was even a term.
Explore more: the largest aquariums in the world, the oldest zoos in the world, all zoo and aquarium guides.
Oldest Aquariums in the World FAQs
What is the oldest aquarium in the world?
SEA LIFE Brighton in England is the world’s oldest operating aquarium, open since 1872 on the same seafront site. London Zoo’s 1853 Fish House came first historically, but it no longer operates as an aquarium.
What is the oldest aquarium in the United States?
The New York Aquarium, opened in 1896 at Battery Park and located at Coney Island since 1957, is the oldest continually operating aquarium in the US. The oldest surviving aquarium building is Detroit’s Belle Isle Aquarium (1904).
Is the Shedd Aquarium the oldest in America?
No — Shedd Aquarium opened in 1930, decades after the New York Aquarium (1896), Waikiki Aquarium (1904), and Belle Isle Aquarium (1904). Shedd was, however, among the largest in the world when it opened.
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Photo: Hassocks5489 / CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.