# Tulcea Aquarium

[Romania](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/attractions) › [Dobruja](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/region/dobrogea) › [Tulcea County](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/county/tulcea) › [Tulcea](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/city/tulcea)

> The public aquarium in central Tulcea, with fish from the Danube and the Black Sea, coral reef tanks and a tunnel among sturgeon, plus an exhibition on the Delta's wildlife.

**At a glance:** Zoos and aquariums in Tulcea, Tulcea County. Opening hours: Monday closed, Tuesday–Sunday 09:00 – 18:00. Ticket: 30 lei. The visit takes ½ – 1 hours. Information verified on 10 October 2026.

## Key facts

- **Opening hours:** Monday closed, Tuesday–Sunday 09:00 – 18:00 — Tuesday to Sunday 9:00–18:00, last entry 17:00; closed on Mondays. The institute's home page announced days closed to the public (29 and 30 September 2026), so check on icemtl.ro before you go.
- **Ticket:** 30 lei — 20 lei pensioners, 7 lei pupils
- **Visit duration:** ½ – 1 hours — the aquarium and the main exhibition
- **With kids:** Yes — play area in the building
- **Parking:** Yes, paid — on the street, in the centre
- **Best season:** All year round — indoors, good in bad weather
- **Address:** 1bis 14 Noiembrie Street, Tulcea, Tulcea County
- **Coordinates:** 45.1802, 28.80558
- **Phone:** +40 240 515866
- **Website:** https://www.icemtl.ro/centrul-muzeal-eco-turistic-delta-dunarii/
- **Categories:** [Zoos and aquariums](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/gradini-zoologice-si-acvarii), [Museums and memorial houses](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/muzee-si-case-memoriale)

## About Tulcea Aquarium

Tulcea Aquarium is the everyday name of the Danube Delta Eco-Tourism Museum Centre, a branch of the Gavrilă Simion Eco-Museum Research Institute in Tulcea. The building by the waterfront was put up by the County Council together with the institute, in a project funded through the Romania–Ukraine Neighbourhood Programme, and opened to the public in February 2009, with the official inauguration in April that year. It was conceived as a museum and public aquarium under one roof.

The aquarium side holds about 150 tonnes of water and, according to the official figures, brings together 24 species of fish from the Danube Delta and the Black Sea, 23 species of reef fish, marine invertebrates and corals. The reef tanks, two concentric cylinders, let you spend a few minutes "in the middle" of a reef, and the largest tank has a tunnel that takes you past sturgeon and eels.

### What you can see

The permanent exhibition recreates in dioramas the habitats of the Danube Delta, the Razim–Sinoie lagoon complex and the Măcin Mountains: 46 plant species, 3 reptiles, 44 birds and 12 mammals, among them birds declared natural monuments and species that have disappeared from the Delta, with films along the visitor route. Besides the aquarium and the main exhibition, the centre hosts temporary exhibitions, and the children's play area and the infotheque make for a pause. For a wider visit, the Danube Delta begins right at Tulcea, where the boats to the channels also leave.

### Good to know

From August to December 2026 the centre hosts the temporary exhibition "Emblematic Animals of Dobruja", organised with the Grigore Antipa National Museum of Natural History. It is closed on Mondays, and the centre also announces occasional days closed to the public on its website, so check the hours before you go.

## Don't miss

- The tunnel through the largest tank, where you walk among sturgeon and eels.
- The two cylindrical reef aquariums, with tropical fish and corals.
- The fish of the Danube and the Black Sea, 24 local species in one place.
- The dioramas of the birds and mammals of the Delta and the Măcin Mountains.
- The children's play area and the infotheque inside the building.

## Good to know before you go

### Getting there

**By car:** from Bucharest it is about 280 km, roughly four hours, on the A2 and then on the national roads towards Tulcea (DN22), depending on the route you pick; from Constanța it is some 130 km. The centre is on 14 Noiembrie Street, close to the Danube waterfront, in the city's cultural quarter, next to other museums.

**Public transport:** from the railway or bus station in Tulcea you can walk or take a short taxi ride; the building is a few minutes' walk from the waterfront and from the landing stage of the boats to the Delta.

### Where to park

We found no car park of the centre's own on the official site. In central Tulcea you park on the street, usually for a fee; at busy times you can walk from the waterfront.

### Fees & discounts

The ticket for the main exhibition and the aquarium: 30 lei for adults, 20 lei for pensioners (with a pension coupon), 7 lei for pre-schoolers, pupils and full-time students (with a stamped ID). People with a severe or pronounced disability and their companions go free, as do children with disabilities and their companions; people with a medium or mild disability pay as pupils do. A guided tour in Romanian costs 150 lei per group of up to 30, in a foreign language 250 lei; professional photography 100 lei an hour, filming 500 lei an hour. Discounts and free entry are granted on the basis of supporting documents.

### Rules

For a guided visit, groups book at least 4 days ahead, by phone or email, stating the number of people. Professional photography and filming are charged. The usual aquarium rules: do not tap the glass, do not feed the fish, do not use flash by the tanks, children stay in the care of adults.

### Facilities

Children's play area · infotheque with computers and internet · Wi-Fi · access ramp, lift and toilet for people with disabilities · souvenir shop at the exit

## Details

- **Collection type:** natural sciences
- **Guided tour:** Yes
- **Year established:** 2009
- **Signature animals:** sturgeon, reef fish
- **Animal shows:** No

## Frequently asked questions about Tulcea Aquarium

**How much is a ticket to Tulcea Aquarium?**

A ticket to Tulcea Aquarium costs 30 lei (20 lei pensioners, 7 lei pupils). The ticket for the main exhibition and the aquarium: 30 lei for adults, 20 lei for pensioners (with a pension coupon), 7 lei for pre-schoolers, pupils and full-time students (with a stamped ID). People with a severe or pronounced disability and their companions go free, as do children with disabilities and their companions; people with a medium or mild disability pay as pupils do. A guided tour in Romanian costs 150 lei per group of up to 30, in a foreign language 250 lei; professional photography 100 lei an hour, filming 500 lei an hour. Discounts and free entry are granted on the basis of supporting documents.

**What are the opening hours of Tulcea Aquarium?**

Opening hours at Tulcea Aquarium: Monday closed, Tuesday–Sunday 09:00 – 18:00. Tuesday to Sunday 9:00–18:00, last entry 17:00; closed on Mondays. The institute's home page announced days closed to the public (29 and 30 September 2026), so check on icemtl.ro before you go.

**How long does a visit to Tulcea Aquarium take?**

A visit to Tulcea Aquarium takes about ½ – 1 hours (the aquarium and the main exhibition).

**Can you visit Tulcea Aquarium with kids?**

Yes, Tulcea Aquarium is suitable for children (play area in the building).

**Where can I park at Tulcea Aquarium?**

There is paid parking at Tulcea Aquarium (on the street, in the centre). We found no car park of the centre's own on the official site. In central Tulcea you park on the street, usually for a fee; at busy times you can walk from the waterfront.

**How do I get to Tulcea Aquarium?**

Tulcea Aquarium is located at 1bis 14 Noiembrie Street, Tulcea, Tulcea County. By car: from Bucharest it is about 280 km, roughly four hours, on the A2 and then on the national roads towards Tulcea (DN22), depending on the route you pick; from Constanța it is some 130 km. The centre is on 14 Noiembrie Street, close to the Danube waterfront, in the city's cultural quarter, next to other museums. Public transport: from the railway or bus station in Tulcea you can walk or take a short taxi ride; the building is a few minutes' walk from the waterfront and from the landing stage of the boats to the Delta.

**When is the best time to visit Tulcea Aquarium?**

The best season for Tulcea Aquarium: All year round (indoors, good in bad weather).

## Nearby attractions

- [Danube Delta](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/delta-dunarii) — Deltas · Tulcea County · 5 lei/day · 7½ – 8 hours · UNESCO World Heritage · Top 20 · 1 km
  Europe's largest wetland, a biosphere reserve and UNESCO site: channels, lakes, reed beds and over 300 bird species, from pelicans to egrets; visited by boat from Tulcea.
- [Lake Razim](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/lacul-razim) — Lakes · Sarichioi, TL · Free · 35 km
  Romania's largest lake, a lagoon of about 415 km² south of the Danube Delta, with Lipovan fishing villages on its shores, protected islands and the ruins of Enisala and Argamum above the water.
- [Enisala Fortress](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/cetatea-enisala) — Fortresses and fortifications · Enisala, TL · 20 lei · Top 100 · 43 km
  The ruins of a 14th-century fortress, probably built by the Genoese on a limestone hill above lakes Razim and Babadag, with one of the widest views in Dobruja.
- [Gura Portiței](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/gura-portitei) — Seaside · Jurilovca, TL · Free · 5 – 5½ hours · 74 km
  A strip of sand between the Black Sea and Lake Golovița, in the Danube Delta, reached only by boat from Jurilovca: a wide beach with reed sunshades and a single resort.
- [Sfânta Precista Fortified Church](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/biserica-fortificata-precista-galati) — Monasteries and churches · Galați, GL · Free · 30 min · 85 km
  The oldest building in Galați, a merchants' church consecrated in 1647, with walls up to 1.8 m thick, a bell tower and a fortified loft with 28 loopholes, on the bank of the Danube.
- [Cuza Vodă House in Galați](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/casa-cuza-voda-galati) — Museums and memorial houses · Galați, GL · 4 lei · 45 min · 85 km
  The house of Alexandru Ioan Cuza's parents, now the first house museum founded in Galați (1939), reopened in 2024 after restoration, with an exhibition on the ruler of the Union and on Galați between 1850 and 1930.

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Last updated: 10 October 2026
Source: Pe Plaiuri (https://peplaiuri.ro/en) — Guide to tourist attractions in Romania