# Tulcea Aquarium (Danube Delta Eco-Tourism Museum Centre)

[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 Danube Delta Eco-Tourism Museum Centre, 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/zoos-and-aquariums), [Museums and memorial houses](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/museums-and-memorial-houses)

## About Tulcea Aquarium (Danube Delta Eco-Tourism Museum Centre)

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

The official site mentions no car park of the centre's own. 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 (Danube Delta Eco-Tourism Museum Centre)

**How much is a ticket to Tulcea Aquarium (Danube Delta Eco-Tourism Museum Centre)?**

A ticket to Tulcea Aquarium (Danube Delta Eco-Tourism Museum Centre) costs 30 lei (20 lei pensioners, 7 lei pupils). More under “Fees & discounts”.

**What are the opening hours of Tulcea Aquarium (Danube Delta Eco-Tourism Museum Centre)?**

Opening hours at Tulcea Aquarium (Danube Delta Eco-Tourism Museum Centre): Monday closed, Tuesday–Sunday 09:00 – 18:00. More under “Opening hours”.

**How long does a visit to Tulcea Aquarium (Danube Delta Eco-Tourism Museum Centre) take?**

A visit to Tulcea Aquarium (Danube Delta Eco-Tourism Museum Centre) takes about ½ – 1 hours (the aquarium and the main exhibition).

**Can you visit Tulcea Aquarium (Danube Delta Eco-Tourism Museum Centre) with kids?**

Yes, Tulcea Aquarium (Danube Delta Eco-Tourism Museum Centre) is suitable for children (play area in the building).

**Where can I park at Tulcea Aquarium (Danube Delta Eco-Tourism Museum Centre)?**

There is paid parking at Tulcea Aquarium (Danube Delta Eco-Tourism Museum Centre) (on the street, in the centre). More under “Where to park”.

**How do I get to Tulcea Aquarium (Danube Delta Eco-Tourism Museum Centre)?**

Tulcea Aquarium (Danube Delta Eco-Tourism Museum Centre) is located at 1bis 14 Noiembrie Street, Tulcea, Tulcea County. More under “Getting there”.

**When is the best time to visit Tulcea Aquarium (Danube Delta Eco-Tourism Museum Centre)?**

The best season for Tulcea Aquarium (Danube Delta Eco-Tourism Museum Centre): All year round (indoors, good in bad weather).

## Nearby attractions

- [Tulcea](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/tulcea) — Deltas · Tulcea, TL · Free · 2½ – 3 hours · 1 km
  The Danube port town where the ships to the Danube Delta leave from: the waterfront with the River Station, the Independence Monument on the hill, the Azizie Mosque and the aquarium.
- [Danube Delta](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/danube-delta) — 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 365 bird species, from pelicans to egrets; visited by boat from Tulcea.
- [Celic-Dere Monastery](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/celic-dere-monastery) — Monasteries · Frecăței, TL · 45 min · 24 km
  A convent in the Tulcea hills, with a white church built in 1901–1932 reached by a monumental staircase, rose gardens and a wooden windmill listed as a historic monument.
- [Saon Monastery](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/saon-monastery) — Monasteries · Niculițel, TL · 45 min · 27 km
  A convent by Lake Saon with a white three-towered church built from 1909 and the old church of 1881, in the commune of Niculițel; a listed historic monument.
- [Mahmudia](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/mahmudia) — Villages and traditions · Mahmudia, TL · Free · ½ – 1 hours · 32 km
  A Dobruja village on the bank of the Sfântu Gheorghe arm, ~31 km from Tulcea, with a Navrom landing stage, the ancient remains of Salsovia and the Beștepe hills behind it.
- [Noviodunum Fortress](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/noviodunum-fortress) — Fortresses and fortifications · Isaccea, TL · 45 min · 34 km
  The ruins of the Roman and Byzantine fortress near Isaccea, main base of the Danube fleet Classis Flavia Moesica, with stone-and-brick walls uncovered on the banks of the Danube.

## Featured in the guides

- [The Danube Delta: map, what it is, the villages and what to see](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/guides/danube-delta) — The Danube Delta on the map: the Chilia, Sulina and Sfântu Gheorghe branches, villages and sights. A 580,000 ha reserve, UNESCO since 1991. Water in 2026.
- [Things to do in Tulcea: what to see in the city and around it](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/guides/things-to-do-in-tulcea) — Ecotourism Museum Centre (the aquarium, 30 lei), museums, waterfront, river station; Celic-Dere 26 km away, Cocoș, Saon, Enisala, Halmyris, Noviodunum.
- [Birds and wildlife of the Danube Delta: pelicans, where and when to see them](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/guides/birds-of-the-danube-delta) — 365 bird species, according to the reserve, including the great white and Dalmatian pelicans. Where to see them, when (May–June, migration) and what is closed.
- [Visiting the Danube Delta for the first time: the access permit, mosquitoes and when to go](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/guides/visiting-the-danube-delta) — The ARBDD permit: 5 lei/day, 15 lei/7 days, 30 lei/year, free for children and pensioners; online or by SMS to 7494. May–June is best, before the mosquitoes.

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