Acquario Anton Dohrn

Riviera di Chiaia

KnownNature

Acquario Anton Dohrn, Riviera di Chiaia
Ruthven · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons

The story

The oldest aquarium in Europe, opened in 1874 inside the Villa Comunale: historic tanks inhabited only by the fauna of the Gulf of Naples, behind the glass.

Access

€ (to be checked), Metro L6 San Pasquale

The story

The Aquarium of Naples is the visitable heart of the Anton Dohrn Zoological Station, the marine biology research institute founded in 1872 by the German naturalist Anton Dohrn, inside the Villa Comunale. Opened to the public in 1874, it is one of the oldest aquariums in Europe still in activity, and shows the species of the Gulf of Naples.

What to see

The historic nineteenth-century tanks with fish, molluscs, jellyfish and other Mediterranean animals, in a display that keeps the charm of nineteenth-century science. The Station, where over twenty Nobel laureates have worked, is a piece of the history of marine biology.

Hours and prices

Free entry.

Tips

The Aquarium has its own entrance and hours, separate from those of the Villa Comunale park in which it stands: check days, hours and ticket on the official site. It is a visit also suited to children. You are in the Villa Comunale, on the Chiaia seafront.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Aquarium of Naples?

The public aquarium of the Anton Dohrn Zoological Station, founded in 1872, inside the Villa Comunale: one of the oldest in Europe still in activity, with the species of the Gulf of Naples.

What can you see at the Dohrn Aquarium?

The historic nineteenth-century tanks with fish, jellyfish and other Mediterranean animals, in a display that keeps the flavour of nineteenth-century science.

Where is the Aquarium?

In the Villa Comunale of Naples, on the Chiaia seafront; it has its own entrance and hours.

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