Is Pattaya’s Underwater World Aquarium Worth Your Attention?

When tourists arrive in Pattaya, they often have plenty of time to visit the resort capital’s attractions. If you are vacationing with children, we recommend paying attention to Pattaya’s aquarium, located on Sukhumvit Road. In this article, we’ll talk about how to get to the aquarium in Pattaya, ticket prices, and what interesting things you can see there.

General Information

More about "Underwater World"

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Attraction Information

Address: 298/2 Pratumnak Hill, Pattaya, Chonburi 20150, Thailand

Working Hours: 10:00 AM – 8:00 PM

Ticket Price: Adults: ฿400, Children: ฿200

Photo Allowed? Yes

Historical Info: Opened in 1991, Underwater World Pattaya features a diverse array of marine life and offers educational exhibits on marine ecosystems.

Guide / Excursion Info: Audio guides available in multiple languages

Recommended Visit Time: Late morning or early evening

Accessibility: Yes

Parking Availability: Yes

Public Transport Options: Accessible via Songthaew or taxi from Pattaya city

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Reviews

Kamonwan Srikittichai - Rate: 4

I recently visited Underwater World Pattaya, and for just 200 baht, it was definitely worth the price. The ticket is super affordable, and the experience is great for anyone who loves marine life. The tanks are well-maintained, and there are so many different species of fish, turtles, and even sharks to see up close. The highlight for me was the underwater tunnel, where you can walk through and feel like you're right in the middle of the ocean. It's really cool to see fish swimming all around you. The place is not too big, but it’s perfect for a quick and fun visit. If you're in Pattaya and looking for something to do without breaking the bank, Underwater World is a solid choice. It’s a fun, relaxing experience, and for the price, you can’t really complain!

Gleb Sapunov - Rate: 5

I bought ticket on traveloka online saving about 200 b same day I decided to go. The ticket box were delaying my entrance as they didn't receive confirmation from the website, although I provided multiple proof of payment. Nevertheless, they eventually granted me access. At first I was a little disappointed, entrance looks poor and old, but then when you enter the labyrinth and tunnel you get immersed into sea life, which is really stunning! The variety of fish is interesting and unusual. Rays and giant fish were my favourites. Even sharks were lost in their shadows. I wish they had bigger sharks and such animals like turtles. I got really amazed by the beauty of the giants. Some of them were a boat length. Some of the smallest ones were hiding, mimicking the background. I was totally bewildered by the stone fish. I couldn't believe my eyes! I knew it was fish, but I couldn't tell for sure until it moved. If you just walk through the tunnel fast, it will take something like 15 min. But it's impossible not to hesitate and even walk the same route twice or even thrice. This was exactly what I did. Exiting the building you will go past a zoo of frogs, lizards, spiders, and snakes. They are really beautiful and some of them I have never seen before. I got very warm feelings after visiting the aquarium, especially because it wasn't crowded and not noisy. I really recommend visiting it, it took me about 20 min without traffic jam from the Pier and about 100 b by Bolt car. The souvenir shop is quite simple, and I didn't find anything special there to buy.

SRK - Rate: 3

It has an interesting underwater tunnel and decent feeding shows, but the overall experience doesn’t justify the ticket price (500 THB for adults, 300 THB for children). The place is quite small, and several tanks were empty during my visit. We finished exploring everything in under an hour. Parking is available and free, which is convenient. While it might be enjoyable for kids, the attraction needs significant improvement to match its pricing and provide a more engaging experience.

Ekk Chawa - Rate: 4

This is a nice place to bring your kiids. The tunnels are the highlights. There are 3 tunnles that you can spend an hour or two just looking at these fish. It seems that this place has passed it peak period and still struggling with all the high maintenance costs and labor costs. Some sections were closed and the rest are little depreciated but I think all the fish and other animals here are well taken care of. They look happy and healthy. Gift shop is filled with cute stuff and the staff are lovely and friendly. If you come to Pattaya and it is still too hot outside, this place is a good alternative.

Toria K - Rate: 5

Very interesting place. A lot of different animals are gathered there. Especially, loved the aquarium tunnel. I think, it’s good to go there with kids. They will be excited

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Underwater World Pattaya has been delighting vacationers with its exhibits since 2003, and it’s especially appealing to younger visitors because you can not only watch the underwater inhabitants but also touch them, feed them (though not take them out of the water).

The aquarium covers about 19 thousand square meters, housing more than 4,500 underwater residents from over 200 species of fish, amphibians, etc., that live there.

The living conditions in the aquarium are almost indistinguishable from their natural habitats and do not cause discomfort for its inhabitants.

Regarding how impressive the aquarium is, if you’ve already been to the Bangkok aquarium, we’re not entirely sure Pattaya’s aquarium will amaze you (it’s cool, but not so much as to overshadow Bangkok’s). Still, if this is your first time in Thailand and you’re not yet a seasoned traveler, it’s worth visiting once.

Aquarium Zones

Underwater World Pattaya is conditionally divided into several parts, including:

• an open section;
• a waterfall;
• the underwater tunnel.

The tunnel itself is divided into several thematic zones, which we’ll discuss below.

Open Section

A visit to Pattaya’s aquarium begins with the open section, which could also be called the contact zone, since this is where you’re allowed to pet the creatures.

The main rule is never to remove the inhabitants from the water, as they could die or become stressed, affecting their well-being. You can take photos and videos. Children will be delighted.

Here you can find turtles, sea stars, rays, and crustaceans.

Waterfall

Next, as you move along, visitors arrive at an artificial waterfall where you can feed the carp living there yourself.

Feeding is paid (20 baht per bottle). The process lasts only a few seconds and resembles feeding hungry chicks in a nest. The bottle contains a special nutritional mixture, and the nipple is placed on the bottle’s neck, through which the carp suck the mixture.

The main thing is not to drop the bottle out of sheer affection, and don’t forget to record a video of the entire process.

Dark Tunnel

The most interesting part of the exhibit is the tunnel aquarium, which stretches 100 meters in length and is divided into five thematic zones:

• coral reef;
• predator zone;
• turtle zone;
• Amazon River;
• jellyfish world.

It takes about 15 to 25 minutes to walk through all four zones, depending on your pace.

Tourists are first greeted by the Coral World, just as it exists in natural conditions, brimming with all the colors of the rainbow.

If you look closely, you can see the reef inhabitants hiding within. There are some fairly large specimens here.

Will you be able to spot the clownfish?

After the coral reef, you enter the predator zone, where you can observe sharks and rays. The sharks eye people passing by, while the rays seem to glide rather than swim. If you’re lucky, you might catch their feeding time, but more on that below.

After the predators, visitors’ attention is drawn to a sunken ship, around which clumsy, seemingly awkward turtles gracefully swim. In fact, once you see them in motion, you can’t really call them clumsy at all.

The fourth zone features inhabitants of the Amazon River basin, ranging from very small fish to those that are massively huge. Many endangered species live here.

A highlight of this zone is the specially equipped openings through which you can place your hand and touch the creatures swimming by. The opening design is safe, and nothing spills out. Will you dare to send your hand into the lair of Amazon fish?

In the fifth zone, you’ll find shapeless creatures — jellyfish, which transform once in the water, captivating you with their beauty while also instilling fear.

After the tunnel aquarium ends, visitors enter an area featuring various reptiles and amphibians. There’s everything from snakes to chameleons, but it’s best to see this diverse display for yourself.

Right before the exit, there is a souvenir shop, but we don’t recommend buying anything there since it’s expensive. If you really want something, you can find the same items in the city markets at local prices.

How to Get There

So how do you get to the aquarium in Pattaya on your own? In principle, it’s not difficult, because you can get there by public transportation or a rental vehicle. Also, if you don’t want to deal with figuring out the intricate routes of Thai tuk-tuks, you can reach the aquarium via a transfer purchased either at a street travel agency or through an online booking service.

If you decide to travel by public transportation, a tuk-tuk ride costs 10 baht, and if you are already near Sukhumvit Road, just hop on the blue route. If you’re coming from the city center, or say, from Jomtien, you’ll need to switch from a white songthaew to a blue one (they run along Sukhumvit). In other words, you need to study the route scheme for tuk-tuks and figure out which one will get you closest to the highway, where you’ll transfer to the blue route.

By the way, have 10 baht ready for the driver of the blue tuk-tuk, as he might not give change (the blue ones often go out of town, where the fare is 20 baht, but within Pattaya, it’s 10 baht, and some drivers try to charge more).

If you don’t want to travel to one place and then transfer, you can use a taxi. No matter where your hotel is located (as long as it’s within city limits), the fare will be 150 baht.

Finally, the easiest option is to buy a tour. Yes, it’s a bit more expensive, but then you won’t have to worry about how to get to the aquarium in Pattaya.

Below is such a tour from a trusted company. You can do early booking and pay online (no need to withdraw cash if you don’t have extra on hand).

The address is shown on the map.

Opening Hours

The aquarium has its own official website, where you can find detailed information about its opening hours. In addition, you’ll find the feeding schedule for the underwater inhabitants there, specifically for the year 2025.

The aquarium is open from 9 AM to 6 PM.

Ticket Prices

You can buy an admission ticket on-site, and the cost is as follows:

• 500 baht for adults;
• 300 baht for children;
• children under 90 cm tall enter free.

You can measure your child’s height before the ticket counter, where a special height gauge is installed.

We do not recommend buying tickets from your hotel guide, as it will be more expensive than purchasing them on the street or online.

Fish Feeding Times

One of the most interesting activities is watching the aquarium staff feed the fish at designated times.

Feeding schedule:

• Coral Zone — 10:30, 15:00;
• Predatory Fish — 11:00, 16:00;
• Amazon Fish — 11:30, 15:30.

We can’t say exactly how long the feeding lasts, but roughly 15–20 minutes.

Also, you can swim with sharks in the aquarium, although this feature is temporarily suspended. It’s best to check at the ticket counter when they plan to offer this service again.

In short, Pattaya’s aquarium is an excellent place to visit with children, but that doesn’t mean adults will be bored. On the contrary, the reviews are quite positive.

Don’t forget to share your vacation experiences in the comments; they are helpful for those who haven’t decided yet where to spend their vacation.