Visitor Information

General Information Before You Visit

Our Location

National Marine Aquarium
Rope Walk
Coxside
Plymouth
PL4 0LF
United Kingdom

Travelling By Car

The National Marine Aquarium is located in the Coxside area of Plymouth. Follow the brown and white fish signs, which can be found on all entry roads into the city.

The recommended route is via the A38 to Marsh Mills (Sainsbury’s) then along the A374 Embankment Road. The route for the Aquarium and nearest available Parking is signposted from here.

Sat Nav postcode: PL4 0DX

Travelling by foot or bike

Walking and cycling are good for your health and a great way to socialise or meet people in your neighbourhood. We are listed as key number 9 (on the bottom map). This map can help you find local green spaces, cycle parking (listed as P) and cycle lockers (listed as L)

Travelling by electric vehicle

The closest EV chargers are located at:

• Elphinstone Road
• Regent Street (Public Car Park)
• Vickery Holman
• Theatre Royal (Public Car Park)
• Plymouth Coach Station

Travelling by coach

If your group is travelling to the Aquarium by coach, there is a drop-off and pick-up point at the rear of the building.

Travelling by train.

Walking from Plymouth Train Station takes around 30 minutes, the full route can be found on Google Maps here. There are taxis available outside Plymouth Train Station which will take around 10 minutes, fares may vary.

For up-to-date train information, we recommend visiting one of the following websites:

thetrainline.com

rail.co.uk

Parking

You can park on the Aquarium side of the bridge in the Sutton Harbour Car Park, or there are car parks on the Barbican side of the footbridge. There is a 2m height restriction on entry.

Please note: the Harbour car park is a privately-owned pay & display, operated by Britannia Car Parks. We recommend that visitors plan to spend 3 hours at the Aquarium. The car park has payment by phone and contactless payment.

We advise Sutton Harbour carpark users to ensure they understand and fully adhere to the requirements laid-out by the carpark operators – Britannia Parking. https://www.britannia-parking.co.uk/

Accessibility Guide

The National Marine Aquarium is committed to providing Access for All and is accessible by ramps and lifts throughout. There are a limited number of disabled parking bays on-site, as well as drop-off points for minibuses and coaches, and we also have a limited number of wheelchairs available on-site, free of charge and on a first-come, first-served basis.

The National Marine Aquarium provides full disabled toilet facilities. Carers for the disabled are admitted free of charge (1 per person) and guide dogs are welcome.

Food and Drink

Our Waves Café, with its unbeatable views over the Plymouth Sound, is located on the first floor of the Aquarium and is accessible by ramp or lift.

Our menu boasts a wide variety of hot food, sandwiches, teas, coffees, hot chocolate, cakes, biscuits & pastries, bottled drinks and Ice Cream.  

The café is open daily between 10am – 4pm, and our café kitchen serves fresh hot food until 2pm. If you’re still after a hot treat after our kitchen closes, then our delicious pasties and sausage rolls are available all day.

During the summer months our Garden Kiosk will be open for drinks and light meals, however this all depends on the weather!  

If you’re bringing a picnic with you, please check for our designated picnic zones and be sure to dispose of your rubbish in one of our many recycling bins located around the building.

We are proud to be part of Langage Farm’s initiative of utilising food waste from local businesses as feedstock for the Anaerobic Digestion plant they run. Their AD plant produces electricity and heat for use in the dairy products factory, and residual biofertiliser is applied to the farmland to grow forage for the Jersey Herd. The milk returns to the products factory for processing and the cycle begins again. Read more about it here!