11 Must-Visit Aquariums Around the World

Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada in downtown Toronto holds more than 20,000 exotic sea and freshwater creatures and organisms across more than 450 species. Exhibits include The Canadian Waters; Rainbow Reef; and Dangerous Lagoon, which features an underwater tunnel with a moving conveyor belt. The Planet Jellies exhibit features five species of jellyfish. © Benjamin Paquette | Dreamstime.com

Located in Boulogne-sur-Mer in northern France, Nausicaá Centre de la Mer is the largest public aquarium in Europe, complete with a shark aquarium, sea lion reserve, penguin beach and submerged forest. The High Sea exhibit boasts 2.6 million gallons of water and is home to manta rays, oceanic sunfish and scalloped hammerheads. © Debove Eric | Dreamstime.com

Once the largest aquarium in the world, Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan in Japan spans 16 main exhibits and 27 tanks. Habitats are from the Ring of Fire region in the Pacific Ocean. The largest tank holds two whale sharks, Pacific bluefin tuna and Indian mackerel. There’s even an interactive zone to see and possibly touch some animals like stingrays and small sharks. © Karyi Yeap | Dreamstime.com

L’Oceanogràfic can be found in Valencia, Spain, drawing visitors far and wide for both the marine life and striking architecture. This aquarium comes with a dolphinarium; ocean tank with sharks, rays and other fish; and exhibits with penguins, sea lions, walruses, reptiles and beluga whales. © Nataliia Dubchak | Dreamstime.com

Head to Point Pleasant Beach, New Jersey, to experience Jenkinson’s Aquarium. Here, visitors will find Pacific and Atlantic sharks, African penguins, Pacific and Atlantic harbor seals, and even alligators. © Wblanchard | Dreamstime.com

See Japan’s largest dolphin show tank at Port of Nagoya Public Aquarium. This immersive aquarium also features a unique exhibit called the Evolutionary Sea, which delves into the evolution of whales and boasts the largest number of fossil replicas and skeletal specimens of whales in Japan. © Irfan Nurdiansyah | Dreamstime.com

Monterey Bay Aquarium in Monterey, California, focuses on the marine habitats of Monterey Bay. The aquarium was the first to exhibit a living kelp forest and, today, displays 35,000 animals across more than 550 species. The Open Sea wing is the aquarium’s largest tank and has included blue sharks, California barracuda and great white sharks in the past. © Mel Surdin | Dreamstime.com

Situated within Ocean Expo Park in Okinawa, Japan, Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium is home to an exhibit replicating the sea of Okinawa and the creatures living within it. The main tank, The Kuroshio Sea, features whale sharks and manta rays. There’s also a Coral Sea tank, Deep Sea tank and Shark Research Lab. © Hbh | Dreamstime.com

Located in Durban, South Africa, uShaka Marine World contains 10,000 animal species across 4.6 million gallons. Also featuring a park and reptile experience, the aquarium brings visitors beneath the waves of the Western Indian Ocean. © Andre Maritz | Dreamstime.com

The National Aquarium (formerly known as Baltimore Aquarium) displays more than 750 species and 17,000 specimens. Exhibits include the multistory Atlantic Coral Reef, Australia: Wild Extremes and Upland Tropical Rainforest. Dolphin Discovery is home currently to six bottlenose dolphins, and Shark Alley is filled with several shark species. © Jon Bilous | Dreamstime.com

One of the most popular aquariums in the world, Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta is the fourth-largest in the world and holds notable species like whale sharks, sea otters, tiger sharks, beluga whales, bottlenose dolphins and California sea lions. © Ahmed Aboul-seoud | Dreamstime.com