Plan Your Visit

Advanced Reservations Required

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Ticket Prices

 Price
Adult$29.95
Child (3-17, 2 and under free)$24.95
Senior (60+)$27.95
Students (ID required)$27.95
UC San Diego Students, Faculty and Staff  (ID required)$3 off admission 
Military (ID required)$3 off admission 

 

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Hours and Daily Schedule

Open daily 9 am to 5 pm January-February and October-December

Open daily 9 am to 7 pm March 1-Labor Day 

Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's days.

Last entry is one hour prior to closing.

View Daily Schedule

Aquarium Map

DIRECTIONS AND PARKING

2300 Expedition Way, La Jolla, CA 92037

Parking: 

  • Free 3-hour parking. 
  • Full-day parking permits are available at Guest Services for a small fee.
  • Large vehicle parking available along La Jolla Shores Drive, west of Birch Aquarium.  

Directions

MTS Public Transit Trip Planner

Group Tickets and Tours

Discounts for groups of 10 or more are automatically applied when you add 10+ tickets to your shopping cart.

 Price
Adults (ages 18-59)$26.95 per person
Seniors (60+)$24.95 per person
Child (ages 3 to 17)$21.95 per person
Students (ID required)$24.95 per person

 

More about group sales savings

Behind-the-Scenes Tours

Venture behind the scenes to get up close to some of our most popular animals. Tours include aquarium admission, so be sure to purchase your tour instead of making a reservation. 

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Seahorse Tour

Get a glimpse of seahorse babies and learn about Birch Aquarium's renowned breeding program and what it takes to care for these unusual fish. Discover how we can all help protect these unique animals and their homes on this immersive behind-the-scenes tour!

Book Now

Accessibility

Birch Aquarium strives to be fully accessible to all of our guests.

Parking 
Birch Aquarium has designated accessible parking spaces available as well as the option of curbside pickup and drop-off in the traffic circle near the front entrance.

Wheelchairs 
All of Birch Aquarium is wheelchair accessible. While most of the aquarium is on one level, there are ramps on Tide Pool Plaza and Beyster Family Little Blue Penguins. Wheelchairs are available to borrow from Guest Services on a first-come, first-served basis. 

Service Animals  
Trained service animals are permitted inside the aquarium.

Please Note 
If you require special assistance or adaptive services please notify Guest Services as soon as possible so we can arrange for the services to be in place. Please call (858) 534-3474 or email aquariuminfo@ucsd.edu 
 

Shopping AND Dining

The Gift Shop

The Birch Aquarium Gift Shop is open daily from 9:30 a.m. until the aquarium closes.

 

Learn about the gift shop
Shop the online collection

Splash! Café by The French Gourmet

Splash! Café is open daily from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.  Admission is not required in order to eat at the café.

Members receive a discount!

Order Ahead
Download the menu (PDF)