Turning up at the door costs £39 for an adult at Sea Life London. Booking the same ticket online costs from £28. That is the single most useful thing to know about the aquarium: the walk-up price is about 28 per cent higher, and the operator says so in its own price table rather than hiding it. A child ticket is £35 on the day against £25 online, so a family of four can hand over around £28 extra simply for not booking the night before.
Everything below comes from the aquarium’s own pages, read on 10 October 2026.
The pushchair contradiction
Two of the aquarium’s own pages disagree. The FAQ says there are no cloakroom facilities to store your belongings, and that this includes pushchairs. The accessibility guide says there is a free buggy bay if you want to leave your buggy during peak seasons. Both pages agree you can take a buggy around with you, because there are lifts throughout, so the practical answer is to keep it with you and to treat the buggy bay as something to ask about rather than count on.
The peak dates the aquarium lists for that buggy bay are every weekend, 22 to 31 July, the whole of August, 21 to 31 October, 1 to 5 November and 16 to 31 December, with Christmas Day closed.
Bags: the 30 litre line
Suitcases and large hand luggage are not allowed in at all, and the aquarium will send you to a left luggage service, with the nearest at the London Eye ticket office or Waterloo station. The cut-off is clear: mini and small backpacks of 6 to 10 litres are accepted, daypacks of 10 to 30 litres are accepted, and anything from 30 litres upwards is not. Shopping you have picked up elsewhere in London is fine to bring in. Nothing can be stored, so everything you bring you carry.
Bags are searched and screened on the way in, and there may be walk-through metal detectors, security arches or wand detectors. Enhanced searches mean emptying your pockets into a tray. The prohibited list runs to weapons, fireworks and smoke bombs, glass bottles, sharp objects including penknives, scissors, corkscrews and metal nail files, toy or replica guns, alcohol, illegal substances, skateboards, scooters, rollerblades and drones.
Ages
Under-2s go free. Children aged 15 and under must be with an adult of 18 or over, and under-16s cannot come in on their own. The aquarium recommends it for children aged 6 and over, which is worth weighing if you were planning a trip built around a toddler.
How long, and what it costs beyond the standard ticket
Allow 1 to 1.5 hours. There are over 500 species across 14 themed zones on three floors, and the aquarium says it holds over 6,000 creatures. An anytime entry ticket, which frees you from a time slot, is from £33 online against £44 on the day. Standard entry with the VR experience is from £32 online, and a deluxe package with anytime entry, VR and a mission pack or guidebook is from £38. Combination tickets run from £49 for Sea Life with the London Eye, £49 with Shrek’s Adventure, £54 adding Madame Tussauds, and £59 for five attractions including the London Dungeon, which the aquarium markets as less than £12 each. The other attractions have to be visited within 7 days of your Sea Life visit.
Refunds, rescheduling and cash
Tickets are non-refundable. The aquarium’s booking guarantee is a free reschedule rather than your money back, which is a meaningful difference if your plans collapse rather than move. The whole attraction is cashless, including the gift shop, so there is no point bringing notes for the souvenirs.
Access
The aquarium says it is wheelchair accessible throughout, with lifts to every floor. Carers and essential companions of disabled visitors get free entry. Registered assistance dogs, including guide dogs, are welcome inside. There is a British Sign Language interpreter service for contacting the team. Toilets are on every floor, with baby changing in the female, male and disabled toilets, although the aquarium notes one exception, the male toilets at the end of Rainforest Adventure. Photography is allowed but flash is not, because it frightens the animals.
Opening hours move about, so check the day you are going. On the day we looked the aquarium was open 10am to 7pm with last entry at 6pm, and the following day 10am to 6pm with last entry at 5pm.
Sea Life London Aquarium
- Address
- County Hall, Westminster Bridge Road, London SE1
- Nearest
- Waterloo or Westminster
- Hours
- Varies by day. On 10 October 2026 it was 10am to 7pm with last entry at 6pm, and 10am to 6pm the next day with last entry at 5pm. Closed Christmas Day. Allow 1 to 1.5 hours
- Booking
- Online in advance for the lowest price. Tickets are non-refundable, but the booking guarantee allows free rescheduling. Cashless throughout, including the gift shop
- Price
- Adult from 28 pounds online against 39 pounds on the day. Child aged 2 to 15 from 25 pounds online against 35 pounds. Under 2s free. Anytime entry from 33 pounds online, entry with VR from 32 pounds, deluxe package from 38 pounds. Combination tickets from 49 pounds
- Standing
- Over 500 species across 14 themed zones on three floors at County Hall on the South Bank, with over 6,000 creatures including sharks, penguins, turtles and rays
How to get in
No cloakroom and nothing can be stored, including pushchairs, although the accessibility guide offers a free buggy bay in peak season. Backpacks are accepted up to 30 litres and suitcases are refused. Under-16s must be with an adult aged 18 or over, and the recommended age is 6 and over. Bags are searched and there may be metal detectors. No flash photography
Where to go next
The London Eye is next door and sold in the same combination tickets, and the South Bank covers the rest of the riverside.
Free things to do and discounted days out cover the cheaper days out.
Questions we get asked
How much are Sea Life London tickets?
From £28 for an adult online against £39 on the day, and from £25 for a child aged 2 to 15 online against £35. Under-2s go free. The aquarium advertises savings of up to 28 per cent for booking in advance.
How long does Sea Life London take?
About 1 to 1.5 hours on average, across 14 themed zones on three floors.
Can you take a pushchair into Sea Life London?
Yes, you can take it round with you, because there are lifts throughout. Storage is the confusing part: the FAQ says there is no cloakroom and that this includes pushchairs, while the accessibility guide offers a free buggy bay during peak seasons. Ask on arrival rather than relying on it.
What size bag can you take into Sea Life London?
Backpacks up to 30 litres. Mini and small backpacks of 6 to 10 litres and daypacks of 10 to 30 litres are accepted, and anything larger is refused, as are suitcases. Nothing can be stored, so you carry whatever you bring. The nearest left luggage is at the London Eye ticket office or Waterloo station.
What age is Sea Life London suitable for?
All ages, although the aquarium says the recommended age is 6 and over. Under-2s are free, and children aged 15 and under must be accompanied by an adult aged 18 or over.
Can you get a refund on Sea Life London tickets?
No. Tickets are non-refundable. The booking guarantee lets you reschedule free of charge if your plans change, which is not the same as getting your money back.
Is Sea Life London wheelchair accessible?
Yes. The aquarium says it is wheelchair accessible throughout with lifts to every floor, carers and essential companions go free, and registered assistance dogs including guide dogs are welcome inside.
Does Sea Life London take cash?
No. The attraction is cashless throughout, including the gift shop.
Written by Robert J Wills, no. 424 in the guide.
Last checked 10 October 2026 against the venues' own published information. Nobody pays to appear here and we take no bookings.
