Aquarium of Quebec
It's lovely to visit Aquarium of Quebec! If you can come on a weekday, I recommend it since it can be quite crowded during peak season. The aquarium is situated high above the Saint Lawrence River and has many outdoor areas with gorgeous views. The playful animals, such as the polar bears, are really incredible to see.
When you enter you are treated to some lovely flower beds and lush trees. If you walk to the right there is a waterfall fountain and a snack shack with views of the bridges over the river, plus a playground and splash pad for kids. The splash pad has seahorse sprayers plus cute crab claws that kids can run underneath.
Straight ahead is a glass building. Inside, find a clear tunnel for viewing sharks, fish, and bright starfish. There are many nice tanks full of fish and anemones. Kids enjoy touching animals in the touch tank- I'm not sure if the animals feel the same way! There are jellies of all sorts. You can stand at the top of a giant tank and watch spotted sharks glide by. Toddlers love standing here.
Behind this building is a lovely forest area with views of the river. There are sculptures of owls with binoculars, and a sculpture of a beluga whale. An enclosure with arctic foxes is interesting. A winding walkway leads to different stations of wooden play equipment for kids: a stepping stone bridge, a rope climby, a swinging log, a timber passage for balancing, a tunnel, and monkey bars. An enclosure of owls is nearby.
Another large building, to your left of the entrance, has amazing tanks full of jellies and seahorses in a dark hall. There is a pirate ship play area for kids, and a low wide tank full of rays that you can feed.
The most amazing part of the aquarium are the outdoor pool enclosures. Wow! There are seals swimming around in a shallow pool with shade canopies above. Walruses fight playfully with each other. Polar bears scale their rocky enclosure. But best of all is when the polar bears are in their pool and you can watch from below the water or watch from above! It is incredible! I watched for half an hour while a polar bear played with various balls. He put a bucket over his head and swam around. He pushed off from the glass with his big cute foot, which I could see inches from my eyes! It was a peak experience on my trip!
There is a cafeteria and huge patio with gorgeous views of the blue Saint Lawrence River and sailboats going by. Pots full of colorful flowers add to the ambience. You can buy a salad at the counter inside and enjoy it outside under the sun umbrellas. What a pleasant lunch!
From the aquarium parking lot, you can walk or bike ride on a bike path along the railway tracks that leads to a very long bike path, Corridor du Littoral, which runs along Promenade Samuel-De Champlain.
For a meal in a quiet, modern area, go to a cafe at Rue de Courchevel after your fun day at the aquarium.
Seal sculpture.
Modern building.
View of Pierre Laporte Bridge.
Winding path and Pierre Laporte Bridge.
A father and daughter look at the rescued harp seals.
Harp seals in a crystal clear pool.
Clear water pool and bridges in the distance.
Waterfall, polar bear, and windows where you can view.
Kids look at a polar bear eating ice.
Polar bear at the top of the enclosure.
Yellow flowers!
Jeu de Morse game.
Lovely tables outside the cafeteria.
Tables overlooking the river. A wonderful spot to sit!
Flowers by the outdoor seating at the cafeteria.
View of Pont de Quebec and the river.
Flowers by the cafeteria.
Jade green water of the river.
Climbing on the play equipment.
Stepping stones in the forest.
Net climbey, with views of the truss bridge.
Swinging tight rope in the play area.
Stepping stones with beautiful maple leaves catching the light.
Owl sculptures.
Net climbey.
Net climbey and rock climbing wall.
Criss cross climbey.
Wooden tunnel to climb through.
Long wooden tunnel in the play area.
Picnic tables at the play area.
Monkey bars in the play area.
Views of the river from the play area.
Beautiful grounds of the aquarium.
Owl sculptures.
Fish in a tank.
Families going through the tunnel.
Starfish.
Kids observing the fish in the tunnel.
Funny-looking fish.
Greenest grasses and puffer fish.
Grass and little fish.
Starfish and anemone.
Anemone.
Touch tank.
Colorful starfish.
Bright fish.
Jellies!
Diver in a tank.
Looking at a shark.
Spotted shark.
A child looks at the tank with his dad, at the upper level.
Yellow fish.
Stripey fish.
Looking at the tank from the upper level.
Pointing to the fish.
Kids looking at the orange fish.
Looking at sharks from the upper tank.
A mom and child look at a small tank.
Pink fish!
Arctic fox.
Sailboat going by on the river, as seen from the outdoor seating at the cafeteria.
Watching a polar bear play!
Polar bear playing by the glass.
A polar bear plays with a black bucket.
A girl looks as a polar bear plays with a black bucket.
People gather to see the polar bear playing!
Polar bear on his back.
Polar bear playing with a ball.
Polar bear diving under during ball games.
Polar bear looking up.
Polar bear giving onlookers a lot to see!
Polar bear looking out the glass at onlookers.
Walrus enclosure.
Walrus on his back.
Baby looking at jellies.
Jellies and their long stingers.
Tranquil pink jelly in a tank.
Pink jellies bumping together.
Dotted pale pink jellies.
Pale pink jellies with adorable shapes.
Many jellies!
Pirate play area.
Touching a stingray.
Colorful flowers.
Gift shop.
Flower beds.
Harp seal.
Stingray touch tank.
Boy looking at a harp seal.
Aquarium of Quebec is located at 1675 Av. des Hôtels, Quebec. Open 9-4 daily. Admission is $22 for adults, $20 for seniors, $11 for kids aged 3-17, free for kids 2 and under, $44 for an adult and up to six kids. and $66 for an two adults and up to six kids. You can also buy an annual pass, at great cost savings.
The aquarium is only accessed by car or taxi, a 20 minute drive west from Old Quebec. There is no bus or shuttle. If you're staying at a big hotel there will be taxis outside the lobby and there are also taxis in the aquarium parking lot usually. If you need to call a taxi, the best taxi service I found was Taxi 4000 in Levis, reached by this number: (418) 833-4000. Uber does not work well, but an app that locals use is Taxi Coop, which can have very bad drivers.
You could also bike ride 45 minutes here on the bike path that leads to the aquarium parking lot. You start on the bike path called Corridor du Littoral which runs from Old Quebec, through Plains of Abraham, along the river, and past Promenade Samuel de Champlain. You must then bike a steep road with cars, Impasse des Cageaux, to another bike path along the railroad tracks to the aquarium parking lot. I never did this so I can't tell you how it is!
Last Updated: Fri, 08 Sep 2023 19:39:11 GMT
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