Afrykarium Wrocław

The Afrykarium in Wrocław (say af-rih-KAR-yum, VROTS-wahv) is Poland's first oceanarium devoted entirely to Africa and the star attraction of Wrocław Zoo, one of the country's most visited sights. Inside a vast, partly underground building you walk from a Red Sea coral reef through an underwater shark tunnel to a steamy Congo jungle with manatees and crocodiles. Because most of it is indoors, it works in any weather, which makes it one of the best things to do in Wrocław with kids.

Where it is

Wrocław is the capital of Lower Silesia in southwestern Poland, about 3.5 hours from Berlin and roughly 2.5–3 hours from Kraków by train. The zoo sits about 3 km east of the Old Town, opposite the UNESCO-listed Centennial Hall, and is easy to reach by tram. From Wrocław Airport, take bus 106 to the main station and change, or grab a taxi.

A short history

The Afrykarium opened on October 26, 2014, after less than three years of construction, at a cost of around 220 million PLN. It was designed by architects Mariusz and Dorota Szlachcic. The name is a blend of the Polish words for Africa and aquarium. Some numbers give a sense of scale:

• the building is about 160 m long and 54 m wide, on three levels, one of them underground;
• roughly 15 million liters of water circulate through its tanks, filters and pipes, about as much as six Olympic pools;
• the fur seal pool alone holds 3,600 m³ and the shark tank 3,100 m³.

What to see

The route follows African habitats one after another:

• Red Sea – a coral reef with colorful reef fish, plus desert tortoises.
• East Africa – Nile hippos, which you can watch above and below the waterline, as well as an aardvark, dik-diks and a waterfall.
• Lakes Malawi and Tanganyika – endemic cichlids famous among aquarium keepers.
• Mozambique Channel – the highlight: an acrylic tunnel about 18 m long, with sharks, rays and a green sea turtle gliding overhead.
• Skeleton Coast – an outdoor section modeled on the Namibian coast, with Cape fur seals and African penguins.
• Congo jungle – a humid hall with manatees, Nile crocodiles and free-flying birds.

Check the zoo's feeding show schedule on arrival and plan your loop around it.

How long to spend and is it worth visiting?

Allow 1.5–2 hours for the Afrykarium alone. Your ticket covers the whole zoo, so most visitors make a half or full day of it. The route is accessible for strollers and wheelchairs, with elevators between levels. Weekends and school holidays get busy, especially in the tunnel; weekday mornings are calmest. If you have the time, yes, it is worth it: few aquariums in Central Europe combine marine tanks with hippos, seals and manatees under one roof.

Tickets and opening hours

There is no separate Afrykarium ticket; entry is included in the zoo ticket. As of October 2026:

• Adult: from 69 PLN online, 99 PLN at the ticket office; reduced: from 59 PLN online, 89 PLN on site.
• Family (2+2): from 225 PLN online.
• Children under 3 and seniors over 75: free, with ID.
• Buy only through the zoo's official ticket site; the zoo warns about fake ticket websites.

In October, the zoo and Afrykarium are open Monday–Thursday 9:00 am–5:00 pm and Friday–Sunday and holidays 9:00 am–6:00 pm. Ticket offices close an hour earlier, and you can only enter while they are open. From November to February, hours are 9:00 am–4:00 pm daily. Information is available in English on the zoo's website.

How to get there

Trams 1, 2, 4, 10, 13 and 19 stop at Hala Stulecia or ZOO; buses 145 and 146 also serve the area. Tram 2 and buses 145/146 run direct from Wrocław Główny station. The zoo has no parking lot of its own; use the paid 24-hour underground garage at the Centennial Hall (800+ spaces, entrance from Kopernika Street), a three-minute walk via a footbridge.

Nearby

Combine your visit with the Centennial Hall, the Multimedia Fountain and the seasonal Japanese Garden in Szczytnicki Park, all within a short walk.