Aquarium de Paris

What Aquarium de Paris does

Aquarium de Paris, founded in 2006 and operating as a Société par Actions Simplifiée (S.A.S.), is a privately-held marine aquarium located in the Trocadéro district of Paris near the Eiffel Tower. The facility houses approximately 13,000 marine animals across 70 basins and operates the Médusarium©, Europe's largest jellyfish collection and the second largest globally. The company combines a public-facing visitor attraction with an operational marine biology research program, including a dedicated laboratory with 92 polyp tanks, 76 rearing tanks, and 44 grow-out tanks staffed by four specialist biologists.

The business model is built on multiple revenue streams centered on the physical venue: walk-in ticket sales at price points between €22 and €34, an annual pass priced at €70, corporate and private event hire, retail/gift shop sales, and paid audioguides. Customer segments span families and individual tourists, school groups, French CSE (works council) tickets, corporate event clients, and birthday party packages. Named enterprise clients in the events channel include BNP Paribas, E.Leclerc, KPMG, Veolia, EDF, Sopra Steria, AIA, and ADF. Distribution and awareness are supported by a presence on Twitch, TikTok, Instagram, X, LinkedIn, and YouTube.

The company has invested in research partnerships and ecosystem positioning, including a CIFRE doctoral program with the University of Montpellier, a Jellyfish Academy (LabCom) partnership, and a 2023 research grant awarded to biologist Tomasz Jurkowski on immortal jellyfish. In 2024 the company adopted Société à Mission status, formalizing its social and environmental purpose. The organization employs 11–50 staff, has Alexis Powilewicz as its legal representative, and carries €50,000 of registered capital. A new permanent tour, "La Magie du Vivant," is scheduled to launch in the June–August 2026 window.

Name

Aquarium de Paris

Legal name

S.A.S. AQUARIUM DE PARIS

Website

https://aquariumdeparis.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Aquarium de Paris is a privately-held marine aquarium near the Eiffel Tower operating 70 basins and 13,000 animals, including Europe's largest jellyfish collection, serving families, school groups, and corporate event clients through ticketing, memberships, and venue hire.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Aquarium / Marine Attraction

NAICS

Zoos and Botanical Gardens (712130), Zoos and Botanical Gardens (71213)

akta.pro primary industry

Zoo & Aquarium Parks (Ticketed Wildlife Attractions) (THAJAEAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Zoos, Aquariums & Botanical Gardens (Educational Collections) (THAJADAL)

Keywords

• Public aquarium attraction
• Marine animal exhibits
• Jellyfish conservation
• Family educational entertainment
• Corporate event venue

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Individual admission tickets including Freedom Ticket (€27.50 adult), Promo Ticket (from €22), Night Tour (€30.50), and Premium Visit (from €34). Revenue from visitors purchasing single or multiple visit tickets.
2. Annual Pass Subscription: Annual membership offering unlimited visits for one year with exclusive benefits including 10% discount in-store, reduced rates for companions, exclusive competitions, and partner discounts.
3. School and Group Bookings: Self-guided tours and educational workshops for school groups, extracurricular groups, and other organizations with group pricing from 20 people upwards.
4. Birthday Parties: Turnkey birthday party packages including tour, workshop, meal/snack, birthday cake, and table decorations. Package for 7 children and 1 adult included.
5. Corporate Events and Private Hire: Professional event hosting including cocktail receptions, dinners, seminars, and parties in privatizable spaces (Nave, Lounge, Medusarium, Rotunda terrace, Summer terrace). Revenue from venue rental, catering, and entertainment packages.
6. CSE/Enterprise Ticketing Programs: Reduced-rate bulk ticket programs for works councils and employee benefit programs with undated tickets valid for one year.
7. Retail Store: Souvenir shop selling merchandise, coloring books, and gifts accessible at end of visit for ticket holders.
8. Audioguides and Add-ons: Immersive audio guides available in 5 languages (French, English, German, Spanish, Italian) and fun visit booklets for children priced at €4.50.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Aquarium de Paris operates a public marine aquarium with 70 basins housing 13,000 marine animals (35 large sharks, 2,500 jellyfish, 700 coral colonies) including Europe's largest jellyfish collection (Médusarium©). It sells admission tickets, annual passes, guided and night tours, and hosts corporate events, school group visits, birthday parties, and CSE ticketing programs at its single Paris venue near the Eiffel Tower.

Product overview

The Aquarium de Paris is a marine aquarium and entertainment venue located near the Eiffel Tower in Paris, operating as a Société à Mission since 2024. The core product portfolio centers on visitor experiences including general admission tickets (Billet Liberté, Billet Promo, Pass Annuel), specialized tours (Premium Tour, Night Tour), and flagship attractions such as the Médusarium (Europe's largest jellyfish collection), La Magie du Vivant immersive experience, and Sirène mermaid shows. The offering extends to private event hosting for corporate clients (La Nef, Lounge, Medusarium venues), family celebrations (birthday packages, Christmas events), and educational programs for school groups. Supplementary offerings include audioguides, game booklets, and jellyfish coloring books. The aquarium also operates as a research institution specializing in cnidarian biology with its Medusarium housing 92 polyp tanks, 76 rearing tanks, and 44 jellyfish grow-out tanks.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Billet Liberté (Freedom Ticket) Standard admission ticket priced at €27.50 per adult, valid for 1 year from purchase with priority access, undated and without reservation requirement, intended for individual and family visitors.
• Billet Promo (Promotional Ticket) Web-exclusive discounted admission ticket from €22 per adult, requiring advance time slot selection, offering up to 20% savings versus standard pricing, aimed at price-sensitive online bookers.
• Pass Annuel (Annual Pass) Subscription pass priced at €70 adult / €50 child (3-12) / €50 reduced, offering unlimited visits for one year plus 10% boutique discount, reduced rates for companions, and exclusive competitions and partner discounts.
• Visite Premium (Premium Tour) Small-group guided tour from €34 per adult with a dedicated teaching guide, providing an enhanced aquarium experience for visitors seeking more in-depth content.
• Visite Nocturne (Night Tour) Exclusive Saturday evening tour after public closing hours (7pm-9pm, last entry 8pm), priced at €30.50 adult / €25.50 child, including a complimentary glass of champagne or soft drink.
• Médusarium© Permanent trademarked jellyfish exhibit billed as Europe's largest collection and second largest in the world, presenting approximately 50 jellyfish specimens on rotation and maintained by expert biologists specializing in cnidarian care and reproduction.
• La Magie du Vivant New permanent immersive experience featuring video projections and interactive content, guided by characters Kinkin, Perpétua, and Kabi, exploring marine ecosystems from the Seine to the Ocean.
• Sirène (Mermaid Show) Live mermaid and triton performances including shows such as Claire the Mermaid, Triton with Gabriel, Ingrid the Mermaid, and Mira the Dutchman's Mermaid, providing live entertainment as part of the aquarium visit.
• Birthday Packages Turnkey birthday party packages for children including guided tour, game booklet, fish-feeding workshop, meal or snack with cake, and themed table decorations; packages for 7 children and 1 adult available Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays.
• Professional Events (Corporate Hire) Corporate event hosting including cocktail receptions, dinners, seminars, and private evenings in modular privatizable spaces: La Nef (725 m², 700 capacity), Lounge (300 capacity), Médusarium (200 capacity), Rotunda terrace, and Summer terrace, with on-site chef catering.
• Christmas Events (Arbre de Noël) Turnkey Christmas packages for companies and CSE including private room decoration, Christmas buffet, children's entertainment, and Santa diving shows.
• School and Group Visits Self-guided 1h30 tours and educational workshops for school groups (kindergarten through high school), extracurricular groups, leisure centers, and youth associations, including game booklets, teacher pre-visits, and Pass Culture (ADAGE) integration for grades 6-12.
• Aquabalades Audioguides Immersive downloadable audio guides available in 5 languages (French, English, German, Spanish, Italian) with themed tours including 'Aquatic life' and 'Underwater conversations', delivered via a mobile app requiring personal headphones.
• CSE Packages Reduced-rate individual ticketing, group outings, and special Christmas events designed for works councils (CSE) and employee associations, with undated tickets valid for one year and digital delivery.

Quantifiable outcome

• 13,000 marine animals housed
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Jellyfish Academy (LabCom Network)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Joint laboratory (LabCom) network bringing together leading professionals in aquariology on cnidarians. The goal is to exchange knowledge and skills that were previously non-existent. Aquarium integrates this network to become a major player in cnidarian research.
• University of Montpellier (Delphine Bonnet)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023CIFRE doctoral student research collaboration in marine biology. Since February 2023, hosting CIFRE doctoral research with Professor Delphine Bonnet. Research aimed at producing 4 scientific publications on cnidarians and jellyfish. The Médusarium© provides ideal environment and expertise for completing research.
• Editions MKFminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPublisher of jellyfish coloring books produced with participation of Jacqueline Goy, professor of ichthyology and world expert on jellyfish, long-standing member of the Scientific Advisory Board.
• Jacqueline GoyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessor of ichthyology and world expert on jellyfish, long-standing member of the Scientific Advisory Board. Contributed to jellyfish coloring book production.
• AFdPZ (Association Française des Parcs Zoologiques)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember since 1969. AFdPZ federates approximately 100 zoological parks and aquariums in mainland France, overseas France, and Belgium. Committed to animal welfare, biodiversity conservation, public education, and scientific research. Manages its own in-situ conservation fund.
• Japanese Partner AquariumsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJapanese aquarium partners who contributed scientific research articles on goldfish and freshwater fish studies. Research advised by Koki Ikeya from Gifu World Freshwater Aquarium.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Nausicaá Centre National de la Mer: Located in Boulogne-sur-Mer, France, Nausicaá is one of Europe's largest public aquariums and a direct peer in the French/European marine-aquarium attraction category. Both compete for French family, school, and tourist audiences with ticketed marine exhibits and educational programming.
• Oceanário de Lisboa: Lisbon Oceanarium is a major European public aquarium operated as a non-profit with a strong educational and conservation mission — directly comparable to Aquarium de Paris on mission-driven positioning, school programming, and large marine-animal collections.
• Pairi Daiza: Large Belgian zoo/aquarium complex that is a member of AFdPZ alongside Aquarium de Paris. Direct comparator within the French-speaking European zoological-park network for visitor scale, education programming, and family-tourist market.
• Acquario di Genova: One of the largest aquariums in Italy and Europe, located in Genoa, with a broad marine collection and strong tourism-tied visitation model. Direct peer in scale, visitor-experience design, and Mediterranean-European aquarium positioning.
• Oceanogràfic (City of Arts and Sciences): Europe's largest aquarium in Valencia, Spain, by water volume, and a direct comparator in scale of marine collection, themed zones, and European tourist-market positioning. Both target family and international tourist visitation with ticketed immersive aquarium experiences.
• Aquarium Barcelona (L'Aquàrium de Barcelona): Major Mediterranean urban aquarium with a strong Mediterranean-species focus and tourist-tied foot traffic in a major European capital. Comparable in scale, urban-tourism positioning, and educational offerings.

Broad incumbents

• Berlin Zoo Aquarium: Aquarium component of the Berlin Zoological Garden, one of Europe's most-visited combined zoo/aquarium facilities. Overlaps in aquarium-attraction category and educational programming, though it operates as part of a much larger zoo institution.
• SEA LIFE (Merlin Entertainments): Global chain of aquariums operated by Merlin Entertainments, with multiple European sites (including Paris). Comparable as a multi-site, branded aquarium operator competing for the same family and tourist audiences, though with broader geographic reach and corporate scale beyond what Aquarium de Paris can match independently.
• Monterey Bay Aquarium: Mission-driven, non-profit public aquarium renowned for research, conservation, and educational programming. A useful peer benchmark on integrating a research institution and educational mission with ticketed public visitation — a model relevant to Aquarium de Paris's Société à Mission positioning.

Others

• Toucan parc (former Réserve de Biosphère du Marais Poitevin) and other AFdPZ member aquariums: Industry association (AFdPZ) of which Aquarium de Paris has been a member since 1969, federating ~100 French zoological parks and aquariums. The network defines the regulatory, educational, and conservation peer group relevant to Aquarium de Paris's mission and operational standards.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/ALP_AquaParis
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/aquariumdeparis1
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/aquarium-de-paris-cin-aqua
• Instagraminstagram.com/aquariumdeparis_/?hl=fr
• TikToktiktok.com/@aquariumdeparis
• Facebookfacebook.com/aquariumdeparis

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Aquarium de Paris