Cretaquarium Tickets

Cretaquarium tickets open the doors of the aquarium at Gournes, on the north coast of Crete east of Heraklion. The visit fits easily beside the Greece tours that start from Heraklion.

What are Cretaquarium tickets?

Cretaquarium tickets are entry passes to the public aquarium on the Greek island of Crete. The official full name of this aquarium is CRETAquarium, the Aquarium of Crete. A ticket lets a visitor enter and see the living sea animals on display.

In Greek, the aquarium is called Enidrio Kritis. It also goes by the name Thalassocosmos, which means “sea world”. Both names refer to the very same attraction on Crete. A traveller who spots either name has found the place behind Cretaquarium tickets.

The aquarium is home to 1,500 marine animals. These animals belong to 130 species that live in the Mediterranean Sea. A ticket opens a window onto the underwater world of this sea. Each display gives visitors a close look at creatures that stay out of sight beneath the waves.

The Aquarium of Crete is part of a bigger centre called Thalassokosmos. This complex is the largest in the Mediterranean for marine research, technology and entertainment. It brings science and leisure together in one place. Cretaquarium tickets give the public a way into this working centre.

• Opening: Thalassocosmos officially started operating on the island of Crete in December 2005.
• Site size: The Thalassokosmos complex spreads over 58,000 square metres in all.
• Standing: Cretaquarium ranks with Europe’s biggest modern aquariums.

A public aquarium works like a water zoo. It keeps living aquatic animals and plants so that people can see them. Cretaquarium tickets are the pass into this kind of water zoo on Crete, open to every visitor.

Where is the aquarium that Cretaquarium tickets open?

Cretaquarium tickets give entry to an aquarium in Gournes, on the island of Crete. The site stands 14 km from Heraklion city. Nikos Kazantzakis International Airport lies at the same distance of 14 km. Travellers who land there face a short trip.

Gournes is a seaside village to the east of Heraklion city. It lies inside the municipality of Hersonissos. The village also holds an official role in the area. The Hersonissos local government unit has its seat there. Maps show it on the shore, east of the city.

Hersonissos lies in the north of Crete. The area sits on the edge of the Mediterranean and the Aegean Sea. So the aquarium sits on Crete’s north side. Visitors with Cretaquarium tickets can add the site to a day on that coast.

The national road links the aquarium to the area’s key destinations. Visitors staying in other towns of the region can use this main road by car or taxi. Before setting off, holders of Cretaquarium tickets can plan the drive on a road map.

• Postal address: The postal address of the site reads Gournes, Hersonissos, postcode 71500, Heraklion, Crete.
• Road signs: Special brown signs across the Cretan road network point drivers to the aquarium.
• Buses: A dense network of bus routes links the aquarium with Heraklion.

A viaduct carries the A90 road over the Aposelemi Gorge, on the stretch between Gournes and Hersonissos. Drivers from the Hersonissos side pass over this gorge before they reach the village. The viaduct gives the drive a clear landmark.

Which sea creatures do Cretaquarium tickets show?

Cretaquarium tickets give entry to a wide mix of sea life. The halls present seabed creatures, tropical incomers, sharks, jellyfish and dusky groupers. Each group shows a different side of life under the water, from slow floor dwellers to strong hunters.

Cretaquarium tickets let fans of big fish start with the sharks. The aquarium took in two sandbar sharks of the species Carcharhinus plumbeus. A sandbar shark can grow to 2.5 metres in length. That is longer than a tall adult lying down. Standing at the glass helps visitors grasp that size.

Dusky groupers carry a surprising life story. Mature males begin life as females. In other words, each adult male was once a female. Their diet tells a second story. Octopus is the dusky grouper’s favourite prey. Besides octopus, it can also be fed fish and crabs.

The octopus works like a builder. It moves stones and empty shells with its tentacles. These items block the entrance of its den. Cretaquarium tickets bring visitors close to this clever animal. Patient watchers at the tank can look for a den with stones at its door.

• Moon jellyfish: The moon jellyfish, Aurelia aurita, traps zooplankton in its tentacles or the slime on its body.
• Clown anemonefish: This fish uses a chemical camouflage from its mucus to get close to anemone stings.
• Stingray: A stingray carries a poisonous sting in its tail that can reach 35 cm long.

Sea turtles of the species Caretta caretta stay at Cretaquarium only for a time. For that reason, seeing one takes luck. Even so, Cretaquarium tickets still open the door to plenty of other sea life in the halls.

Which tanks and zones do Cretaquarium tickets cover?

Cretaquarium tickets open all 62 tanks of the aquarium, which come in different sizes. Together, these tanks contain 1,800,000 litres of seawater. The exhibits are split into five sections, and each section carries its own name and theme.

The first section is called Playing with the Light. It shows sea life from caves and deep water in low light. The third section, Coastal Areas, moves to the shore. It displays the biotopes of the coastal zone. A biotope is a living space with its own plants and animals.

In the Beyond the Glass section, visitors see animals in shallow open tanks. Here, they also learn how the aquarium’s tanks work. The animals on show include the moon jellyfish and the Mediterranean rainbow wrasse. Cretaquarium tickets cover this learning zone along with every other section.

The last section, Travelling to the Tropics, focuses on tropical marine life. It also features Lessepsian migrant species. This name describes sea life that entered the Mediterranean from the Red Sea. They made the journey through the Suez Canal. In short, the zone pairs tropical species with newcomers to the Mediterranean.

• Largest tank: The Open Sea section holds the biggest tank, with 600,000 litres of water.
• Second tank: The same section also holds the second-largest tank, with 400,000 litres of water.
• Seabed scenery: The scenery in the Open Sea tanks is inspired by the seabeds of Matala and Vai.

Touch-screen information points add depth to the visit. They give visitors more details on how the organisms in the tanks live. With Cretaquarium tickets, visitors can watch the animals and then read about their lives on these screens.

Who runs the aquarium behind Cretaquarium tickets?

Cretaquarium tickets give entry to an aquarium run by HCMR, the Hellenic Centre for Marine Research. This body is a public research institution, not a private business. Each visit links ticket holders to a scientific body devoted to the sea.

HCMR came into being on June 3, 2003. On that day, the Crete institute merged with the National Centre for Marine Research. The new body works through three institutes. One covers marine biology, biotechnology and aquaculture. A second studies biological resources and inland waters. The third deals with oceanography.

The aquarium grew out of scientific work. Staff at the Crete institute conceived Cretaquarium as Greece’s first large aquarium. They set it within a marine park meant for research and education. As a result, Cretaquarium tickets lead into a place that research staff planned with a clear scientific purpose.

Building the aquarium required funding partners. The European Investment Bank and the Greek state co-financed the building of Cretaquarium. Their shared support turned a scientific plan into a finished aquarium. Today, Cretaquarium tickets let visitors walk through a building that joint funding helped to raise.

• Research base: HCMR’s marine biology, biotechnology and aquaculture institute is based on the Cretaquarium premises.
• Anavyssos building: HCMR’s three-storey Anavyssos building holds 34 laboratories, 65 offices, a library and a 200-seat auditorium.
• Research ship: The 62-metre vessel AEGAEO was refitted in 1997 as a fully modernised floating laboratory.

Behind each visit stands a public aim. HCMR’s aquaria aim to share what science knows about the marine environment. Their main focus falls on the Eastern Mediterranean. A day at the aquarium thus becomes a lesson about the sea.

What conservation work do Cretaquarium tickets support?

Cretaquarium tickets give entry to an aquarium that carries out hands-on animal rescue work. Together with local agencies and environmental groups, its staff treat wounded or sick animals. Once each animal has recovered, the team sets it free again.

Beyond rescue work, the aquarium runs research on endangered and protected species. It also looks after these animals. The species list includes sea turtles, marine mammals and invertebrates. Visitors with Cretaquarium tickets enter a building where this study and care of at-risk sea life takes place.

The aquarium keeps quarantine tanks behind the scenes. In these back-of-house tanks, staff complete the life cycle of animals such as jellyfish. The animals raised there then go on to stock the exhibits. So a jellyfish drifting in a display tank can begin its life in these back rooms.

Cretaquarium joins other European aquariums in Project Oceanic Whitetip. The European Union of Aquarium Curators (EUAC) co-launched this joint campaign. Its aim is to raise awareness of the shark’s protection. After decades of overfishing, the IUCN Red List now rates the oceanic whitetip shark as Critically Endangered.

• Matched lessons: School programmes follow the school curriculum or suit pupils’ ages, from primary to secondary.
• Exploring a Marine Threat: This programme uses HCMR research to show pupils the sea’s biggest modern challenges.
• The wanderers of the seas: Pupils watch live plankton through lab stereoscopes and microscopes during this programme.

An HCMR scientist has flagged rising human pressure on Greek Posidonia meadows. The warning covers their loss and the need to protect them. For holders of Cretaquarium tickets, it is a reminder that these meadows need care too.

Which Heraklion sights pair with Cretaquarium tickets?

Cretaquarium tickets cover the aquarium alone, yet the visit pairs well with a wider Heraklion day out. Knossos sits inside the city’s southern edge, roughly 5 km from the historic centre. Visitors can add it before or after the tanks.

Knossos became the Minoan civilisation’s biggest and best-known centre. The Heraklion Archaeological Museum completes the picture. Its halls keep the bulk of what was dug up at the Knossos palace. Seeing both sites on the same day links the palace ruins with the objects found there.

The Republic of Venice built the Koules fortress at Heraklion harbour in the early 16th century. Its two storeys hold 26 rooms. Over time they served as barracks, a prison, a church, a bakery and a mill. A harbour walk there suits a day built around Cretaquarium tickets.

Lions Square takes its popular name from the Venetian Morosini Fountain. Four lions hold up the fountain’s main basin. The fountain dates from 1628. It adds a Venetian chapter to a day of ancient and marine sights. A short pause here breaks up a full round of sightseeing.

• Museum depth: The museum’s collection runs from Neolithic times to the Roman age, over 5,500 years in all.
• Village stroll: Koutouloufari is listed under Heraklion among the traditional settlements of Greece.
• Beach time: Gournes appears among the Hersonissos area beaches, listed with Kokkini Hani and Gouves.

A balanced plan joins one ancient site, one Venetian landmark and the aquarium. Holders of Cretaquarium tickets can set the order around their own energy levels. History fans can give the palace and the museum extra time.

What history lies behind the site of Cretaquarium tickets?

Cretaquarium tickets lead visitors onto the grounds of the former Iraklion Air Station. This United States Air Force facility stood east of Iraklion, near Gournes village. The old station now houses the aquarium, an animal shelter and a dinosaur park.

Visitors with Cretaquarium tickets walk where the station began operations on 5 October 1954. It carried the name of an air station, yet it had no flying role. Instead, the base gave administrative and logistical support to the American 6931st Electronic Security Squadron. Its work stayed on the ground.

The station closed in 1994. After that, the facility stood abandoned and stayed empty. The silent site appears to have been looted during this quiet period. Vandals also seem to have caused damage there. The old base had lost its purpose and waited for a new role.

Today the land serves visitors and the wider community. Hersonissos municipality says the former base area combines public services, schools and research facilities. It also points to planned new development there. The old military site has become a mixed space for learning, work and public life.

• Village roots: A 1583 record lists the village as Gurnes, with 146 inhabitants.
• Deep past: Hills east of the old base have yielded fossils of sea creatures.
• Recent talk: In 2020, the United States and Greece reportedly weighed reactivating the station as an air base.

Holders of Cretaquarium tickets share the old base with local government. The town hall of Hersonissos municipality stands inside the former American base at Gournes. Marine life and civic business now occupy the same historic ground.

What questions come up about Cretaquarium tickets?

Cretaquarium tickets raise common questions before a first visit. Visitors ask who enters free or at a reduced rate. They also ask how easy the building is to move around. Other questions cover the house rules and what waits beyond the tanks.

Who gets free or reduced Cretaquarium tickets?

Children aged 0 to 4 get free entrance to the aquarium. Students head the aquarium’s list of special discounts. The Greek fee list also places large families and three-child families under those discounts. Visitors in these groups can check the aquarium’s own site for the current terms before booking.

How accessible is the aquarium for visitors with Cretaquarium tickets?

Individuals with a disability enter free of charge. The entrance, reception, main aquarium area and visit route all sit on the ground floor. This keeps the heart of the visit on the same level. Visitors with specific needs can contact the aquarium before using their Cretaquarium tickets to confirm details.

What visitor rules come with Cretaquarium tickets?

Visitors can reach the shop from the foyer without a ticket. Its entrance at the end of the route needs one. The aquarium has installed CCTV cameras to protect its staff, visitors, facilities and property. Organised visits by groups of more than 20 people fall under the group category.

What else do visitors find beyond the tanks with Cretaquarium tickets?

Visitors can take a refreshing break at the cafeteria in the aquarium’s outdoor area. Its café-restaurant offers lunch, snacks, coffee and soft drinks. It sits in a landscaped setting with sea views. Indoors on the ground floor, the gift shop offers visitors gifts and souvenirs to take home.