Cretaquarium (Thalassocosmos)

Cretaquarium, also known as Thalassocosmos, is a large public aquarium in the former US Air Base at Gournes, about 15 km east of Heraklion in Crete, Greece. It is among the largest aquariums in the Mediterranean and presents marine life from the Mediterranean and the Red Sea in around sixty tanks. Visitors follow a route that starts with coastal habitats, such as rocky shores and seagrass meadows, and moves on to deeper water, caves and open-sea tanks, where sharks, rays, moray eels and large schools of fish circulate. Other tanks show jellyfish, seahorses, octopus and invertebrates, along with a Red Sea section with colourful coral-reef fish. A walk-through tunnel and a large central tank give close views of larger animals, and information panels in Greek and English explain the species and the threats facing the Mediterranean. A visit takes two to three hours at an easy pace. The site is reached by KTEL bus from Bus Station A toward Hersonissos or Malia, getting off at the Cretaquarium stop after about thirty minutes, or by taxi for roughly EUR 25 to 30. Summer opening is reported daily from 09:30 to 19:00, and winter hours are shorter, ending around 16:00. Admission is listed at EUR 15 for adults and EUR 8 for children aged 5 to 17 and seniors, with children under 4 free. The aquarium is popular on rainy days and in the hottest part of summer, so school groups and families fill the tanks from late morning; arriving at opening gives a calmer experience. There is a cafe and a shop on site, and the building is air conditioned. The official website is cretaquarium.gr.