Ripley's Aquarium Toronto: tickets, timing and the walk

Ripley's Aquarium exterior, photographed in November 2023. Photo: Antony-22 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified.

For Ripley's Aquarium of Canada at 288 Bremner Boulevard, at the foot of the CN Tower, choose the first timed entry of the day and walk over from South Core. Allow at least two to three hours, as Ripley's visitor FAQ recommends.

The decision that matters comes before the shark tunnel. A fixed arrival time and a flexible ticket do different jobs, particularly on a holiday.

Which Ripley's ticket should you buy?

Buy Timed when your date is fixed. It gives you an hour-long arrival window, bypasses the ticket-purchase line and receives priority entry at peak periods. It does not allow early entry or limit your visit to one hour. Timed and Flex rules.

Buy Flex when you need an open date. One use within a year of purchase, no reservation, admission subject to capacity. Flex buys flexibility, not priority. It also costs more. Ripley's ticket FAQ prices Flex above Timed, as the cost of that flexibility.

Consider CityPASS for a larger Toronto sightseeing plan. Ripley's is included as Flex Ticket General Admission, without an aquarium reservation. The pass runs for nine consecutive days from the first attraction visit or reservation day, including that day. Toronto CityPASS details.

The CityPASS catch. Ripley's own visit page tells CityPASS holders they do not need a timed ticket. True: you get in. But CityPASS includes Flex, and Ripley's gives Timed holders priority at peak times. So a CityPASS visitor can wait behind timed-ticket holders on holidays, in March Break or in summer. That is our reading of the two policies, not a promised queue length.

When should you visit Ripley's Aquarium?

Take the first timed slot, then aim to finish before the middle of the day. Ripley's identifies peak hours as 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on weekdays, and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekends and holidays. At those times, Ripley's says the line to buy tickets sometimes runs outside the building. A weeknight after that peak is my second choice. Ripley's timing advice.

On 21 October, the official aquarium page displayed today's hours as 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

This plan does not suit someone arriving on a holiday Monday or during March Break with Flex or CityPASS and no patience for a line. Choose an ordinary weekday, or choose Timed before buying admission. Already holding CityPASS? Use it outside the peak rather than buying a second aquarium ticket by default.

Skip the mid-afternoon slot on a wet Saturday. It falls within Ripley's published weekend peak. For a different indoor plan, use our Toronto rainy-day guide.

What should you prioritise inside?

Give these three stops room in the visit, rather than racing through every display:

• Dangerous Lagoon: the shark tunnel. Ripley's current description includes the moving glidepath, sharks and green sea turtles. This is the place to slow down and look above you.
• Shoreline Gallery: the ray-touch stop at the shallows of Ray Bay, with four species of stingray. Follow the staff's instructions at the pool.
• Planet Jellies: the jellyfish gallery, with thousands of individual jellies across several species.

What about strollers and bags?

Take a compact stroller to Ripley's. Wagons, stroller-wagons and large running strollers have been banned since May 2023. The visitor FAQ also identifies oversized strollers and backpack-style child carriers as potentially restricted on busy days.

The lobby has paid coat and bag storage, with cubbies for small bags and laptop cases. Travel light. Winter coats go on the coat-check rail; the cubbies do not take coats. For the rest of the trip, our Toronto weekend with kids and no car covers the wider plan.

Eat before entering or after finishing. Ripley's tickets do not include re-entry, so leaving for lunch ends the visit.

Can you add the CN Tower or an evening visit?

The CN Tower is next door; use our CN Tower and skyline-view guide for that separate stop.

For an evening with music, Ripley's Jazz Night page explicitly lists 13 November and 11 December 2026, 7 to 11 p.m. Aquarium admission and live music are included in the event ticket; drinks cost extra. The bar takes cards only, no cash.

Evenings need a date check. Ripley's early-closure schedule lists seven early closings this autumn: 22 October (8 p.m.), 30 October (6 p.m.), 25 November (5 p.m.), 26 November (8 p.m.), 3 December (5 p.m.), 8 December (6 p.m.) and 14 December (4 p.m.).

How do you walk from York Street?

From StayToronto's York suites at 12 and 14 York Street, join Bremner Boulevard and head west past Lower Simcoe Street towards the aquarium at 288 Bremner. Return east along Bremner, then turn towards your York Street entrance.

Our OpenStreetMap-based estimate is about 0.5 to 0.6 km, or seven to eight minutes of moving time, from the two mapped ICE street entrances to the mapped aquarium entrance. It uses pedestrian paths and a pace of 75 metres per minute. Allow ten to fifteen minutes in your plan; the route is outdoors.

Coming from Union Station instead? Use the SkyWalk route guide, or the train-arrival guide to choose your station exit. York Street and Union are different starting points; the SkyWalk is not the route I would choose from the suite for this visit.

Living area in a real York one-bedroom plus den with sofa bed.

The York building guide covers the layouts. For the accommodation decision, use where to stay near the CN Tower and the CN Tower and South Core area page. The advantage here is the repeatable street walk; the trade-off is being outdoors in rain or cold.

Before you go

• Check your date's hours and early closures on Ripley's official page. Prices vary by ticket and date; use its official booking flow for the current total.
• Exhibit access and the glidepath can change on the day. Ask at the door.
• Ask Guest Services before bringing a suitcase, an oversized stroller or a backpack-style carrier on a busy day, or if you need an accessibility exception.
• Treat the walk as a map estimate, not a field-tested or step-free itinerary. It excludes condo lifts, crossing waits and temporary detours.

About this guide

Written by Declan Moss. Venue policies and the linked official listings were checked on 21 October 2026. Walking figures are our calculations from OpenStreetMap, with planning allowances identified separately.

Make York Street your starting point

For a short Toronto stay built around this walk, check York rates and availability, or compare all downtown stays.

StayToronto is not affiliated with Ripley's Aquarium of Canada or the CN Tower. Venue and brand names are used as local reference points only.