Photo : Bateloupreaut / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Nausicaa Cap au Sud
Nausicaá, the national sea centre, is located in Boulogne-sur-Mer, in the Pas-de-Calais, and opened on 18 May 1991. It is presented as the largest aquarium in Europe and the fifth in the world. It presents about 58,000 marine animals, belonging to 1,600 species, and has 10,000 m² of exhibition space and 17 million litres of sea water.
The route includes several exhibitions: "Des rivages et des Hommes", devoted to the links between humanity and the sea, "Voyage en haute mer", opened in 2018 around a tank of 10,000 m³, "Dans l'œil du climat", opened in 2020, and "Grand large", an augmented-reality experience opened in 2022. The big tank is fitted with an acrylic panel 21 metres by 6 and 48 cm thick, the largest in Europe, and 200 loudspeakers for the sound design.
The site is very popular: 907,305 visitors in 2023, the year the 20-millionth visitor was welcomed. An extension devoted to the Arctic is planned for 2028. The centre is by the beach, which lets you extend the visit with a walk along the seafront.
