An optical pickup apparatus including an objective lens capable of enhancing temperature characteristics and wavelength characteristics, and which enables compatibility for three types of optical discs of BDs, DVDs, and CDs by using the objective lens in common, an optical information recording and reproducing apparatus, and an objective lens suitable for it. In a first optical path difference providing structure in which at least a first basic structure and a second basic structure are superimposed on each other, an amount of a level difference in an optical axis direction can be reduced, whereby it becomes possible to suppress the lowering of a diffraction efficiency when wavelength changes. Further, in the first basic structure and the second basic structure deterioration of the spherical aberration due to the change of the refractive index of the objective lens can be corrected by utilizing a phenomenon that the wavelength of the light source rises similarly due to a rise in the environmental temperature.