Berlin Trip Planning?

[TeaLovingDave]

However, seeing as they are both open from 09:00 -18:30, I'm sure I'd be happy with a day each; personally, I don't spend much time exploring indoor exhibits unless the weather is poor.

Although indoor exhibits *are* a large part of why Zoo Berlin takes more than a day to see properly, this is nowhere near as much of a factor for Tierpark Berlin where it is the sheer size of the collection which has the greatest impact. We are talking an exhibit density similar to Chester Zoo in a collection two-thirds the size of Whipsnade Zoo. I strongly suggest that unless you want to a) view the collection at a jog and b) omit any revisits to no-show species even 9 hours or so will not be sufficient for the latter collection

 

[littleRedPanda]

I strongly suggest that unless you want to a) view the collection at a jog and b) omit any revisits to no-show species even 9 hours or so will not be sufficient for the latter collection

I do go round at quite a pace initially, to assess how I am going to spend the rest of the day and decide which exhibits can be crossed off as having no better view point than what is offered at home, or are sort of isolated with little of great interest en route. Saying all that, I think I do wear my self out too early sometimes

 

[agnmeln]

I just did Berlin Zoo, Berlin Tierpark, Allwetterzoo Münster and Cologne Zoo for my Christmas break with my partner.

We went to Berlin Zoo on Christmas Eve and even with the shortened opening hours (9:00-14:00) we still saw everything apart from the aquarium, so a full day I feel should allow for all exhibits.

Berlin Tierpark definitely needs two full days - we had only planned for one unfortunately, and so as a result we missed out on a lot. However, it probably doesn't help that I spent far over an hour of the day just with the sun bears. There really are no words for how expansive the grounds are!

Allwetterzoo Münster and Cologne Zoo were both absolutely fine with one day each.

We flew from Manchester Airport in to Schoenefeld Airport and took a train from the station just outside of the main terminal building into the centre of Berlin (which was only around 15 minutes away), where we stayed stayed at the Park Inn Hotel Alexanderplatz. We took the S Bahn to Berlin Zoo and the U Bahn to Berlin Tierpark, it was only arund a 15 minute journey to each and very reasonably priced, I think €2.80 per one way trip.

Then we travelled by the Deutsche Bahn mainline train to Münster (approximately 4 hours’ journey) where we stayed at the Ibis Hotel and took a bus from the city centre out to Allwetterzoo which only took 20 minutes, again €3.10 per one way trip so nice and cheap.

From there we caught the Deutsche Bahn again on to Cologne where we stayed at the Courtyard by Marriott, we were so close we could have walked to the zoo in 20 minutes but it was just 2 stops by tram (€1.90 per one way trip) and for our fourth zoo day straight we wanted to save our energy! Had a real treat at Cologne and was taken behind the scenes by a keeper to see some of the off show areas which just made my trip if I’m honest. From there a short 20 minute trip by S Bahn back to Cologne/Bonn Airport and back home again yesterday.

I think including flights, food, transport, hotels and entrance it was only around £810 each to do these four zoos and have 5 nights away, which I think considering prices are so inflated at Christmas is very cheap. Very successful trip seeing all eight bear species in one week, so for me it’s money well spent! Now to plan the next one!

 

[TeaLovingDave]

First things first - welcome to Zoochat the two Berlin collections are easily my fasvourite zoos in the world, and I wrote copiously on the subject of visiting them back in 2014 when I visited them both. I'd be very interested to hear your thoughts about the two collections and where your opinions differ from mine, if you would like to read the thread in question:

The German Adventures Of A Tea-Loving Dave - April 2014

However, it probably doesn't help that I spent far over an hour of the day just with the sun bears. There really are no words for how expansive the grounds are!

I'm amazed you managed an hour at that enclosure despite what I said above regarding these collections being my favourite zoos, even I have to admit the Sun Bear exhibit at Tierpark leaves a LOT to be desired

Very successful trip seeing all eight bear species in one week

Theoretically if you had a perfect run at the two Berlin collections it was possible to get all eight within the space of two days

 

[agnmeln]

Thank you for the welcome!

I was under the impression that there are no brown bears in Berlin at all now? I am sure I read recently that they were no longer part of the collection. I didn’t see any, at least, and I couldn’t see them included on either map.

Yes, the sun bear enclosure is awful, but Johannes and Tina are absolutely gorgeous so it was still a real treat for me to see them! Usually it’s about 3 hours at a sun bear enclosure for me, so when you look at it relatively, you will probably see how I managed 1 hour!

I will definitely read your thread and try to comment with anything that I feel may be relevant or useful. For me, of course the main focus of my trip was bears, so I don’t know how much that will make my motivations and experiences differ from yours.

 

[sooty mangabey]

There's a great deal about the two Berlin zoos on this forum, so I'm not sure I could add anything new - although I would certainly lean towards the "at least 2 days for each" side of the argument. However, I would certainly advise reading up on the two zoos prior to a visit - this book, in English, on the history fo the Berlin Zoo, was published this year: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Through-Li...4568960&sr=8-1&keywords=through+the+lion+gate. It is by no means perfect, and has a number of really annoying errors in it which detract from its overall credibility (the author seems unaware that he is reading abut guenons when he thinks he is reading about Meerkats, which seems an error that anyone who has ever visited a German zoo would see coming a mile away; he also gets in a tangle with bison and buffalo; most unforgivably, he seems unaware that the original Berlin aquarium was a separate place to the zoo aquarium in existence today). Nonetheless, it gives a fantastic sense of the zoo's heritage, and of its cultural importance to the city of Berlin.

 

[TeaLovingDave]

I was under the impression that there are no brown bears in Berlin at all now? I am sure I read recently that they were no longer part of the collection. I didn’t see any, at least, and I couldn’t see them included on either map.

You might well be right; certainly there are no longer any bears kept in the Bärenzwinger elsewhere in the city. Of course, one never knows what the future might bring - especially given the fact there is a extensive redevelopment of the "Mountain" exhibit complex at Tierpark Berlin planned.

 

[agnmeln]

Reading your report just now makes me realise how much I missed out on by not allowing myself enough time to get all around Berlin Tierpark! I definitely need to do another visit.

 

[Tim May]

...the two Berlin collections are easily my favourite zoos in the world...

...despite what I said above regarding these collections being my favourite zoos, even I have to admit the Sun Bear exhibit at Tierpark leaves a LOT to be desired....

I agree with both of these comments: the two Berlin zoos are definitely my favourites although the Tierpark's sun bear exhibit leaves a lot to desired.

However, you never saw the current sun bear accommodation when the building housed three species of great apes, kept permanently indoors, with no outside enclosure; that really was atrocious by any standards....

Theoretically if you had a perfect run at the two Berlin collections it was possible to get all eight within the space of two days

On my first half-a-dozen vists to Berlin, you could see every species of bear in the zoo.

 

[FunkyGibbon]

Is it possible that the brown bears were temporarily moved on to make space for the arrival of the pandas, as there was a concern they wouldn't have finished the new exhibits in time? The bear mountain still has enough exhibits (five plus the really small one for polars that usually has geese?) to bring back brown bears.

 

[agnmeln]

This is the article that I read:

A retirement home for Siddy

Apparently they moved her out to Wuppertal to accommodate the moon bear.

 

[Shorts]

However, I would certainly advise reading up on the two zoos prior to a visit - this book, in English, on the history fo the Berlin Zoo, was published this year: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Through-Li...4568960&sr=8-1&keywords=through+the+lion+gate. It is by no means perfect, and has a number of really annoying errors in it which detract from its overall credibility (the author seems unaware that he is reading abut guenons when he thinks he is reading about Meerkats, which seems an error that anyone who has ever visited a German zoo would see coming a mile away; he also gets in a tangle with bison and buffalo; most unforgivably, he seems unaware that the original Berlin aquarium was a separate place to the zoo aquarium in existence today). Nonetheless, it gives a fantastic sense of the zoo's heritage, and of its cultural importance to the city of Berlin.

Indeed, my "favourite" one is where he asserts that the zoo "acquired four of the extremely rare Australian marsupial wolf" in Hitler's third year of dictatorship (1935/1936?). Unfortunately, whilst still giving a sense of the zoo's heritage/cultural importance (however meandering and easily sidetracked) this leaves me not knowing how to receive the information imparted. I'd love to believe the "totem pole" still forming the backdrop of the American Bison exhibit was created by members of the Bella Coola people (in the "human exhibits) in the mid 1880's but feel I have to qualify it as possibly apocryphal for the time being due to other "loose facts" in the book.