Europe's best

T

Triffle

Active Member
Hi all!

I'm planning a trip to Europe next year spanning approximately 6 months (though broken up because of Schengen Area restrictions).

Anyway, I would like some advice on what people would suggest are Europe's unmissable zoos; say the continents top 6?

I am specifically visiting Greece, Italy, former Yugoslavia, Hungary, Czech Republic, Austria, Switzerland, Germany, Benelux, France, Spain, Portugal and England; so perhaps any suggestions could be restricted to these countries please.

Thanks!

Triffle
 
Hi what is "Schengen Area restrictions"?
 
The Schengen Area is the region of Europe where passport and customs checks are not made for residents of member countries ( except at airports). I think it is basically the EU plus Norway, Switzerland and some of the microstates. What implications it has for Australian travellers I'm not sure!

The not-to-be-misseds for me (based on quality, range of species and an element of historical significance) are:

Berlin (Zoo and Tierpark - Ger)
Leipzig (Ger)
Rotterdam (NL)
Prague (CZ)
Pilsen (CZ)
Schoenbrunn, Vienna (Austria)
Chester (UK)
London (UK)
Zurich (Swi)
Basel (Swi)

Couldn't limit myself to top 6 but it should get you started! Keep thinking of ones I've missed out! Germany, the Netherlands, the UK and the Czech Republic in particular have many high-quality zoos - you'll have no problem filling your time.
 
Hi Triffle

Forget visiting zoos in Greece and in former Yugoslavia. Their quality is far behind, so it would be a waste of time.

Most Zoos in Italy and Portugal are also on a deep level.

The best european zoos in generall are in Holland.

My top 6 european zoos I suggest you to visit are:

1. Rotterdam Zoo (Blijdoorp)
2. Zoo Zurich
3. Erlebniszoo Hannover (Boat Ride thru "Africa", brand new Yukon-Bay-Complex)
4. Tierpark Hagenbeck Hamburg (it is a must because of its founder)
5. Zoo Prague
6. Zoo Berlin (mainly because they have the richest species collection and very wonderful buildings as well as it is very easy to get there)

Close to those top-rated are: Dvur Kralove in Czech Republic, Tiergarten Schoenbrunn in Vienna (Austria), Zoo Leipzig, Tierpark Berlin (huge animal park in the eastern part of the city) and - if you are a birder - Weltvogelpark Walsrode (all Germany), Burgers Zoo Arnhem and Zoo Emmen (Netherlands), Zoo Doué-la-Fontaine and Zoo de Beauval (France), Biopark Valencia and Oceanarium Valencia (Spain) and Whipsnade, Chester Zoo and Edinburgh Zoo (Great Britain).

You see, even when you have 6 months time, there are a lot of zoos in Europe that are extremly worth to visit.
 
I can only give you suggestions of zoos I visited....

From Spain, the Barcelona Zoo and Valencia Bioparc. Barcelona Zoo is not as expensive as the other spanish zoos and has a good collection of animals and if you like crocodilians you will find many species (but now there are less than last year). Bioparc Valencia is also a good choice to see african fauna and to take photographs because there are not fences and you can find many different points to take pictures at each exhibit.

From Czech Republic I only visited the Prague Zoo and it's a worth visit. The zoo is very cheap and has a very good collection of animals.

From Switzerland you can not miss Basel and Zürich zoos. I really liked the new exhibits of both zoos. In Switzerland you will also find a lot of free zoos. In Basel you can also visit the Tierpark Lange Erlen (is free)... it has a very good lynx exhibit and many deers. Most of there free zoos are focused on local fauna.

From Germany I visited many zoos. If you visit Berlin you can visit both city zoos, but I prefer the Tierpark because there are more rare species. The species of the Berlin Zoo are more common but it has a good collection of birds and in the Acuarium/terrarium you can see tuataras. During next three weeks I'm going to visit the zoos of Duisburg, Hamburg and the WeltVogelpark Walsrode, so I will give you and opinion of these ones soon :D

From France, the only zoos I visited are the Reserve Africaine de Sigean and the Ferme aux Crocodiles (in Pierrelatte). The last one is a good crocodile zoo were you can find 5 indian gavials and two baby albino alligators. Most of the collection are Nile crocodiles, but has other interesting species and a very nice exhibits.
 
Hmm, not visited all of these but only some, the rest is "on the wish-list"
- Prague Zoo
- Rotterdam Zoo
- Berlin Zoo
- Vienna Zoo

would be my top 4, other REAL good zoos;
- Burgers Zoo arnhem
- Leipzig Zoo
- Zurich
- Valencia (combination of Bioparco and oceanarium)
- Berlin Tierpark
- Hannover Zoo
- Chester Zoo
- ZooParc de Beauval

And Walsrode Zoo if you're a bird freak. If you visit Walsrode try and go in either may (tulips) or june (rhodondendrons) as their gardens (when blooming) are close to being as spectacular as their bird collection.

That's what i can think of from the top of my head... I'm bound to miss one or two great ones though...
 
Maguari said:
The not-to-be-misseds for me (based on quality, range of species and an element of historical significance) are:

Berlin (Zoo and Tierpark - Ger)
Leipzig (Ger)
Rotterdam (NL)
Prague (CZ)
Pilsen (CZ)
Schoenbrunn, Vienna (Austria)
Chester (UK)
London (UK)
Zurich (Swi)
Basel (Swi)
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Not sure that either London or Chester deserve a place on this otherwise excellent list. The former is fine, but is excellent only in comparison to the mediocre run of most UK zoos; London is an embarrassment to us British.

I'd have thought any list of Europe's best would have to include Cologne and Arnhem, and possibly Antwerp too.
 
The park I always recommend in France, but often seems to be overlooked is Le Parc des Félins.

Obviously it's more for cat lovers than those who like to see porcine species (!) but the exhibits are excellent on almost all levels.
 
sooty mangabey said:
I would have thought any list of Europe's best would have to include Cologne and Arnhem, and possibly Antwerp too.
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And what about Frankfurt?- perhaps past its best 'glory' but still a topranker. Germany still has almost too many good Zoos to name though.
 
Pertinax said:
And what about Frankfurt?- perhaps past its best 'glory' but still a topranker. Germany still has almost too many good Zoos to name though.
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I agree with both points.

Frankfurt deserves to be on any list of Europe’s best zoos.

The two Berlin zoos, Leipzig, Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Cologne.........Germany has so many great zoos.

Other European zoos that are particular favourites of mine are Rotterdam, Vienna (Schoenbrunn), Antwerp and Dvur Kralove. And, for historical reasons, the Jardin des Plantes.
 
Tim May said:
Frankfurt deserves to be on any list of Europe’s best zoos.

T
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I was at Frankfurt last month. It is undoubtedly still a great zoo, in very many ways - even if it always surprises me just how small it is. Each of the three classic old houses is wonderful, if, perhaps, a little tired - the species within the Grzimek House did not seem to be as stunning as was once the case, while the Bird House seemed very routine where once it was just incredible. Against that, the new ape accommodation is wonderful - for my money, rather more impressive than at Leipzig, and thus the best in Germany. And some of the other recent developments - notably the seal and sea lion areas - are excellent. I do find it odd, though, that such a great zoo, and one which receives so many visitors, can be so basic as a visitor attraction: fairly poor cafes, no shop to speak of (save for a garden shed near the entrance).

Wuppertal is worthy of a place at that top table too - superb collection, some wonderful exhibits, real character as a zoo too (even though here the restaurant is just unbelievable in its poverty; nice shop though...). And Duisburg, too. There must be about ten German zoos which are better, in pretty much every way (apart, perhaps, from their involvement in in-situ conservation programmes) than anything in Britain.
 
sooty mangabey said:
Not sure that either London or Chester deserve a place on this otherwise excellent list. The former is fine, but is excellent only in comparison to the mediocre run of most UK zoos; London is an embarrassment to us British.
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I did say there was an element of historical significance to some of my choices, and I was aiming to cover a variety of countries given the geographic spread of the original request.

And London's not that bad! It's a world away from how it was 10 years ago...

sooty mangabey said:
I'd have thought any list of Europe's best would have to include Cologne and Arnhem, and possibly Antwerp too.
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Absolutely - all three would have been included if I'd added the next five.


EDIT: Just wanted to second your vote for Wuppertal, as well - excellent place. The best 'small' Bird House going and a wonderfully oddity-packed mammal collection.
 
SMR said:
The park I always recommend in France, but often seems to be overlooked is Le Parc des Félins.

Obviously it's more for cat lovers than those who like to see porcine species (!) but the exhibits are excellent on almost all levels.
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Parc Des Felins - I agree with SMR one thousand percent!!! Of course I am a cat fanatic, but as stated the exhibits are completely natural and all very large. I was there for one full day last Fall and am going back this Fall for two and a half days. While in France, the new Paris Zoo would be a must if it is done by the time of your visit, but I think it's still a couple years away from opening. The smaller one there, Le Menagerie, is a complete waste of time unless you want to go strictly for the historical significance (world's first public zoo).

London Zoo is mediocre - not great but not terrible either - I think if you are going to be in London anyway it would be a must see. It actually has more to see than the size would indicate - I was there from open until close and there were parts I did not get to.

One of my all time favorites in England is Port Lympne. If you have the time, this would be one of my top recommendations. It is easy to get to from London or from France if you are taking the Eurostar. Either way, get off at Ashford International Train Station and take the bus from there. If you want to spend the night, accomodations are in the nearby town of Hythe - directly on the bus line - which is one of the most picturesque and charming little towns I have ever seen - I stay right on the ocean at the Best Western, which is also a charming hotel.
 
sooty mangabey said:
I was at Frankfurt last month. It is undoubtedly still a great zoo, in very many ways - even if it always surprises me just how small it is. Each of the three classic old houses is wonderful, if, perhaps, a little tired - the species within the Grzimek House did not seem to be as stunning as was once the case, while the Bird House seemed very routine where once it was just incredible. Against that, the new ape accommodation is wonderful - for my money, rather more impressive than at Leipzig, and thus the best in Germany....

...Wuppertal is worthy of a place at that top table too - superb collection, some wonderful exhibits, real character as a zoo too (even though here the restaurant is just unbelievable in its poverty; nice shop though...). And Duisburg, too.
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Although I’ve visited Frankfurt many times over the years, I haven’t seen the new ape accommodation yet (so a return to Frankfurt is definitely on my itinerary when I go to Germany for ZooHistorica in September).

I’ve always liked Frankfurt’s Grzimek House and Bird House enormously, but it will be sad to see the latter now that the last Picathartes has died. Although now showing its age, the Exotarium is always well worth seeing too.

I agree with you that both Duisburg and Wuppertal should be included amongst Germany’s great zoos.
 
I can only base it upon what I have visited, so out of those I have visited, Chester is the best by quite a stretch. The other zoos I've visited are three in the canary islands (rancho texas, loro parque, jungle park) and a handful in France I visited when I lived there when I was younger. Out of those, I would pick out Peugres as a top zoo.
 
Although Chester is already a very good zoo, from what I have heard there are many better. Like said before, Chester and London are very good for in-situ conservation, and by visiting, you are making a direct impact on conservation.

Chester will become one of Europes best zoos if and when Natural Vision is completed. I would say the Berlin 2 and Rotterdam are defo's!
 
jwer said:
Sorry but Duisburg, Wuppertal and Cologne are in my opinion top zoo's, but behind on Rotterdam and Prague...
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Regarding collection or quality of the exhibits? Regarding exhibits they are also behind on burgers zoo arnhem and FAR behind on zoo emmen. I have to mention though, I haven't seen wuppertal yet, so it's a bit unfair judging that zoo this way;)
 
Johnny said:
Regarding collection or quality of the exhibits? Regarding exhibits they are also behind on burgers zoo arnhem and FAR behind on zoo emmen. I have to mention though, I haven't seen wuppertal yet, so it's a bit unfair judging that zoo this way;)
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I'd have to disagree - much as I love Arnhem and, to a lesser extent, Emmen. Duisburg, Wuppertal and Koln all have fantastic exhibits - either because they are all-singing, all-dancing enclosures, or because the combination of great architecture and a great collection adds up to a great exhibit. The Wuppertal bird house, for example, is a superb exhibit in every way (so too is Emmen's moose paddock, for example, of course).
 
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