hi, im planning a holiday at the moment. all thats certain is its going to be a European city. while im not going to pick a destination based on the zoo, it will influence my decision. i know this sort of question has been asked before but i would like your opinion on some zoos. the one that seems most likely currently is Vienn, but am also considering Berlin and Prague. iv seen mixed opinions on these zoos(esp. Berlin) but what do you think of them. i will also consider any other places ypu reccomend. i havent been to major zoos before(unless ypu count Dublin) but would like to see a nice collection(esp. interesting, rare animals including insects, reptiles but really all animals) as well as modern, good enclosures. any help you can offer would be great.
opinions on these zoos
- Thread starter nq93
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zoogiraffe
Well-Known Member
Personnaly I would still say Berlin while the Tierpark isn't Modern in design and some of the enclosures are not great,it does have a very good collection of animals,with many that will not be seen in many places at all,the Zoo on the other hand has a good mix of old and new but on the whole looking a great deal more modern,it also has an Aquarium that has many species that I have only ever seen their,including one of the best Invert collection I have ever seen.I would also say Rotterdam superb zoo very modern with some excellent exhibits and some nice species,as for the city cannot really say.
zoogiraffe
Well-Known Member
Nope have never done Vienna or Prague,but will be doing Prague later in the year.Rotterdam is certainly in my top 5 of zoo's that I have visited,along with both the Berlins and Burgers Zoo in Arnhem and Stuttgart.
I did a little trip through some of Europe recently and preferred to just visit zoos that were along the way rather than letting them dictate my route. I went to Antwerp, Rotterdam, Artis and Berlin Zoos over about two weeks. I picked the zoo over the tierpark because the exhibits looked roomier and less squished in from what I've seen on here. So I don't know if I can really recommend the zoo higher than the tierpark but it was definitely worth visiting. I don't know when you plan on going but if you visit in summer I imagine it would be spectacular and maybe the new bird house will be open by then. I visited on a day when the maximum temperature was -5ºC so most species were indoors and a lot of the exhibits looked really bare but it was still really nice and I saw so many new species.
I hope that helps
p.s. Rotterdam Zoo is the nicest I've ever visited.
I hope that helps
p.s. Rotterdam Zoo is the nicest I've ever visited.
All three places - Vienna, Prague and Berlin -that you mention are well worth visiting.
Personally, I agree with ‘zoogiraffe’ and suggest you go to Berlin. My two favourite animal collections in the world are Berlin Zoo and Berlin Tierpark; with two great zoos in one city, Berlin is an exciting place for a zoo enthusiast to spend a holiday. Bear in my mind, though, that the collections are so big that at least two days is needed in each place to see them thoroughly.
Vienna (Schonbrunn) is a lovely zoo and a visit is definitely recommended too. It is a historic zoo that has been very sensitively modernised so that it has retained the charm of its historic buildings.
Prague is an excellent zoo too; I’ve only been there once, so it is not a zoo I know well but it is a fantastic place (and I’ll be returning this autumn).
I would also agree with ‘zoogiraffe’ about Rotterdam; it is one of the great European zoos. I cannot really comment on Rotterdam as a city, though, as I’ve never done anything there except visit the zoo. (I’ve almost always visited Rotterdam on day trips from Amsterdam.)
thanks for all the info. How recently were you in Vienna. it seems to be the most likely at the moment? Does it hav a nice collection of reptiles/insects? is the rainforest house good?
It is about six years since I was last in Vienna; a visit is long overdue, but there are so many zoos that I want to see, I cannot visit them all as often as I would like.....
The Vienna species list is available on line; see the link below. This should answer your questions about the insect and reptile collection.
http://www.zoovienna.at/media/uploads/dokumente/tierbestand_2010_end_internet.pdf
Yes, the rain forest house is very good.
Whilst you’re in Vienna you should also visit the excellent Natural History Museum (although to my frustration the two specimens that I most wanted to see, the quagga and the blaubok, have never been on exhibit on my visits there).
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ANyhuis
Well-Known Member
The recommendations and ideas to get to the Zoos in either Vienna, Prague, or Berlin are all excellent. All 3 of these zoos are "Top 10 in Europe" quality, and their cities also offer lots of other things to see. Other European zoos of this potential quality that I would recommend would be: Hagenbeck (Hamburg), Burgers (Arnhem, Neth.), and even Chester (UK).
But if I could choose any one zoo to try to get to see, it would be Leipzig (Germany).
But if I could choose any one zoo to try to get to see, it would be Leipzig (Germany).