European zoo questions for trip

SusScrofa

SusScrofa

Well-Known Member
Hi all,

I'm visiting Europe for (basically) the first time in July and will be touring London, Amsterdam and Prague for around 10 days. Many non-zoo trips planned, but I'm hoping to visit at least one facility, possibly two. I'm almost completely unfamiliar with European zoos, but have taken a glance at zootierliste to get a better idea of what is in the collection (only for mammals, and I do want a bit of a surprise anyways).

ZSL London is a very likely visit and will also be the only zoo visit in the UK should it work out. I've seen other zoochatters mention it's not the best collection the UK has to offer, but its the most accessible for me.
  • Is there anything special I need to know before visiting, such as pre-booking requirements?
  • Any easy-to-miss enclosures or special presentations?
  • Are the Gray Langurs, Red Duiker and Bamboo Lemur actually on exhibit and are they easy to see? As an American these are among the species I'd be most interested in seeing as they're absent from the US.
  • How many hours are recommended to set aside for a first time visit?

I MAY have time for another zoo in either Amsterdam or Prague, but this is far less certain. We're still in the process of finalizing itinerary. Between ARTIS and Praha, I think I'd choose the latter as they have more European/western world-exclusive rarities and both are very highly regarded for quality anyways. Would it be a mistake to choose Prague over ARTIS? Since this is less certain of a visit I don't have much to ask, but if anyone knows off-hand if these zoos have any specific rules (ie pre-booking requirements) or has any advice to give that would be great just in case it works out that I can fit one of these into my visits.
 
SusScrofa said:
  • Is there anything special I need to know before visiting, such as pre-booking requirements?
Click to expand...

Not that I'm aware of, but pre-booking is a good idea on busier days (which most of July is likely to be). You might think "Regents Park" underground station would be the closest transport option, but check Google Maps - Camden Town is less of a walk, and there is a bus that gets even closer - but this will depend on where you're travelling from/to.

SusScrofa said:
  • Any easy-to-miss enclosures or special presentations?
Along the side of the old Aquarium is a terrarium for Congo caecilian, but good luck trying to see it - I never have! Between the lemur walkthrough and Rainforest Life are a few nice lemurs including the aye-aye. Most everything else is signposted well. I haven't attended any of the presentations in a long while but I don't think anything particularly special ever makes an appearance.
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SusScrofa said:
  • Are the Gray Langurs, Red Duiker and Bamboo Lemur actually on exhibit and are they easy to see? As an American these are among the species I'd be most interested in seeing as they're absent from the US.
All are on exhibit. Langur is in the Land of the Lion before the Asiatic lions themselves. Duiker shares with Okapi but is not often visible. The lemur is in the indoor section after the lemur walkthrough, so make sure to pass by the walkthrough in case you miss them. You could get lucky and see all three on your list, but the langur is most likely of the three, from my experience.
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SusScrofa said:
  • How many hours are recommended to set aside for a first time visit?
Depends on how slowly you like to go round, but the zoo is on the small side so a whole day is not normally necessary. My typical visits these days are around 3 to 4 hours but I'm not doing the whole zoo in that time.
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SusScrofa said:
I MAY have time for another zoo in either Amsterdam or Prague, but this is far less certain. We're still in the process of finalizing itinerary. Between ARTIS and Praha, I think I'd choose the latter as they have more European/western world-exclusive rarities and both are very highly regarded for quality anyways. Would it be a mistake to choose Prague over ARTIS? Since this is less certain of a visit I don't have much to ask, but if anyone knows off-hand if these zoos have any specific rules (ie pre-booking requirements) or has any advice to give that would be great just in case it works out that I can fit one of these into my visits.
Click to expand...

I have not been to Artis since my first visit in 2009, but in my opinion Prague is definitely the better of the two. Having visited Prague zoo 3 times in the last year, I can highly recommend a visit. If you're travelling with non-zoo-nerds like I did this year, you might find they really enjoy Prague Zoo as it has a bit of everything and is in beautiful surroundings. There is a lot to see, so my advice is do your research, as you have been doing, to decide which places to concentrate your interest, as you'll find it impossible to see everything in a day. My tip for Zootierliste is to click on the Praha Zoo listing under each taxon entry to find out more details on where in the zoo you're likely to find that animal (usually in German, but this is easy to translate with your browser's help).

Pre-booking was not necessary as of a few months ago in Prague - I booked my ticket the morning of my visit and scanned the QR code on entry, but you should be able to get a ticket the old-fashioned way too.
 
Given it is your first trip and likely won't be something repeated very often my advice is to drop your companions and make sure to visit all three! Given your itinerary and timing it seems likely you will be visiting mostly tourist traps in a season when half the world wants to see the exact same things. So for your sanity, visit zoos and enjoy the relative peace ;)

If that is not possible, make sure you visit Prague, which is considered one of Europe's best zoos by basically every zoochatter who has visited. Not visiting while in Prague is the generic tourist equivalent of not seeing the Charles bridge when in Prague...

Also prioritize Artis over London whenever possible, even 4 hours would be enough to do Artis justice as the aquarium is closed for renovations. Artis is a type of historical city zoo with loads of monumental architecture the US mostly lacks and a much better example then London
 
I'd say Prague is a must, undisputedly one of the best zoos in Europe, with massive rarities like Chinese pangolin etc.

London is still a good zoo, and is conveniently located for you to spend a morning there and then crack on with your day either in Bloomsbury or Camden. You could easily combine it with the British Museum or the National Gallery, for example. If you want any generic London recommendations for places to eat etc, do feel free to PM me

I'm going to Artis for the first time at the end of the week, so will leave it to others to sing its praises.
 
If I had to chose one of the three to visit, it would be Praha. It is a very good zoo with a very nice collection. Both Artis and London are nice zoos to visit and both can be done in half a day. Not sure I agree with Lintworm on the architecture as London has some nice examples as well, b.e. I'm quite a fan of the Blackburn Pavilion. All in all they are similar in both being older city zoos that are trying to find their way in being a modern zoo with a balanced collection within the constraints of space and protected building they have. In London I would also recommend to visit the Natural History Museum, which is free and is very nice and when in Amsterdam I would recommend a trip to Naturalis in Leiden, which is only a 45 minutes train ride away from Amsterdam (and within walking distance from the train station).
 
SusScrofa said:
  • Any easy-to-miss enclosures or special presentations?
  • Are the Gray Langurs, Red Duiker and Bamboo Lemur actually on exhibit and are they easy to see? As an American these are among the species I'd be most interested in seeing as they're absent from the US.
  • How many hours are recommended to set aside for a first time visit?
Click to expand...

Just to quickly answer these questions:
  • Not really - the only one that jumped to mind was the Congo caecilian terrarium which is stuck onto the side of the Aquarium. Other than that maybe the Komodo dragons, whose entrance is opposite the Australian area. The babirusa are opposite the tigers and camels. The muntjac are in a small fenced area on one side of the flamingo pond. Aye ayes are just at the end of the indoor Lemurs area in a dark side alcove. Other than that it should all be really quite straightforward, but maybe I am missing something.
  • There is one presentation which is ok, but generally geared more towards children. Don't think any off-show animals are shown currently in that other than maybe a tawny owl or a seriema?
  • Gray langurs are very easy to see generally; outside in the summer and if they're not there their indoor area is visible. The red duikers are significantly more hit or miss - the last one is in the left hand side Okapi enclosure, so with any luck it'll be out. The bamboo lemurs are in the indoor area of the 'In with the lemurs' exhibit and are also quite hit and miss, but I haven't actually tried to go and see them in a while so potentially the situation with spotting them has gotten better. As for other species, feel free to PM me if you want further info as there are a bunch of rarer species at London.
  • I reckon you could be done in London in 3 or 4 hours, depending on your visiting pace.
 
Zoo Praha:
- you can buy tickets at entrance without pre-booking. But you get discout if you buy online.
- the zoo is hilly and has 7 miles of visitors paths. Wear comfortable shoes.
- download or print zoo map beforehand, paths are sort of maze
- reptiles are spread among several places (big cat house, Indonesie etc.).
- cards are accepted everywhere at the zoo but at chairlift (fee is 40 CZK in coins),
- all staff speaks (broken) English, zoo restaurants are reasonably priced, tap water in water fountains is safe

Prague city:
- be prepaired to experience overtourism with all its downsides
- check usual tourist traps and scams beforehand
- use public transport - dense lines, reliable, safe and cheap , it has mobile app

Enjoy your trip.
 
Prague is a champions league tier zoo. It will take you a whole day, so be at the entrance around opening times. Start with a cup of coffee in the Ocean Restaurant, and plan your itinerary throughout the zoo so you don't miss any of your must sees.

My preferences would be: 1. Prague 2. Artis 3. London. But as I read your post you have to choose between Artis and Prague.
 
Thank you all for the responses and answers!

I will need to do my best and prioritize Prague, even if I can only see half of it. A couple of advantages I'm seeing as the itinerary shapes up
  • All the probable tourist traps I am looking forward to seeing in the city are all located very closely to one another, even within walking distance. I'm used to major distances between attractions in US cities, although I also don't want to underestimate the time I would spend at these attractions, or overestimate my ability to see as much as possible in one day either.
  • From google, Prague Zoo is open until 7 PM (or 19:00 for non-yanks). Pretty much all US zoos typically close much earlier at 5 PM, even in the summer.
London Zoo will be chosen over Amsterdam because I'm there for longer, 5 days vs 2 days, and from zootierliste London has the more Europe-exclusive mammals in its collection. In this kind of situation I am prioritizing those factors over superior architecture and exhibit quality. Although I will say Amsterdam also has many of the tourist traps I want to see within close proximity so it might not be completely impossible to fit the zoo in either, helped also by the 6 PM (18:00) closing time.....

On another note, has anyone had experience with these discount city passes?

The London Pass® | Save up to 50% on Attractions
I amsterdam City Card: free entry to museums, transport and more | I amsterdam
Prague CoolPass

For multiple cities:
Go City® | Official Website

Mainly looking at London and Amsterdam passes as I think Prague will be cheaper to just buy tickets to where I want to go. When I visit US cities I usually buy these types of passes when available and have had positive experiences, although I do see some ratings are low for the European counterparts.
 
SusScrofa said:
Thank you all for the responses and answers!

I will need to do my best and prioritize Prague, even if I can only see half of it. A couple of advantages I'm seeing as the itinerary shapes up
  • All the probable tourist traps I am looking forward to seeing in the city are all located very closely to one another, even within walking distance. I'm used to major distances between attractions in US cities, although I also don't want to underestimate the time I would spend at these attractions, or overestimate my ability to see as much as possible in one day either.
  • From google, Prague Zoo is open until 7 PM (or 19:00 for non-yanks). Pretty much all US zoos typically close much earlier at 5 PM, even in the summer.
London Zoo will be chosen over Amsterdam because I'm there for longer, 5 days vs 2 days, and from zootierliste London has the more Europe-exclusive mammals in its collection. In this kind of situation I am prioritizing those factors over superior architecture and exhibit quality. Although I will say Amsterdam also has many of the tourist traps I want to see within close proximity so it might not be completely impossible to fit the zoo in either, helped also by the 6 PM (18:00) closing time.....

On another note, has anyone had experience with these discount city passes?

The London Pass® | Save up to 50% on Attractions
I amsterdam City Card: free entry to museums, transport and more | I amsterdam
Prague CoolPass

For multiple cities:
Go City® | Official Website

Mainly looking at London and Amsterdam passes as I think Prague will be cheaper to just buy tickets to where I want to go. When I visit US cities I usually buy these types of passes when available and have had positive experiences, although I do see some ratings are low for the European counterparts.
Click to expand...

I can’t speak to Amsterdam, but I would imagine that the London pass would be entirely dependent on what sort of thing you wanted to see. All major (and most minor) museums are free in London, so you wouldn’t need the pass for them. I would say it probably wouldn’t be worth for London, but that’s probably my own tastes for things to do in a foreign city showing through.

European cities are almost universally more walkable than those in the USA, though Prague is slightly out of the main town and might be worth a (cheap) Uber to save time.
 
Unless you also want to visit paid attractions like museums , you can see Prague's city centre in a day. You can also use the trams and underground. But the best way is to plan a very nice city walk through the old town, past most of the sights. Stop here and there for food and drink. And yes, you must have walked across Charles Bridge, seen Staroměstské námĕstí Square, and walked through Prague Castle. All three can be overcrowded but none of them is a tourist trap.
 
SusScrofa said:
From google, Prague Zoo is open until 7 PM (or 19:00 for non-yanks). Pretty much all US zoos typically close much earlier at 5 PM, even in the summer.
Click to expand...

Prague zoo stays open until 9PM/21:00 in June, July, and August. Since you are visiting in July then you may have more time.

As Jana said, Zoo Praha is on a hill, so unless you are going to use the lifts frequently, bring a lot of water with you. If you ever plan on going up and down multiple times like I did then you are in for a hike.

Also the zoo does charge for the maps. So unless you don’t mind having one as a souvenir, I will reiterate Jana’s statement of downloading and printing the zoo map beforehand.

The last thing I have to say is that the zoo offers a great diversity of animal feedings/keeper talks throughout the day. While they are in Czech there are some that are interesting such as the brown hyenas and Tasmanian devils. However the schedule that I took the picture of was from last year and therefore likely to be outdated.
 
Figured I'd update this thread as I sit in the airport waiting to return to the US after a 10 day trip. It was an amazing experience and I had a wonderful time at both the zoo and non-zoo experiences.

I actually managed to visit not just one or two zoos, but four in total. I dont really have detailed reviews at this time, but some small thoughts on each.

Battersea Children's Zoo (UK)
A nice small zoo, which highlights include European Wildcat and wild Polecats. It was a spur of the moment visit on the day I arrived as it was close to my accommodations and a delayed arrival meant my other options were limited.

London Zoo
I really enjoyed my visit. I kept expectations low because of the negative sentiment I read on here, but as someone who never experienced the "glory days" to know of any decline, I didnt perceive anything like that. Highlights were the various primates and birds, though the Langurs were unfortunately a no-show.

Artis Zoo
I'm glad zoochatters recommended I go here. Very walkable to where I was staying and I thoroughly enjoyed all the indoor buildings. A bit confused by the online map so I missed the insect house. Also didnt do micropia. Highlights were definitely the tropical and small mammal house and the surrounding exhibits (Yellow-throated Marten).

Prague Zoo
Oh boy, I think God must exist because I felt like I was in heaven during my visit. This zoo exceeded my very high expectations. I don't want to make any 100% proclamations just yet but it will extremely likely end up being my favorite zoo I've ever visited, better than Bronx or San Diego. Highlights: Too many to count!

Order would be Prague > Artis > London > Battersea (understandable because its small)
 
SusScrofa said:
Prague Zoo
Oh boy, I think God must exist because I felt like I was in heaven during my visit. This zoo exceeded my very high expectations. I don't want to make any 100% proclamations just yet but it will extremely likely end up being my favorite zoo I've ever visited, better than Bronx or San Diego. Highlights: Too many to count!
Click to expand...

Glad you had a good trip! Prague is definitely something special. :)
 
SusScrofa said:
Prague Zoo
Oh boy, I think God must exist because I felt like I was in heaven during my visit. This zoo exceeded my very high expectations. I don't want to make any 100% proclamations just yet but it will extremely likely end up being my favorite zoo I've ever visited, better than Bronx or San Diego. Highlights: Too many to count!
Click to expand...
How long was your visit to Prague? As a Prague Zoo enjoyer I would like to hear about your experiences there.
 
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