Possible Zoo Tour of Europe

G

Grant Rhino

Well-Known Member
10+ year member
Hi everyone

Imagine that you are going to Europe for 6 weeks and you would like to visit 6 zoos as part of your trip (either that or you are going for 2 weeks and all you are going to do is visit 6 zoos).

Id love it if you would design a "tour" of 6 great zoos within Europe which are close to each other (so please be practical, dont pick zoos in UK, Russia, Greece and Portugal all in the same tour as they are simply too far away from each other - please make it practical with countries which are close to each other)

Please make it practical with something like: 2 zoos in Germany, followed by 1 in each of Austria, Slovenia, Hungary, Czech or 2 zoos in northern France, 2 in Germany and one in each of Belguim and Netherlands (I think people get the idea)...

Im not so bothered by which countries the zoos are in - but Id rather see the best zoos in the area.

It seems too that you could probably find 6 really good ones in the UK alone - so that list may also be interesting.

Love to hear what you lot think!

Cheers, Grant
 
Hmmm, 6 great zoos in the UK? Well, there's Chester, Edinburgh, Paignton, Whipsnade, Belfast, (apparently the hidden gem of the UK, I've never visited but only heard good things about it!) I'd skip London as I'm not overly impressed with it. As a 6th option I'd probably go for Bristol or Cotswold Wildlife Park.
Europe; I have a planned future itinerary that would take in Plzen & Prague in the Czech Republic, the 2 Berlins and either Frankfurt or Leipzig in Germany and then Artis and Rotterdam in The Netherlands. I know that's 7 but you could easily knock out one of the German collections.
I've not visited any of the over-seas collections but those are the ones I'm desperate to see. I very nearly made it to Artis and Rotterdam last year but plans had to be rescheduled unfortunately.
Hope that helps! :D

EDIT :- Just realised there are 3 more contenders for the UK that I've never visited but you may fancy; Howletts, Port Lympne and Colchester. All 3 are (relatively) close together with the first 2 being no more than 20 miles apart.
 
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If it goes only for zoos and not also for monuments, buildings and other sightseeing stuff AND if you wanna see many different species then I suggest two routes:

Northern route:
1. Berlin Zoo
(2. Berlin Tierpark)
3. Leipzig Zoo
4. Erlebniszoo Hannover
5. Burgers Zoo Arnhem
6. Rotterdam Zoo
7. Antwerp Zoo or Cologne Zoo

Southeastern route:
1. Zoo Zurich
2. Tierpark Hellabrunn Munich
3. Tiergarten Schoenbrunn Vienna
4. Zoo Plzen
5. Zoo Prague (note that the lower part of the zoo is currently destroyed by flooding)
6. Zoo Dvur Kralove
 
Another sugestion to get a little of each:

Copenhagen Zoo (Denmark)
Berlin Zoo (Germany)
Leipzig Zoo (Germany)
Prague Zoo (Chech Republic
Rotterdam Zoo (Netherlands)
Burgers Zoo (Netherlands)

Then fly over the channel and take in Chester Zoo (United Kingdom)
 
Here's my sugestion for an Iberian Route:

Portugal:
*Lisbon
- Lisbon Zoo
- Lisbon Oceanarium

Spain:
*Madrid
- Madrid Zoo
- Faunia

*Barcelona
Barcelona Zoo

*Valencia
Bioparc Valencia
Valencia Oceanarium

You also have some more in this area, but these are the top ones.
 
I actually just did a six zoo, two week tour of Europe a little over a month ago. But my focus was very specific - for rare cats - so it is hard to design a tour without knowing your main interests. If you are a primate fanatic, places like Alpenhual and Howletts would be on the itinerary. If you want zoo history, then you would have to do London and Paris and Vienna. Do you want aquariums? Do you like safari parks? Want cats? Then Le Parc Des Felins is a must see and probably more than one day. Can you narrow down your desires?
 
Arizona Docent said:
I actually just did a six zoo, two week tour of Europe a little over a month ago. But my focus was very specific - for rare cats - so it is hard to design a tour without knowing your main interests. If you are a primate fanatic, places like Alpenhual and Howletts would be on the itinerary. If you want zoo history, then you would have to do London and Paris and Vienna. Do you want aquariums? Do you like safari parks? Want cats? Then Le Parc Des Felins is a must see and probably more than one day. Can you narrow down your desires?
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Hi Arizona Docent

This tour is only a pipedream at this stage - Ive got no plans on heading off to Europe at any time in the next 2 years, but that said, I will certainly take note of peoples advice on this thread next time Im planning a trip to Europe.

My main interests are rhinos (white rhinos and Indian rhinos in particular), elephants, big cats, safari parks, monkeys (but not so much great apes) and Indian animals in general. Im not so into birds, reptiles, aquariums, Australian animals (I can see them at home) etc. That said, Id still visit these things if I was in town but I wouldnt go to a town or city just because of them.

Im keen to hear your itinery for your "6 Rare Cats Zoo Tour" and also a primate one if you have one.

Im also keen to hear from anyone else who has a specific tour design - about any particular type of animal.
 
There´s the Giant Panda Tour:
- Madrid Zoo
- ZooParc Beauval
- Tiergarten Schonbrunn
- Edinburgh Zoo

There´s the Big Aquariums Tour:
- Lisbon Oceanarium
- L'Oceanographic Valencia
- Oceanopolis Brest
- Copenhagen Aquarium
- Genova Aquarium
- Nordsoen Oceanarium
There´s also the Rotterdam Zoo and Burguer's Zoo, both have great aquariums.

There´s the Netherlands Tour:
- Artis Royal Zoo
- Burguer's Zoo
- Rotterdam Zoo
- Emmen Zoo
- Safaripark Beekse Bergen
Specific Collections:
- Apenheul
- Papegaaienpark NOP
- Vogelpark Avifauna
- Dolfinarium Harderwijk

There´s the Spanish Route:
- Madrid Zoo and Aquarium
- Faunia
- Cabarceno
- Bioparc Valencia
- Oceanographic Valencia
- Barcelona Zoo
- Bioparc Fuengirola
- Terra Natura Benidorm

- And the Portuguese Tour:
- Lisbon Zoo
- Lisbon Oceanarium
- Badoca Safari Park
- Gaia's Biological Park
- Zoo Santo Inácio
- Maia Zoo
- Lagos Zoo
- Zoomarine
 
Grant Rhino said:
Hi everyone

Imagine that you are going to Europe for 6 weeks and you would like to visit 6 zoos as part of your trip (either that or you are going for 2 weeks and all you are going to do is visit 6 zoos).
Click to expand...

I did a zoo tour of Europe from Nov 2011-Apr 2012, almost 5 months long, and while we looked at lots of non-zoo stuff as it was our "OE", we also visited 40 zoos (including a number in Singapore). We went to quite a few cities specifically for their zoos (Wroclaw, Plzen, Leipzig, Valencia), but unfortunately were not able to see anywhere near all the zoos I wanted to see. There might be some ideas for you in this thread: http://www.zoochat.com/2/my-most-awesome-world-zoo-tour-235130/

Here are a couple of smaller tours I would love to do if visiting Europe again:

Six Top Zoos to Revisit:
-Prague Zoo
-Plzen Zoo
-Wroclaw Zoo
-Berlin Zoo
-London Zoo
-Chester Zoo

Six Zoos I Missed Last Time:
-Walsrode Bird Park
-Barcelona Zoo
-Loro Parque
-Dvur Kralove
-Burgers Zoo
-Rotterdam Zoo
 
Depending on your arrival and departure airport, and your transport (car or public), it will always be a difficult decision to pick up 6 out of more than 100 excellent zoos.

Personally, i would skip British zoos. Although some of them are highly interesting (Chester, Marwell), none of them has anything you can't see elsewhere.

An interesting trip could be:
day 1 Berlin Zoo
day 2 Tierpark Berlin
day 3 Leipzig Zoo
day 4 Burgers Zoo Arnhem
day 5 Blijdorp Zoo Rotterdam
day 6 Cologne Zoo
All 6 are major institutions with a large and excellent collection, and many rarities. Some have historical buildings (if you're interested in that: beside Zoo Berlin, also go to Artis Amsterdam, Antwerp Zoo, Jardin des Plantes Paris, Vienna Zoo and Budapest zoo), other very modern exibits (Leipzig, Burgers and Blijdorp).
By car you can do this in 6 days although the trip Leipzig-Arnhem is a hard one.

You can always check the animal species you want to see at Tierliste Infos - www.tierliste.de.
Magdeburg zoo got an excellent tamarin collection. Mulhouze 12 species of lemur. Paris, Beauval, Mulhouze and Saint-Martin La Plaine got excellent collections of african species (mangabeys and guenon). For big cats: Tierpark Berlin and Parc des Félines are certitudes. I don't know any particular indian collection in Europe but in both Berlin zoos you can find a lot of species of that region.

You also could do a Tsjech zoo tour or a central europe tour: Vienna-Prague-Munich-Stuttgart-Basle-Zurich.

But my best advice would be: take 2 weeks :D
 
I'm in the early stages of planning a four-five month backpack in Europe for second half of 2015. Zoo visits will have to fit within the primary purpose of the trip, which will be to immerse myself in historical sites, particularly classical sites. That means a lot of the trip will be in Southern Europe, Turkey and Egpyt, but I will also be doing a few weeks north of the Alps, which is where zoos will be most on the agenda.

Certainties would be Berlin Zoo (not Tierpark), Arnhem (whilst based in Amsterdam), Prague and Vienna.

Likelies would be Rotterdam, Leipzig and London.

Possibles is where the list gets long. Basically I'm not willing to go to a city specifically for the zoo, unless its a short train ride from a planned hub city (these are basically the big destination cities - Amsterdam, Berlin, Paris, Rome etc). Possibles are either in this category, are in cities I may or may not get to, or are relatively less significant zoos but are in cities I aim to visit.

Possibles include Amsterdam, Munich, Nuremberg, Antwerp, Zurich, Basel, Madrid, Barcelona, Paris, Krakow, Budapest.

That list gives an idea of where I'm looking to visit (though Italy, Greece, Turkey and Egpyt will probably be at least two months of the overall trip as well).

I will most likely cap my zoo visits at ten or twelve. What should I prioritise?
 
@CGSwans: Zurich of course!! (Saying that not only as local, but also because our zoo is rated always among the Top-10-zoos in Europe - no matter what rating list you choose).

Artis Amsterdam is a famous zoo with interesting buildings, very educational, but has lost a lot of its attractivety (less species in general and less rare species as in the past). Advantage: I is in the middle of the city and easy to go there by public transport. Parking and entrance fee is expensive.

Tierpark Hellabrun in Munich is a wonderful landscape zoo with typical bavarian Biergarten. I would recommend it for late spring, summer and early fall but not for the winter, because it really can be cold there and there are not so many walk-in animal houses, and they are spread over the zoo ground. The Tierpark is in a southern part of the city and easy to reach by subway from Downtown Munich (Not sure, but I think the subway line leads you directly from the Main Station to the Tierpark).

Nuremberg has one of the biggest (in size) Zoos in Germany. It is also a wonderful landscape zoo (but expect to walk up and downhill) with Bottlenose Dolphins, a nice Amazonia House, Yellow-backed Duikers, Caribbean Manatees and Cape Buffalos as rarities, but no Elephants.
Nuremberg is about 1.5 hours away from Munich. I don't know how the public transport conditions are from Main Station to the Tiergarten because I always drove there by car.

Antwerp has a small, but historical Zoo right around the corner of the Main Station. When you leave the train, you are only a few meters away from the zoo entrance. Many different kind of animals. Very expensive entrance fee (for a public supported zoo).

Zurich: Very modern and natural exhibits. New Elephant exhibit is in work but must be completed when you arrive (We Swiss are always in time;)). Access from Main Station is over Tram No. 6 to last Station "Zoo", then walk about 350 meters downhill (takes you about 25 minutes in total). Rare animals are Shoebill storks and Philippines Crocodiles as well as many malagassian species in the famous Masoala Hall.

Basel: Easy to reach by public transport. From Main Station only about a 10-min-walk to the entrance (downhill, it is signed). Only African Elephants in Switzerland, they will also get a new exhibit. Typical City Zoo, very good exhibits in general. Interesting Vivarium (Terrarium and Aquarium) with many invertebrates, fish, amphibian and reptile species as well as King and Gentoo penguins.

Madrid: I don't no. Never been unfortunately.

Barcelona: They are still on the way to improve their exhibits. Take a day when it is not so hot and avoid the crowded weekends. The zoo itself is in the city centre, not far away from Ramblas and the harbour. My Tipp: Take a hotel room at the ramblas and walk eastbound to the zoo entrance (10 to 20 minutes). Interesting imo: Reptile house with many crocodilians, Komodo Dragons and Animals from the Iberian Peninsula like Spanish wolves.

Paris: I don't know if Zoo de Vincennes will be already reopen when you are there. The Menagerie Jardin des Plantes is in the city centre, only a short walk from one of the bigger train stations (can't remember which one). Mostly small animals, but with some rare species. Could be done in 2 to 3 hours, because it is small.

Krakow and Budapest: Sorry, never been (but I have seen a very interesting tv documentation about Zoo Budapest. Seems to be a zoo with wonderful historical buildings but also modern exhibits).
 
Thanks. :) Zurich's going to be a hard decision. Genuine top tier zoo, but the city itself is just so expensive. I'll be doing hostels and trying to keep average expenses across the trip at absolutely no more than 60 euros a day (more in expensive cities and less in post-Communist cities, Greece, Turkey and hopefully Egypt). So Zurich might not make the cut. The other very expensive cities on my radar - London, Paris, Vienna, Venice and Amsterdam - all have more of the cultural attractions I'm primarily making the trip for.

My early thinking is that I might stay in Amsterdam, but sacrifice Artis for a couple of the more interesting zoos within an easy commute. Burgers, Rotterdam and possibly Apenheul. Antwerp is expensive - I just looked. I may end up just skipping Belgium altogether.

I have the impression that Barca and Madrid zoos are less developed than they could be and I may well skip them, or at least treat them as fallback options if I end up with spare time in those cities. To be honest the main attraction of Spain is Andalucia, anyway, and I expect to spend only 3 days or so in each of the big two cities. Paris, similarly, would be a fallback option.

I'm not even going to start looking at zoos along the Rhine because once you start trying to fit those in, you're in real trouble. :p

Krakow and Budapest are 'maybe' cities - their primary attraction at this early stage is they are much cheaper than Western Europe. Prague, however, is a certain destination.

I want to strike a good balance of zoos with great exhibits, zoos with great collections and zoos with some sort of innate significance that goes beyond their actual quality. Burgers, Berlin and London probably fall into each of those respective categories (and I'm not saying they each only fall into one, only that each is a good exemplar of what I'm talking about).
 
Budapest seems to have a wonderful old zoo, but I have not visited. The zoo in Krakow is not so interesting, but when in Krakow: be sure to visit Auswitzsch. This is easily one of the most impressive things I have ever seen and it takes at least a whole day to visit properly.

Zoos you did not mention are Diergaarde Blijdorp and Apenheul. Both are reached in less than 1,5 hours from Amsterdam. Diergaarde Blijdorp is easily one of the best dutch zoos and also playing in the top-league of Europe. With lots of rarities and nice enclosures. Apenheul has to be the nr. 1 primate zoo in the world, with about 30 primate species, all in more than adequate enclosures, including proboscis monkey & sifaka.
 
CGSwans said:
Thanks. :) Zurich's going to be a hard decision. Genuine top tier zoo, but the city itself is just so expensive. I'll be doing hostels and trying to keep average expenses across the trip at absolutely no more than 60 euros a day (more in expensive cities and less in post-Communist cities, Greece, Turkey and hopefully Egypt). So Zurich might not make the cut. The other very expensive cities on my radar - London, Paris, Vienna, Venice and Amsterdam - all have more of the cultural attractions I'm primarily making the trip for.

My early thinking is that I might stay in Amsterdam, but sacrifice Artis for a couple of the more interesting zoos within an easy commute. Burgers, Rotterdam and possibly Apenheul. Antwerp is expensive - I just looked. I may end up just skipping Belgium altogether.

I have the impression that Barca and Madrid zoos are less developed than they could be and I may well skip them, or at least treat them as fallback options if I end up with spare time in those cities. To be honest the main attraction of Spain is Andalucia, anyway, and I expect to spend only 3 days or so in each of the big two cities. Paris, similarly, would be a fallback option.

I'm not even going to start looking at zoos along the Rhine because once you start trying to fit those in, you're in real trouble. :p

Krakow and Budapest are 'maybe' cities - their primary attraction at this early stage is they are much cheaper than Western Europe. Prague, however, is a certain destination.

I want to strike a good balance of zoos with great exhibits, zoos with great collections and zoos with some sort of innate significance that goes beyond their actual quality. Burgers, Berlin and London probably fall into each of those respective categories (and I'm not saying they each only fall into one, only that each is a good exemplar of what I'm talking about).
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Well, I will make it harder for you: When you are in Zurich, I could offer you the entrance to Zoo Zurich, would guide thru the zoo and could figure out maybe some more savings if you want (as long as I am around and not on vacation too). So when you know the exact dates, just let me know.
By the way: There is an Ibis Hotel in Western Downtown Zurich, where the prizes of a room per day should be around 60 Euros.
 
lintworm said:
Budapest seems to have a wonderful old zoo, but I have not visited. The zoo in Krakow is not so interesting, but when in Krakow: be sure to visit Auswitzsch. This is easily one of the most impressive things I have ever seen and it takes at least a whole day to visit properly.

Zoos you did not mention are Diergaarde Blijdorp and Apenheul. Both are reached in less than 1,5 hours from Amsterdam. Diergaarde Blijdorp is easily one of the best dutch zoos and also playing in the top-league of Europe. With lots of rarities and nice enclosures. Apenheul has to be the nr. 1 primate zoo in the world, with about 30 primate species, all in more than adequate enclosures, including proboscis monkey & sifaka.
Click to expand...

Blijdorp is Rotterdam, yes? Proboscis monkeys may tip me over the line for Apenheul (when did they get them?) since I never got to Singapore and am not likely to go there anytime soon.

Dunno about visiting Auswitzch, though its possible. I'm a history grad and am quite familiar with what happened there. I'm just not sure whether I should make a tourist destination out of it.

Also, ZooManiac, you are certainly making it harder. :) Will be in touch closer to the time. I'm a very outside chance of going next year but 2015 is more likely.
 
Blijdorp = Rotterdam, yes ;). Apenheul keeps proboscis monkeys since 2011, but it is not very successful... At the moment there should be 3,0, of which 2 arrived this year, but there are rumours 1 already has died... So be quick :p

If you are visiting Europe with history purposes than Auswitzsch is a must. Even if you know what happened there, you only really realize it when you visit. The concentration camps and the museum there are easily one of the most impressive places you would visit. And Krakow also is a very pleasant city to visit.
 
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