Prague Zoo Praha Trip to Prague - 2009

Toddy

Toddy

Well-Known Member
Hello ZooChat

In a few weeks time, later this July, I will be visiting Prague for the first time ever. It is a zoo-trip so I will attempt to see as many zoos as I can in the Czech Republic in the few days that I have. I am writing here because I need some information about these places.

I have five days in Prague and will spend two of them in Prague Zoo. I would like to know from the members here familiar with the country and its zoos how I should spend my other three days? My main concern in getting there. I will be using public transportion, preferably going by train.

  • It looks like I will be visiting Pilsen Zoo and Ustí nad Labem Zoo as they seem to be easy to get too. Anything I should notice here?
  • I would love to visit Dvůr Králové Zoo but is it possible to get there and back in a day from Prague?
  • Other places that I have considered are Liberec Zoo and Jihlava Zoo, in case I cannot see Dvůr Králové Zoo.


Any recommendations, tips and help will be much appreciated!
 
Toddy, Pilsen and Usti are easy to reach from Prague-Main station, the journey takes about 1,5 hour there. I can recommend visiting of Pilsen Zoo, they have an enormous collection of small mammals, some rarites too, as the palawan porcupines or garnett galagos, it is pitty that some rare animals are kept only off exhibit, i had the possibility to see behind the scenes exhibits, there are stripped possums or grey four-eyed opossums.
They are building the new african and asian sections in the zoo, so about 20 % of is a work area, but the zoo is still worth a visit, some interesting animals are musk deer, Dalls sheep, 3 kinds of tanrecs, 2 kinds of gallidias, komodo dragon - only one, Angolan guerezas etc.
Usti - for me it is not a good zoo, they have built a new house for big cats - but only fake rocks and concrete, some enclosures look very strange, but its collection is quite good, Usti is one of only two zoos in Europe, that holds silvered-leaf langurs.
Dvur Kralove is a bit harder to visit by train from Prague, the journey takes abou 2,5 hours and you have to change the train at once, either in Pardubice or Jaromer, from the main station is it about 1,5 km on foot or the buses depart regulary to the zoo.
The zoo is really worth a visit, they have the biggest collection of african subungulates in Europe.
 
Hi Toddy, nice to hear you are planing to visit Czech zoos.

Dvur Kralove: dont miss it!!! Their collection of african ungulates is really fascinating in number of species also in number of individuals. I recommend you to go to safaribus early in the morning or late in the afternoon because there will be many screaming children. Dont miss the gallery of Zdenek Burian inside the chateau. And also go around the ungulate enclosures in the oldest part of the zoo (the part where are elephants and pavillons) before the midday and second time in the afternoon because some ungulate species rotate and change in the enclosures.
It is no problem to go to Dvur and back in one day. We were on the trip to Dvur from Prague this year by train. But it is a little complicated because you have to change the train in Jaromer and the train station in dvur kralove is about a half our of walking from zoo. But the journey in train was nice. And if you are travelling alone bus is a little cheaper. The busses goes from the end station of the yellow metro line (station Cerny most) right to the centre of Dvur.
For more information about the bus and train connections use english version of this website: IDOS - Vlaky + Autobusy - Vyhledání spojení

Pilsen: as Jacub said - enormous collection, especially of that small animals like (rodents, small birds, many reptiles) which are not interesting for many visitors. The newest species is Ring-tailed mongoose (Galidia elegans). If you will have a time you can also visit Aqua - Tera exposition in the city which also belongs to the zoo with fish, reptiles and a small part of big insect collection.

And the third zoo? I would recommend you Zlin, but it is a little far and hard to get it in one day. So I think Usti is a good idea. Dont expect fantastic pavillons but as Jacub said, quite interesting species collection. I add white-lipped deer, wolverine and babirusa. And if you go early in the morning you can also visit Decin zoo and Usti zoo in one day. From usti to Decin it is just 16 minutes by fast train. Decin zoo is quite small, but interesting (Mountain anoa, babirusa, felis wiedii, Macaca nigra, Moschusdeer and nice exposition of european animals). On the website it is said Decin zoo is opened until 19:00.


I hope this will help you to plan your trip.
 
A small question I will have a stopover in Praha for 12 hours and I was wondering with the current weather if it's worth it to drop by the zoo or are most animals inside and not visable. My main interest would anyway be birds, small mammals and the gharials.
 
DDcorvus said:
A small question I will have a stopover in Praha for 12 hours and I was wondering with the current weather if it's worth it to drop by the zoo or are most animals inside and not visable. My main interest would anyway be birds, small mammals and the gharials.
Click to expand...

I'd say a trip to Prague Zoo is a good idea regardless of the weather.
The entry price is so cheap that it wouldn't bother me if some animals were inside because of the weather, besides the zoo has enough indoor public viewing areas to keep me happy.
 
DDcorvus said:
A small question I will have a stopover in Praha for 12 hours and I was wondering with the current weather if it's worth it to drop by the zoo or are most animals inside and not visable. My main interest would anyway be birds, small mammals and the gharials.
Click to expand...

Funny thing there is a new article invinting to the zoo on official website (in czech) http://www.zoopraha.cz/cs/o-zviratech/novinky/kouzelne-zasnezena-zoo-praha Yes, it is worth it. You won't see everything and many animals inside only, on the other hand the zoo on those days is not crowded as usual. Gharials are predominantly indoors anyway, many birds are outside, small mammals depends on the type of enclosure, I guess some would be off display and some will be on display indoor - especially those whose inside exhibit is a part of some bigger pavillion like Africa Closely. Temperatures were pretty severe in recent days so maybe it is worse than in different years, I don't know.
 
Despite cold wheather most of the animals are on show, with an exception of antelopes and a good portion of birds. But small mammals and gavials are visible. Still worth a visit I would say.
 
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