Best Zoos in Europe | Top 10
So if you are an animal lover here are the best zoos in Europe a list of the top zoo’s from the continent who were flagged by visitors as to be visit worthy.
So how to create a better top ten list if not with a viewers review and feedback, things we did with the list of the best zoo’s in Europe.
Using the top rating zoo’s on different traveling site’s we created a list where opinions, feedback and user reviews were the most important things taken in consideration when we created the list.
So guys prepare to go on a wonderful journey into a world full of animals, wildlife and endangered species.
These places display unique animal species, colorful birds and many types of marine animals.
Some of them proved that being a zoo doesn’t only mean keeping animals in cages, it also means that animals have the chance to live longer and be saved from extinction.
So lets see where fellow zoo enthusiasts want us to go->
10. La Palmyre Zoo, La Palmyre-Les Mathes, France
Created in the forest if the Les Mathes and extending over 18 hectares the french zoo is home to over 1600 animals who divide in 130 species, all of them living over a 4 kilometers distance.
The zoo was created in 1966 and has been voted to represent the tenth place in the list of the best zoos in Europe, visitors here admiring multiple attractions.
So guys if you want to visit this french zoo some of the reviews were telling us that the best attraction was the summer show where sea lions of California performed for the audience.
Here you also find a large variety of threatened species like the scimitar Oryx, golden lion Tamarin, Indian elephant, white rhinoceros and many other species who were breaded and sent in their natural environment, the zoo helping the ecosystem regain some of its dying species.
Next we just cross the border to UK->
9.
Paignton Zoo Environmental Park, United Kingdom
Our number nine feature of the best zoos in Europe, chosen by the number of visitors and their feedback is a combined zoo and botanic garden situated in Paignton, Devon England.
With 300 species of animals, meaning approximately 2.000 animals, the zoo has also 1600 species of plants all of the above being permanently taken care of by 100 staff members and another 120 who help during some high demanding seasons.
So guys here is the best part, the zoo is divided in habitats and every habitat holds a specific animal, finding animals here is so easy because you look just for the habitat they are supposed to be in.
Every habitat has a themed building and some proper arranged areas around it so that the tourist can find for example in the “Desert House” authentic desert plants and a variety of animals which includes Princess of Wales parakeets, Gila monsters, Guinea pigs and many others.
If you want to learn something here at the Paignton Zoo you can join the educational program that teaches students the zoo science.
Number 8 is situated also in the UK->
8.
Colchester Zoo, United Kingdom
The visitor from Colchester Zoo, United Kingdom placed this wonderful place on the 8th position giving us the second zoo from England and a beautiful zoological garden to visit.
Opened in 1963 the zoo has a large number of animals and also is the zoo with the most endangered big cat species, primates and birds.
Also using the themed areas organization of the wildlife display the Colchester Zoo.
With a large variety of animals and many themed areas the zoo also features a small road train called the Lost Madagascar Express, a waterfall, the largest straight underwater tunnel in Europe and an aquarium which contains various types of freshwater and coral reef fish.
So here you can find in the “Call of the Wild” timber wolves, the “Inca Trail” with Colombian black spider monkeys, the area “Dragons of Komodo” with a pair of breading Komodo Dragons, the “Edge of Africa – Kingdom of the Wild” with cheetahs, warthogs, reticulated giraffes and southern white rhinoceros and many other areas representing almost every continent or habitat in the world, even the most friendly animal you usually see on farms.
Next we go to see giant pandas->
7.
Zoo Parc de Beauval, France
With a second trip in France we were guided by other visitors and travelers to Zoo Parc de Beauval the tourist attraction of central France who has the unique role of breeding endangered species so that they are sent to other zoos.
Seventh place by visitors’ choice, this wonderful place is home to the only two giant pandas found in France named Huan Huan and Yuan Zi .
So guys if you are in the area this is another place you can see a show performed by a family of Californian sea lions who all were born here.
So continuing the themed area tradition the Zoo Parc de Beauval is divided into 6 major areas where you can see unique animals and endangered species.
So in the area called “La Savane Africaine” you can see , thirteen species of animals like the giraffe the white rhinoceros, zebras, wildebeest Marabou stork and other who live separated from the visitors by gravel ditches.
We would like to tell you that here you find the Koala and Goodfellow’s Tree-kangaroo, 1,500 species of fish from Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, Europe’s most successful breading basin for west Indian manatees and some big cats like the Bengal tiger, the snow leopard and the black jaguar.
Number 6 is located on the island of Gran Canaria->
6.
Palmitos Park, Maspalomas, Spain
Not considered a normal zoo because it shows only a few species, the Palmitos Park was voted to be one of the best zoos in Europe, being well-known and appreciated by the thousands of visitors daily.
This particular park has a different scene from your normal zoo.
Because it is located on the Island of Gran Canaria near the tourist beaches and dunes of Maspalomoas, the park giving the visitor a unique countryside setting with mountains and beautiful views over the beaches.
Built on 20 hectares, the park is a botanical garden and aviary but also you can find crocodiles, an aquarium, monkeys, Europe’s largest butterfly house and more attractions.
You can enjoy shows by the amphitheater where flying birds of prey give representations, also you find 160 cactus types and 1000 palm trees of 43 different species, who are populated by 1500 exotic birds of 230 different species.
We almost forgot the Dolphinarium where you can see live shows and also take pictures with the dolphins.
Number 5 offers a unique experience->
5.
Valencia Bioparc, Spain
This innovative zoo opened in 2008 and it is home to over 4000 animals who live on 10 hectares of land area in Valencia.
The city council with the help of Rainforest, a private company who builds and manages zoos, opened the Zoo-immersion concept on the grounds of the former city zoo.
This new concept gives the visitor the opportunity to feel like there are no boundaries between him and the animals and now he becomes one with the nature because the old traditional cages and railings disappeared.
So this Spanish company used the geographical relief to make a path for the visitors inside the natural habitat of the animals.
Using ponds, rivers, rocks and streams, designed to become natural barriers for the visitors, invisible ones so that the sense of continuity is present in the zoo.
The people don’t make the difference between the animal enclosures and the intricate eco-systems that were reproduced with great care.
So here the visitors were amazed by the fact that the animals, the vegetation and the landscape show how complex is mother nature but also offers you the sensation of being in the heart of the wilderness.
Number 4 takes us to Palace->
4.
Tiergarten Schoenbrunn, Vienna, Austria
So if you read the list with luxury castle hotels featured on Ealuxe.com you will be surprised because we found a zoo located on the grounds of a palace and also we found the oldest zoo in the world.
So dear guest thank you for offering us the opportunity to feature unique items on our lists and we thank you that you voted this awesome zoo our number 4 on the list.
So this is a pretty important zoo because it showcases a different zoo architecture, has an educational disposition gave by the Austrian legislation to be a center for species conservation and general nature conservation.
Home to giant pandas who were both natural born and artificially inseminated, the zoo has a rainforest house where guests go through a simulator, another simulation of the Amazon in flood, the Polarium who features animals from the Arctic region and many other animals.
This was the first zoo who was witness to the first born elephant in captivity and also it has the first exhibit that has animals in unnatural habitats.
So the public voted the zoo also for the zoological research done here, the night excursions and the fact that for children they organize special programs.
Next third best zoo in Europe->
3.
Prague Zoo, Czech Republic
The Prague Zoo from Czech Republic was chosen number 3 on the list of the best zoos in Europe because as we found out this zoo houses on the the 143 acres more than 133 species who are critically endangered.
For only this mater the zoo was named number one breeder in the world and also was voted by travelers and tourists the number 7 zoo in the world according to Forbes and TripAdvisor.
The 4800 animals are in good hands and since the opening of the zoo in 1931 the goal of it was successfully preserved managing to continuously advance the research in zoological studies, protect the wildlife and last but not least educate the public regarding the animals and their way of life.
While the years passed by, the zoo had many changes brought to it and also new discoveries.
In 1942 for example they artificially bread the first polar bear, or in 1971 they opened the large animal pavilion, the birth of the western gorilla in 2004, the bred of gharials in 2008 and many more pavilions and animals bred for you to see.
Number 2 offers and exotic view->
2.
Loro Parque, Tenerife, Spain
Loro Parque from Tenerife is a famous aquarium and zoo who enchants the tourists with their main attractions of parrots and other birds.
Considered a Canary Island hotspot due to the 4.000 specimens of parrots the zoo also features a large variety of shows.
So the visitors can see sea lions, dolphins and parrots do amazing shows several times a day and also can go to one of the many restaurants in the park, leave their children at the “Kinderlandia” playground and see a movie at the nature vision indoor cinema.
Other animals who are guested here are the gorillas, marmosets, chimpanzees, otters, jaguars, tigers, iguanas and alligators.
When it comes to marine life the park also has an orca show and guests giant tortoises, flamingos, pelicans, piranhas and exotic fish and even some species of sharks.
Number one has the largest number of animals->
1.
Chester Zoo, Cheshire, England
Number one voted by guests and travelers is Chester Zoo, the zoological garden who is house to almost 1000 animals and to over 500 species.
So practically here you can find any kind of animal you want, being considered the most complete zoo in Europe, the largest in the UK and the zoo with the most visitors in England, reaching the 1 million barrier a year.
This zoo was opened in 1931 and currently is managed and funded by a registered charity, making it also the biggest non-governmental funded zoo.
Built on 111 acres and with a total of 400 acres of land, the zoo is home to over 155 endangered and threatened species, most of them being kept in a program of managed breeding.
When it comes to studbooks here at the Chester Zoo some animals like the Congo buffalo, jaguar, Madagascan tree boa, Gemsbok, Blue-eyed Cockatoo, black rhinoceros, Ecuadorian Amazon parrot, Rodrigues fruit bat and Mindanao writhe-billed Hornbill, are managed from the first to the last living example from each species.
When it comes to plants, the zoo also has on display 265 threatened plant species and the largest number of invertebrates, over 300 species.
So if you come here you can explore everything by foot, on the canal or on the Zoofari Monorail, just to see the amazing number of animals endangered species and unique ones.
So guys ready to go on a trip? Are these countries in your map? Visit the Zoo’s there because you are in for a treat. The best zoos in Europe are user chosen and all the thing you see there were highly recommended by the visitors
