Prague Zoo and 5000 Animals
Prague Zoo is situated on the slope of a fairly steep hill. You walk up via broad winding paths with animals enclosures on each side. If this is too strenuous, you can go up by the chairlift. Highlights include the Africa House, the Indonesian jungle, the Valley of the Elephants, and the Darwin Crater. The children’s zoo is the perfect place to feed and pet domestic animals.
TIP buy your tickets online in advance so you don’t have to queue at the ticket office

Chairlift in Prague Zoo
It’s quite a climb all the way up to the top. The reward is a panoramic view of Prague and the elephant enclosure. At the top you can cross over to the newer part of the Zoo.
Going up by chairlift is fun and less tiring. It is the kind of chairlift you would expect to find in ski resorts. It is operated by Prague Public Transport Company and if you have a 24 or 72 hour ticket, the chairlift is free.

5000 Animals in Prague Zoo
The zoo is large, about 60 hectares, which is about 120 football fields. It is home to almost 5000 animals and 630 different species. Prague Zoo plays an important role in the breeding programme of protected animals. For example, it prevented the extinction of the Przealski horse.
As a private person you can adopt an animal for a year or longer. At each zone there is a notice board showing the animals to be adopted and what their adoption price is.

Themed Enclosures
Prague Zoo is made up of themed enclosures such as the fauna of Australia, the rain forest and the Bororo reserve. The animal enclosures in Prague Zoo are large compared to many other zoos. You see the animals in their natural habitat, which has been accurately recreated using concrete. However, it is so well camouflaged that you think you are seeing pure nature.

More Highlights
Absolute highlights are the chairlift, the mini train, the observation tower, the paddling pool and the children’s zoo. The pride of the zoo is the Elephant Valley, home to a large herd of Asian elephants.

Restaurants and Public Toilets
There are a number of restaurants and cafes in the zoo with very reasonable prices. There are also picnic areas and vending machines where you can buy drinks, chocolate bars and other snacks. Public toilets are clearly signposted and free.

Trivia
The flooding of the Vltava River in 2002 caused great damage to the buildings and enclosures. It was stressful for the animals and some drowned. One seal escaped and swam all the way to Dresden in Germany, 150 km north of Prague. The animal was brought back but was very weak and did not survive the journey.
Photo: Flood-marker. The flag shows the height of the water.

Getting there
Prague Zoo is located in the Troja district in the north of Prague.
Public Transport:
From Holešovice train/metro station take bus 112. The journey time is about 15 minutes. The bus stops in front of the entrance to Prague Zoo.
Address: Zoo Praha, U Trojského zámku 3, Troja, Prague
Opening hours
January and February 09:00-16:00
March 09:00-18:00
April and May 09:00-19:00
June, July, August 09:00-21:00
September and October 09:00-18:00
November and December 09:00-16:00
During the summer months restaurants, drink stands and souvenir shops close at 17:00

Prices and Tickets
Prague Zoo is very affordable. Children under three are free and 70+ pay CZK 1, which is 4 euro cents, upon presentation of ID.
Go to the zoo website for current prices. Free entrance to Prague Zoo is included in the Prague Coolpass and can be purchased here.
Visit more animals in Prague
Cuddle a crocodile: Crocodile Zoo
Watch sharks: Sea World
Stand eye in eye with a dinasaur: : DinoPark
Watch jellyfish dance: Svet Meduz
More activities
Prague Underground Tour
Beer tasting
Discover Prague on a bike
Hop-on hop-off tram
River cruise