Prague Zoo

In one of the most beautiful capitals of Europe lies one of the most beautiful zoos in the world: yes, it is the Prague Zoo. Take a break from rich palaces and important art collections: come for a walk through the African House, the Indonesian Jungle or the Valley of the Elephants.

A 10 km walk through a man-made natural paradise awaits you, where you can admire cute, funny, curious and scary animals!

The origins of the Prague Zoo go back as far as 1881, when Count Sweerts-Sporck published an open letter in the Prague newspapers calling for the opening of a zoo. However, it was not until 1931 that the zoo was built and opened to the public.

Today it is a popular tourist attraction, loved by children and adults alike, and an important institution working for the preservation of endangered species. Visiting the Prague Zoo will give you a day of excitement and at the same time help endangered animals.

Animals at Prague Zoo

The first “inhabitant” of the Prague Zoo was the lioness Lotta, who was later joined by Minka and Ali, the first Przewalski horses. Today there are more than 4000 specimens living in the zoo, belonging to more than 600 species of which at least 130 are endangered.

The zoo’s attractions are numerous, we list just a few of them:

• Home of the Giant Salamander, where you can admire the largest (and most endangered) amphibian in the world
• Valley of the Elephants, with eight elephants of various ages including the first elephant born in captivity in the Czech Republic
• Hippopotamus House, two glass-fronted pools where you can admire the slow movements of a hippo
• Gorilla Pavilion, where you will meet the stars of this zoo: Richard, Bikira and their gorillas
• Indonesian jungle, inhabited by an incredible number and variety of animals… come and discover them!
• African House, where, besides admiring elegant giraffes, you can discover what an aardvark is
• The World of Birds, an area where birds from all over the world fly undisturbed, some of them very rare indeed

Also awaiting you are cute monkeys, mischievous lemurs, giant tortoises and many other animals.

How to visit Prague Zoo

The Prague Zoo is located in the Troja area and can be easily reached by public transport or, if you prefer a more fascinating journey, by boat (but only in the spring and summer months).

There are tickets for adults and discounted tickets for children, students and seniors; if you are a family of two adults and two children, you are better off buying a family ticket.

Prague Zoo in numbers

The Prague Zoo covers an area of 58 hectares, 50 of which can be visited.

There are more than 200 employees at Prague Zoo, including scientific staff, administrative staff, tour guides and other roles.

In total, the animals at Prague Zoo consume 600 kg of beef, 150 kg of frozen fish and 110 kg of fresh fish, 8 litres of insects, 400 kg of carrots, 200 kg of apples, 1900 kg of hay and 560 kg of cereals daily, not counting bananas, eggs, lettuce and rodents.

The Prague Zoo holds three important records. It was in fact the first in the world to:

• hatch and breed an Andes vulture (1938)
• artificially breeding a polar bear cub (1942)
• artificially breeding Przewalski’s horse (2001)