Paris Zoo (Parc Zoologique de Paris)

The Paris Zoo is vastly improved after 6 years of renovations

A young giraffe welcomes visitors to Parc Zoologique de Vincennes
A young giraffe welcomes visitors to Parc Zoologique de Vincennes cc licensed photo by spacejulien

For those who love animals and care about the environment the Paris Zoo is a wonderful place to visit. There is so much to see and do that one should expect to spend at least half a day there. The idea of the zoo started in 1931 when exotic animals were put on display in a temporary zoo during an exhibition. It was such a success that over five million people excitedly came to gawk at the animals between May-November. This obvious demanding interest started the idea of setting up a permanent zoo. So, in 1934, the Paris Zoo got its start.

The zoo's features and facilities begun to quickly deteriorate in the early 1980s and a renovation plan became a pressing need. Many of the features had to eventually be closed off to visitors at the zoo and animals were relocated as the zoo's enclosures and facilities could no longer accommodate them. In November 30th 2008 the zoo closed its doors to the public for major renovations. The zoo was reopened April 12 2014 after being closed for nearly six years.

Now the zoo has wonderful new buildings with the best conditions and comfort to accommodate 1000 animals. There are 180 different species from five different regions of the world and sixteen natural environments. It took animal scientists several years of studying animal welfare to know what animals they could successfully house in the zoo before it opened. The Paris Zoo is the only zoo in the world to be completely be renovated.

Today you can enjoy watching the happy animals that benefited from all that hard research and physical work by strolling along the completely updated pathway with its nearly one hundred benches to sit down and rest on.

The Zoo has something for everyone. You can sign up for one of the paid guided tours where there is an educational theme that teaches the importance of water for our environment to life plus learn about the park and the many animals and other living creatures. You can also arrange to go to the zoo before opening and help feed the giraffes their breakfast or watch the feeding of the lions, plus other animals.

The Zoo has two picnic areas for those who like to bring their own lunch or some restaurants for those who would rather not.

There is a gift shop for the whole family to appreciate and bring home special souvenirs including educational books and toys for the younger ones in the group.

The Paris Zoo has wheelchair loans and is completely wheelchair accessible plus they do accommodate other disabilities such as hearing and vision impairments as they highly want to promote access for everyone to enjoy their experience.

Nearby attractions: Bois de Vincennes, Château de Vincennes and Palais de la Porte Doree - (Tropical Aquarium)

Facts For Your Visit

Fee: Yes

Regular Hours:
May differ on holidays

  • Monday: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
  • Tuesday: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
  • Wednesday: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
  • Thursday: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
  • Friday: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
  • Saturday: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
  • Sunday: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM

Address: Av. Daumesnil, 75012 Paris, France

Phone: 01 44 75 20 00

Official Website: Paris Zoo (Parc Zoologique de Paris)

Reviews

Rated 4.2 out of 5 Star Rating

5 Star Rating Was there at the end of November. Not busy, so it was great to take our time and enjoy the place. I like to visit zoo's but can't help feel sorry for the animals. The Anteater was walking back and forth. Perhaps he needs a bigger cage.
Norman Miller (Molendinarius) - 3 months ago

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5 Star Rating Vincennes Zoo is ta great place when you want to take a break from Paris and have a walk seeing animals from all over the globe. The park is fairly small, the visit takes under 3 hours to complete. The design of the park is great, you just follow the main path and get to see all the animals. The pens are clean and quite big. Food is easy to access while visiting, with a great view on the giraffe enclosure, decent prices and honestly better quality than expected. Definitely recommend to go check out this place and enjoy a nice Sunday walk in there.
V S - 6 months ago

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5 Star Rating You can tell that zoo owners and employers put a lot of attention to taking care of their animals well; I was happy to see that every enclosure was big and prepared in a way that would allow inhabitants to walk around and have multiple places to hide in case the would need rest from all the visitors, it shows how animals are prioritized in this place. Even with that, I was able to see a lot, and it honestly feels like full day is not enough to fully appreciate what this park has to offer. Additionally, I don't see it mentioned often, but I really recommend paying attention to all the flora of the park - there are so many fascinating plants and fungi I've never seen before all around the park!
Malgorzata - 6 months ago

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5 Star Rating Very good zoo. There are lots of animals. The place is not crowded, you have the chance to see animals from several angles and this helps to decrease the time of the waiting. There are places to take some rest, this makes the visit easy with the children. There are also some restaurants and vending machines everywhere.
Ahmed BADR - 6 months ago

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4 Star Rating Really nice zoo inside París. It's crazy how they manage to have all that animals inside such a big city. It took me 3 hours to look all the animals. It's possible to bring your own food and do a picnic
Juan Camilo Gallego - 6 months ago

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Directions

Metro / RER Line Nearest Station Walking Time
M1Saint-Mandé‎16 minutes
M8Porte Dorée12 minutes

How to get to Paris Zoo (Parc Zoologique de Paris) by Metro / RER

By Metro: From Metro Line 1 exit at Saint-Mandé Station and walk straight south along Avenue du General de Gaulle.

From Metro Line 8 exit at Porte Dorée Station via Boulevard Poniatowsky and walk southeast along Edourd Renard Place and continue on Avenue Daumesnil to the zoo entrance.

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