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

Paris Zoo (Parc Zoologique de Paris) Hours:
Opening hours may differ on holidays

  • Monday: 9:30 AM – 7:30 PM
  • Tuesday: 9:30 AM – 7:30 PM
  • Wednesday: 9:30 AM – 7:30 PM
  • Thursday: 9:30 AM – 7:30 PM
  • Friday: 9:30 AM – 7:30 PM
  • Saturday: 9:30 AM – 7:30 PM
  • Sunday: 9:30 AM – 7:30 PM

Address: Av. Daumesnil, 75012 Paris, France

Official Website: Paris Zoo (Parc Zoologique de Paris)

Paris Zoo (Parc Zoologique de Paris) Reviews

Rated 4.3 out of 5 Star Rating

5 Star Rating We visited Paris during the heatwave of June 26. Last day of our stay there we decided out if the blue to visit the zoo. It was a great decision. Decent ticket prices and a great variety of animals. My children were thrilled. Even though the animals seemed a bit exhausted by the heat and they were trying to find shadows to relax, we managed to get a good look to many of them. We loved the penguins, the giraffes and the flamingos. There are great spots for picnic too. If you go to Paris, don't miss the zoo. Cheers
Panagiotis Vouras - a month ago

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5 Star Rating I love this highly clean zoo. This zoo is actually the cleanest zoo I have seen in my life. I swear, me and my husband were surprised about this. All the street of the zoo were all clean, its white colour floor were even looks like have been already white painted. No trash has been seen and all the animal glass pools were also clear, that's why you can see clearly while the animals swimming inside the pool. The Great Rocks 🪨 design in the middle of the zoo make it more stylish 😎. It has two restaurants, one near the entry and another one is near giraffe house.
Moonlight85 - 2 months ago

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4 Star Rating rather nice. this zoo has a decent variety of animals, especially the manatees, and we saw most of them. I just wish they had asian and Australian animals as well. zoo unfortunately does not have its own metro station, and you have to walk 12 minutes to get there from the nearest metro station!! also there's a whole area of the zoo that has no animals whatsoever. also wish the educational signs were in more languages. and please give the Jaguars more room!!. the café in the African area was also overpriced and used plastic cups! we're in Paris, for goodness sake! the grand rocher should also have some wild caprines living there. since it is on the edge of both the European and African biozones, maybe chamois on one side and aoudad on the other?? also wish there was some sort of transport system around the zoo. overall would recommend but only if you aren't sensitive about animal welfare. also wish gift shop items were less expensive. overall 3/5.
ellen lai - 3 months ago

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5 Star Rating A very cool zoo. Although there aren't as many animals as you'd like, you can still see, for example, a white rhinoceros, a manatee, or an arapaima. The indoor greenhouse is very well done. When you enter, you're immediately transported to the jungle with high humidity, birdsong, and the aroma. I definitely recommend visiting.
S M - 3 months ago

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4 Star Rating Wow, this is a great Zoo for the most part. . . Just a couple of draw backs, one being the very small enclosure for the leopards 🐆 🐾 very sad.! And sadly the Wolves were very stressed out, from loads of school kids banging on the glass viewing windows too 🐺 which was very upsetting, not just for the wolves, but also for experienced animal handlers to see happening, as well as one had an ear problem that needs addressing, just like the itchy Penguins 🐧 which were very itchy and really OTT itching, to the point of baldness 🙄 It was also very disappointing to see the massive Seacow's (Dugongs) Manatees which had such a small space, its criminal and very depressing indeed 😕 They did have a few mammals I have never seen before though, and for the most part the Zoo was well set out with mostly good spaces for many of their animals 🦒 🦓 🦏
Sandy M - a month 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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