Bristol Zoo Review

Even though it was raining the whole time, there was still so much to do. We all had an amazing day!

One of the better zoos i have visited. Was worth the drive to visit. Really wwll thought out one way system in these strange times. There are not many big cats but plenty of other amazing animals to see such as the red pandas and monkeys.

What a great place for the kids and educational too for them.

Interesting place. Think the Lions were sad to be there though.

Smaller than I thought but plenty of animals to look at, downside the food prices were much too high and not much of a choice

There are not many animals and they all look very sad ...

Quite nice, shame about the service in the restaurant

What an amazing zoo. Great place to go with family. The staff are so friendly. The talks they do about the animals are really helpful. Great range of different wildlife. Definitely worth going.

Really enjoyed my visit to Bristol Zoo with 2 children under 4 years old.
Lots of different animals to see and lower viewing areas for smaller children which meant I didn't have to pick up my children every time we saw a animal. Lovely gardens and grass areas to sit and a reasonably sized play area which we used when waiting for a feeding time for the gorillas.
Amazing view spots of the seals and Penguins with underwater tunnels!

The only down side is in one of the dark areas
there was no lighting on the path at all. This meant you really couldn't see the walls or other people/children. I know however that it has to be dark for the animals but this actually lead to a Lady falling and hitting her head on one of the walls. perhaps some in-for-red lighting on the path?

The cafe was amazing and very accommodating as I have a fussy eater but the staff were extremely helpful and catered for our needs without judgement.
Food was fast and tasty. !!

Over-all a lovely day out and worth every penny

A bit smaller than expected but overall a nice tidy zoo. Animals did not look particularly happy in the heat, but the enclosures are clean enough. There is an exciting playground usually swamped with hundreds of children at peak times. Would suggest coming in early as the car parks fill up by 11.

Wonderful Zoo for its size. Got loads to see & do. Highly recommend the penguin & seals area. Also the butterfly house is great, if you stand still they will land on you for some great photos. Just make sure to bring a picnic, as the new restaurant is dreadful. Expensive, sit down menu, the complete opposite of what what's needed for a busy zoo.

A truly wonderful zoo which is very conservation focussed with lots of endangered species too! The gorillas have just had bubbas!

Lots of animals , lizards and fish. Seals , penguins.

25% of the zoo for full price. So many attractions closed which could easily be open if you put a "wear your mask" sign up. So disappointing as having been to the zoo a few years ago and we really didn't feel it value for money. Hardly any animals to be seen because so much closed. On a positive note, the one way system is a good idea and potentially a good thing to keep once everything is open to ensure that visitors get around everything, but currently all the one way system is more emptiness than attractions

Good day out but can be expensive if you have a large family

Attended a civil wedding ceremony in the Pavillions which also included entry to the Zoo. Congratulations to Dean & Sam on their fantastic day. The ceremony was held in a very impressive building with a number of wood statues, flooring & decor all animal related. Guests, all suited & booted in their finery, were allowed to visit the Zoo after the vows, drinks & photo's, approx 2 hours before heading back for sit down meal & speeches. Quite an emotional & magical experience

Excellent place for an outing with children. Probably more attractive for children up to teens. Limited choice of places to eat. Excellent activity area for younger children. High wire course for older. Much variety of animals. Grounds very well looked after

Beautiful place, overall great setup and quite few animals/birds to see. Unfortunately quite dirty, poor visibility and no guidance around, except for the penguins section. The food is terrible! We tried over 4 courses and we were completely disappointed. Prices for a pub, quality of a construction site canteen type food. Worth visiting? 4 out of 5 IF you bring your own food and for the baby.

Loads to see and do. The kids always enjoy them selves always well kept.

Great zoo, the parking fills up really fast but there's plenty of paid on street parking and you can pay by card if you don't have cash. It's a maximum of 5 hours though on street.

The zoo was clean and tidy, except for the toilets in The Hide restaurant, they were the worst ones we went in.

The Twilight Zone are was a favourite of ours but it was ruined somewhat by people using the light on their phone to see where they were going. As the area is for nocturnal animals (so dark on purpose) it made a lot of the animals hide in their enclosures so we couldn't see them. There were staff members in the dark areas but no-one seemed to say anything.

We watched the penguin and seal feeding times and they were brilliant, the keepers also stayed afterwards to answer people's questions so you could find out more about the animals.

I'd definitely recommend the zoo for something to do with or without kids. We went on a Thursday in the summer holidays and it wasn't too busy.

We just love the zoo, take a picnic and there's plenty to see and do to spend the entire day.

We loved it. Our sons want to go back! So much to see and do.

Ok but I get the impression all the enclosures are just a bit too small for the animals. Also quite cramped car park - my car got scratched here.

Took my 9 month baby boy, both he and I had an amazing time.

The penguin and sea lion tunnels simply amazed him.

The zoo is just about the right size to be able to see everything and not miss out on any of the exhibitions.

The high ropes can be expensive but give you a great view of the zoo.

Well thought-out zoo for a relatively small site. Only loses a star because I think the space is too small for lions but I trust they know what's best for the animals.

Lovely zoo layout is very good ,bottles of water were rather expensive but still had a good day

First time here and there was plenty to see and do. Only thing that stopped us giving 5 stars was not enough parking around the Zoo. Had to park quite a way from it and walk down. However it was a great day out for all the family!

Great place for family's value for money great day out

Absolute waste of money.
Poor facilities, not many animals.
Animals look unhappy too.

I love those fruit bats, I always wanted to see them, and now I have.

The zoo is easy to get around by wheelchair. It's very condensed which is good if you aren't able to walk all day or have toddlers. The animal enclosures were well maintained. During the winter months, sadly a lot of the walk in enclosures are closed but I am looking forward to going back in the summer months.

Also, the lion enclosure wasn't very big, at one point the male. lion was up to his belly in wet mud.
Lastly, the highlight for me was the gorilla house. It's a must visit!

Quite expensive compared to the past. It's ok for what it is, but I'm not sure I'd visit very often. Doesn't seem to have changed much over the years, and it's starting to look a little bit dated.

A cool place for small and large, the opportunity to eat dinner

I was working here . Doing a plumbing job in the pavilion kitchen. But I saw enough to want to come back as a paying guest with the family

Have been there 3 times, because I like butterflies house ))

Not that big and quite a few standard zoo animals missing but utilises the space to give better conditions to the animals they do have. A pleasant place to visit.

Absolutely Fantastic place to visit, I haven't been here for 20 plus years, it's a little smaller to what I remember but still a fantastic place to visit, still plenty to see.

Nice little zoo, shame the enclosures aren't bigger.

Best zoo in the UK (that I've been to). Blows London zoo out of the water.

Nice zoological gardens. gorilla enclosure is a spectical. Nice array of smaller animals and insects to Gorillas and two lions.

Decent sized with plenty of children and friendly areas.
Nice cafe and food served within.

I get due to COVID that parts have to be sectioned but it s quite poor that ticket prices are still so much with half of it being closed.

I visited on a special event for people playing pokemon go and it was really well organised, which shows how well the zoo is run on normal days

I think this place is great for its size .... the penguins have always been my favourites but the meerkats were amazing (though best not to see them at feeding time ... the mice didn't stand a chance).

It's a very good zoo, brilliant day out. All the animals have large clean in closures, and that shows in the health of the animals. The lions are amazing animals and I have a soft spot for the tree kangaroos.

Bristol zoo is great for both the young and old. Lots of animals and facilities here. Children's playground too. A must see.

Wonderful place, lovely staff and some very interesting animals!

There is a lot packed in to a fairly compact site in this old established zoo. Plenty to see and do on an excellent day out. Educational without being 'preachey'. Animals are in good condition, don't miss the gorillas, lions, and giant tortoises! Kid will want to experience the high level rope walk.

Great day out for the kids. Some will consider it an expensive day, but think of the cost of maintaining such a place...if you take a packed lunch then its only your admission fee, which isn't that bad really.

Here is a very small selection of images...the place is great.

Bear in mind if you "join" the Zoo, become a member, then visits are free...check it out.

Excellent facility. Nice gardens and a great selection of educating animal enclosures

Good variety of animals and talks throughout the day

Having gone 'out of season' a number of the small exhibits were missing or opening hours differed from the overall zoo which accounts for loosing one star. I hadn't visited for well over a decade and parts of the zoo reminded me why however other areas have been really well developed to show off generally smaller species that suit the available space better. Some visitors may miss the headline big animals but when you see the lion walking around and around the same small loop you have to understand why it's not appropriate to keep them anymore. Overall a fascinating visit with plenty of interest for everyone.

We arrived late in the day so missed out on seeing lots of animals. The place is huge compared to any I know. We really enjoyed what we did see and it was very well set out. Also the staff are super friendly and helpful.

Animals generally seem well looked after and happy, but I do worry about the lions who don't seem to have a lot of space and tend to pace. Restaurant has recently been refurbished and is now table service only - completely inappropriate for typical zoo visitors with young children. Gardens are attractive and nice for picnics.

Very nice zoo with a lot to see. The animals seem pretty content which makes the experience even better.

My family has always loved this Zoo, my grandparents use to come here over 50 years ago. We recently took them out here again and they still love it as much as me and my wife. Love seeing the animal, its such a great place.

A very enjoyable and inspiring visit. Animals well presented, both for the visitor, and for themselves.

Bit expensive for admission given the size, but at the same time a good day out - and my 10 month old son loved it!

Enjoyed our trip here. Friendly staff and plenty to see on a site that's easy to get around. We're spoilt being close to Chester zoo as Bristol Zoo isn't as big but makes for an enjoyable day out. We have been twice , each time were down in the area and would visit again .

I went to the zoo for an event held by my student accommodation. Most of sections in the zoo were closed because it was at the evening (I wonder why they still invited us to come here). Lions in the small cage were quite entertaining, yet it was sad to see them just roaming inside their cage

It wasn't the perfect weather when we went but it was easy parking and friendly staff right from the start. Loved the art they had scattered around the zoo grounds and all the facts. All the animals seem well cared for and where easy to see. When we came to the fish section we came just on time for feeding and a staff member explaining about the various fish. My 3 year old and 2 year old loved it!
When we went to the restaurant area it was very crowed and where a little high for our liking (hence why we didn't buy much food). The entrance to the restaurant did keep the kids entertained while we waited though.
We would definitely go again!

Really lovely partk. Great amount of space and all animals given ample space and non public space as needed. Food prices a little cheap but that's what you expect at a public place unfortunately. Gift shops adequate but could do with some more creative things at reasonable prices not just cuddle toys