Bristol Zoo Review

Fantastic time good time to visit as hardly any one else there.

Always one of my favourite places to visit ever since I was little. They have undergone a few changes in the past few years; some of which are great but others are a bit odd. Can seem a bit outdated in areas and their off peak season can be a bit dull with lack of events. They have now limited snacks and food to one restaurant and the one stall that isn't very well stocked (chilly winter visit so needed a hot chocolate but they ran out & only had decaf coffee!)

Brilliant day out. Better to go early to miss the crowds.

You can have nice family full day visit in this zoo. Loads of places that you can sit, eat, drink, playing area for kids. Very fun.
I also liked the gift shop, very cute toys.
There was a bbq in the central green area... Very delicious sandwiches are available to buy. I brought my 17 month toddler to this zoo for the first time and she really liked it.

We had a lovely day and even though some bits were closed there was still plenty to see. We also did the rope challenge at zooropia and I would recommend trying that out too.

A fantastic day for all the family lots to see and do

Should just be called Bristol gardens! The only big animals there were 2 lions in a tiny cage and gorillas. Quite a few small animals but not a zoo! Gift shop had good stock. My 6 and 9yro were done in about an hour and wanted to go home!!

For the first time ever, very disappointed. Very few animals visible and Covid19 measures create long waits and limited viewing times. None of this is the fault of the Zoo. It is merely that caged creatures in this type of environment and circumstance offer a diminished experience. The Wild Place has much more to offer due to its outdoor experiences.

A thoroughly great day out with lots to see. Super friendly staff.

We used the conference venue and got a free tour around the Zoo. The food was good.

Great place for all the family to be. Variety of animals and things to do. Brilliant day out!

Fantastic day out on a cold October's day.


Short walk then to the entrance.

As it was half term they were offering free children's entry with a paying adult.
My children are aged 5 and 7 so a great age to enjoy and explore.

It was a very cold day so darted in and out of the various indoor enclosures such as the reptile and nocturnal area.



Lunch was less wonderful. As it was cold a picnic was not the preferred option, the onsite sit in restaurant 'the hide' was extremely full with a deceptive queue out the door and curling round inside the actual restaurant.
Elected to go for a kids box meal and a pasty from the Hut outdoors. Still a 20 minute queue.

Aside from this a great day had by all. Free entry for the children, the whole Park decked out for haloween and different shows on to keep returning customers trying new things.

My favourite place of all is the butterfly house, could stay in there for house watching these majestic beauties flutter.

Definitely worth visit, easy to find when coming off m4/ m49.

Maybe bring a packed lunch

It's a small zoo, but packs a lot in. Lots of animals, enclosures and water tanks to see. The zoo is tied with the University of Bristol, and animal research is conducted and posts related to the research undertaken at the zoo are put up for visitors which I thought was great!

A fun visit for families especially!

Good day out. Book online as you save 29% on the price of a ticket. Plenty of informative talks on the various animals and you can see them being fed. Well sign posted if you haven't been before. Play area for children. Other activities include badge making and face painting.

Very clean, wide range of animals, food a bit expensive though.

Great day out. Loads to see and do. Animals are in nice enclosures and when you get bored of the animals there is a good playground, sand pit and wet play area

A great zoo with helpful staff and a variety of endangered species. I have also done a lion feeding experience and would recommend it to any big cat lovers. Beautiful Gardens, very clean and plenty of seating. I would personally advise going on a week day if you don't like crowds but I know this can be difficult with children.

Great day out loads to do full of things to do and see

Lovely animals, nice clean gardens, good talks about the animals, large restaurant

Great to take the kids although I wish they showed what parts of the zoo is closed before entering... on more than one occasion have I been and the splash area or the play areas have been closed.

We had a wonderful time at Bristol zoo gardens on mother's day. The pygmy hippo & the ratties were my favourites. My infant son was very interested in the dwarf crocs & flamingos, & my daughter enjoyed the penguins who were having a vigorous "cuddle", lol! We look forward to returning to see baby penguins in the not too distant future perhaps!

The best place for a date! had an absolutely amazing date, totally recommend a visit!

Fab, being a long time since we were last there, amazed at what they have done

Love the Zoo, such a good place to take my 4 year old son. Can be expensive but really worth it in the Summer especially when they have the animatronic dinosaurs.

Did the evening event. Some animals difficult to see. Good price. Easy to park.

Thanks for reply. it would have helped if in the indoor area such as fish and reptiles the light up info signs had all been on. Also disappointed that the nighttime house was not open at all.

My son and I love Bristol zoo so much we are now annual members, we go at least once a week, best time is first thing in the morning before the crowds arrive

Set in a lovely part of Bristol. The children enjoyed their day

Great family day out with wife and 2 year old son. Food can be expensive. Next time I'll bring our own lunch

Was good but food a little exspensice for what it was

I'm not really into zoos but the kids love it plus they're doing a good job with conservation

Worst zoo ever visited walked round in an hour small enclosures and depressed animals i sincerely hope the very overpriced entrance fee goes on the animals

didn't like how the lions are kept but other than that lovely place, good all year round with good souvenirs.

Great family fun, plenty of seating and food, lovely places to play and beautiful animals

Great to see all the animals, grandchildren loved the day out. Was manic as it's half term, parking full up but that's the way it is, and cold this of year. Will be back to picnic on a nice sunny day

Fun a beautiful day to share with children in the name of nature

I was given mixed advice before going here, some people liked it, alot said they didn't like it.
I am a lover of animals and I loved it, they had so much to see! I think if you haven't been you should go definitely, get your own opinion!

Brill, the kids loved it and we will probably get an annual ticket.

Good for families with small children but it's quite small and can be seen in half a day

Excellent covid 19 precautions, I loved the one way around system, nice animals

Informative, child friendly, superb exhibits, sadly to see such things, animals are caged and exhibit stressed behaviour, but all efforts are made to make the animals less stressed by doing what can be done to create a good environment.

Super nice city zoo. Really an old manageable zoo with picnic fields.

Great seal and penguin section with a tunnel you can walk through and see them swim above your heads - best part of the zoo with really good seal and penguin talks, well worth the wait before going home. Unfortunately didn't get to see the gorillas because of vet procedures, and sadly no red pandas either which I was looking forward to. Really good lion and giant tortoise talks too - don't miss out on those either

All staff were really helpful and despite the rain all the animals came out too play
Great day out with the family

Amazing place specially for kids. They have so many animals that too different kinds. Most importantly they have kept the place very neat and tidy for both people visiting and for the animals

Lovely area brill animals can't say so much for 1 or 2 staff members

Great small zoo really enjoyed taking my 2yr old she was very engaged and not tired at the end. Staff are very lovely and informative

Great zoo, very informative. Though kinda cheap to charge for childrens rides inside, after you pay a hefty entry fee.
Also the restaurant at the insectarea was the noisiest I've ever experienced in my life.
Please make an effort to curb the noise both for the sake of visitors and the poor staff. There are lots of improvements to try.
Food was quite good so no reason to make the meal unenjoyable.

Lovely to see a few animals and felt very safe as staff have worked hard for Covid security. Sad that so many species aren't there anymore, compared to my youth, but pleased to support the animals that remain.

Nice little zoo. It's a fair walk from the centre but doable without public transport. Rather on the small side but has a good range including most of the animals you would expect. Some nice touches like the bat enclosure that you can walk through with free flying bats. There are also some informative talks from about 10am so maybe plan to get there early to hear all about the animals

Great day out. Not much shade on a hot day though
Staff very friendly. Animals look well looked after. Loved the lions and gorillas.

Great family day out. Lots of animal balls on display. Rope bridge challenge great for kids.

Apparently the smallest zoo in the world. It is very compact and with a great family atmosphere. I think is time for a better animals design habitat.

Lovely place to visit . Food in the restaurant was slight unsatisfying, portion sizes were not all that great. Enclosures were brilliant.

Absolutely brilliant, would definitely go back another time

We visited Bristol zoo yesterday, we had booked for my son to do a junior zoo keeper day (he's almost 7) it was quite an expensive experience but it was worth every penny. He had in his words the best day ever, Mel was fantastic, incredibly patient with him, explaining everything and he really got the opportunity to see behind the scenes of the zoo. My 3 year old also really enjoyed walking around the zoo and gardens seeing the animals. I would say the cafe is a little on the expensive side but the food was lovely and nice to have a change from standard panini and sandwiches. I'd highly recommend the zoo, it's small enough not to be overwhelmed but big enough to spend a good few hours.

They have naked mole rats. Lots to see and do ranging from lions to mice.

Excellent day out and close to heart of Bristol with lots to see