Bristol Zoo Reviews

Not a usual zoo, beautiful gardens and a great day out learning about conservation

very good but cold weather afacted a number of animals

the zoo overall is very good, with a slight exception to the aquarium, old and shabby nothing new or interesting, shame really

It's a zoo, what would you expect to get?

It is clean and has a good selection of animals, being able to go into the Lemur cage is very cool.

Usually I'd give Bristol Zoo 2.5 out of 5 but today when we went, more than half the habitats were empty and the animals that were there generally looked more depressed than usual. The highpoint was the randy tortoise. We were in and out in just over an hour.

Fabulous day out even in the rain! Great animals and exhibits.

Beautifully day had by all loins and gorillas were showing off

Went with my class for educational trip, staff very attentive and helpful

Even in the rain thoroughly enjoyed our trip to the zoo. Made more enjoyable by the imposed restrictions! We could see!!

Great day out loved the lemurs and blue poison frogs

Amazing experience, we were really impressed at how close guests were able to get to the animals

Last visit was over 40 years ago! It's changed but still a great day out particularly with animal mad youngsters. Very busy because it is very popular.

Had an amazing night for the twilight zoo good weather good music

Awful. Seen more animsls at a pet store. Wouldnt recomend.

Its a small zoo, nice, with many plants and interesting animals. The butterfly section quite small, with few butterflies, but it is still nice.

A good zoo with a great selection of different animals. Parking is a real problem, as their car park is tiny, and it's in the middle of nowhere. So the only way to get there is by car!

Great day out for the family, lots of interactive lesrning areas for children.

Thoroughly enjoyed going round the zoo. Staff helpful and pleasant.

Small zoo with various animals. Please note several exhibits are shut due to covid19 at the moment. Nice walk around

Small but perfectly formed zoo. A good day out but food outlets are limited.

An interesting day out. Like most zoos now the focus is on conservation. The animals that they have are well cared for and have plenty of space. With certain creatures you can share their space. The underwater sections with the seals are worth the trip alone. What you see generally is very weather dependant and relies on the animals co-operating.

Beautiful zoo, amazing experience, loved every second there, so many amazing animals, and they are all active, so you're not just seeing a sleeping animal like in most zoo's. Even saw the lions roar!! Love the walk through experience that allows you to get up close and personal with the animals, at no extra cost. Would love to pay to have one of the experiences next time!

We love Bristol zoo. It s only an hours drive from home and it s perfect for the Little ones.

Great fun. We hadn't been for 16 years and so a lot had changed. Like all zoos, some people love them while some think they exploit animals.
All I can say is that the staff were very knowledgable and obviously had a real passion for what they did. Really good day out and worth the money.

I was at the zoo for an exhibition and luckily got a chance to walk around the gardens and zoo.
The zoo is smallish but well worth the visit if you re in the area.
A couple of my favourite sections were the seals where you could observe them from below. The other was the tropical area with the reptiles and exotic plants.
There is paid parking on site.

went yesterday with my daughter and 3 grandchildren, was a lovely day out despite the rain, the animals on display looked well kept and their compounds were clean, probably the only downside was the size of the enclosure the lions were kept in, l know the zoo is small and they only have limited space for the animals but l felt a bit sad that they were not able to house the lions in a bigger compound, all in all though a great day out and well worth the money

The zoo is great and staff but it lacks more animals it is easily laid out but the parking for people is small and tight and cramped you will need to park in the expensive streets of clifton.

To the zoo make your car park bigger and invest your money in more activities in the zoo for kids also we're are the bigger animals you pay a premium but don't really get to see them at all shame really I suggest you take a look at London zoo and see what they are doing different in order to catch up with the competition.

Decided to take advantage of Bristol Zoo Twilight Event on a Friday evening along with what seemed like half of Bristol.

It was lovely to return after 6-7 years, lots of rekindled memories and nice to see how some areas have been redeveloped such as the meerkat enclosure and lemur island. Great to see the conservation work that's been undertaken and see that emphasis is placed on motivating and interesting all ages but especially children who will be the future custodians of our planet. A great day out!

I used to love coming here in the 1960s it is very different now. Not many large animals but the have done very well with what they have got and my grandchildren love to come here now. It is an expensive day out though.

Lots to and and see. Worth getting an annual membership if you live reasonably close. A good day out.

A great day out!! We got a nice sunny day for it which made it all the better. Got there nice and early as so much to see. Caught the lion talk and saw feeding times for the penguins, seals, lemurs, meerkats and the gorillas. The restaurant seemed expensive but then our food was brought out and it was proper restaurant quality so fair enough, portions were great. Lots of space outside if you want to picnic. Easy to get there by bus and was given a 33% refund for not taking a car, happy days!

Amazing we loved the whole experience a perfect day out.

Brilliant little zoo in the city. Parking can be difficult in school holidays and at weekends so plan for that. Favourites are the penguins, the gorillas and the lions.

Fabulous visit as always and well thought out for guidelines regarding social distancing, we brought along are own food and drink so cannot offer any insight on quality or price.

Fantastic family day out! We went with our 11 and 9 year old. Compact site so not too much walking, but lots to see and lovely arrangement of enclosures so animals and birds have plenty of room and things to entertain them. Tunnels to see seals, small butterfly house, children's adventure play areas for younger and older kids (my 9 year old was one of the older ones in the bigger kids area). Lots of walk-through animal and bird areas. Restaurant not the cheapest but good quality food with good service and there are tables for picnics outside and a large grassy area. High ropes extra but my 11 year old thoroughly enjoyed it! Animal encounter short but enjoyable. Would recommend.

A fabulous and nostalgic day out for the family. Once you've been, there's little point in a return visit as nothing really changes over the years.

A rather compact but interesting zoo with lots of animals to see with talks and demos through day. The gorilla island and underwater tunnels beneath the penguin's are novel -had a great time

Santas grotto and a trip to the zoo meant a great day out for everybody

Needs a lot money invested in it. Stay like it is will not last much longer.

Nice zoo compact enough to walk around with small children.

We go here ALL the time: parents out there GET MEMBERSHIP! Entry once is expensive, but with membership you can go for only an hour and not worry about the expense when your wee ones get tired. It's a great "oh God how to entertain the children today" activity, and is well laid out, with lots of fun extras and a great park. The cafe is also lovely and set up with kids in mind. But seriously, get membership and rinse it: we're there every single week!

Lovely place. Spent under 3 hours as a couple and that included a stop for a picnic and listened to one of the many educational and entertaining talks/feeds. Lovely play areas for children and avtivity centre... would be a very good family day out. Wish it was a bit bigger though but could definitely spend longer if had children.

Food.. Very good.. Music very good.. Polite staff.. Lovely room

Food let the place down.... and the que and waiting dragged it further

Fantastic day out, my kids love the talks and events! Would advise any local family to get an annual pass best investment I've made for my kids and my sanity.

I came to the zoo for the educational centre which was very interesting however one criticism would be that the seats were quite uncomfortable especially since we'd been sitting in there for hours at a time, perhaps the zoo could add some cushions.

Some zones closed dur to covid. Wantes to see the bats.

As you walk in, your greeted by the lions! I could have spent hours just watching them move. The food is pretty limited, but what you do get is alright.

Final verdict: Great creatures, average food, quaint place.

Terrific value for money. Well cared for animals in cleverly designed exhibits. Floral arrangements are outstanding too, gives a unique feel to the zoo.

Bristol Zoo always has something new and updated, it's a great place to take kids obviously but they really do have something new all the time to keep things exciting - it's great even as an adult to go! There's lots of places to grab food, which can be expensive but you are in the zoo.. Also been here for a work conference in which the spaces are really grand.

Nice green open space in the gardens, and a very interesting place to visit.

Nice day out for the family. Seals and lions were fun to watch. I have been to much better zoos though.

As always a great day out. We loved the new Dino Mania displays and, the kids absolutely loved Zooropia.

One way system, some places are closed. Social distancing in place . Mask covering in some areas. Some vending machines are broken. Went early in the morning and not many people there. So it's great!

Always an excellent day! Great variety of animals that all have spacious exhibits and seem very healthy and happy. There's lots of information to read and usually several keepers nearby who have always been happy to answer questions in my experience. The penguins are my favourite, but my partner loves the lion cubs and we visit regularly to see them grow! There's also bats, alligators, red pandas, lemurs, butterflies, lorikeets, sloths, scorpions, snakes, seals, flamingos, tapirs, tortoises, gorillas and much more in the aquarium and bug houses...We will arrive at nine in the morning and happily stay until the zoo closes. For families or parents, there's lots of play and picnic areas for kids, and an excellent exhibition where you get to "meet" the animals, even being allowed to touch a tarantula if you want as you get an in-depth class on several different species.

There's a cafe which is a bit expensive, but the food there is good. If you just want snacks, there are vending machines all around the zoo to have a light lunch. There are plenty of facilities, a large gift shop, and everything is very clearly signposted.

The zoo has breeding, research and conservation programmes in place which are very interesting to learn about. I've taken several friends to the zoo who all agree it's definitely a gem of Bristol.

Well worth visiting. Plenty to see and do. Restaurant was adequate.