Bristol Zoo Reviews

What a fantastic place to go for the day! This place has so much to see and do we were knackered come the end of it! Great place for families and couples etc. So many different animals and insects and aquatic life to see!

An amazing range of animals in a place that manages to have a strong sense of history while not feeling at all old-fashioned. Bristol Zoo is enormously popular for good reason! If you live in Bristol and have young children, a year-long ticket is great value - you can just pop in for plenty of short visits, not feel you have to stay to "get your money's worth" and even waltz past the big queue on busy days! We love our zoo.

Fantastic zoo that was a great day out for me and my girlfriend... well worth a visit

Awesome zoo! Beautiful animals, gardens and most importantly conservation work! Staff and volunteers have such genuine passion and love and knowledge for the animals. Only downside is the price of entry and of food in the restaurant...so I'd say, make the most of it, have a full long day there, theres so much to see and do and maybe bring a picnic, oh and is blind folding your children as they walk through the gift shop 'frowned upon' Love the Zoo, even as a born and bred Bristolian everytime I come I do feel like I'm on holiday, no where else in Bristol has such an effect on me

Beautiful gardens, great ethos, another great family day out.

Wasn't impressed with the park. Only one place to eat which was way over priced and food wasn't very nice.

The gorillas are the highlight, of course, but I also like the lions, red pandas, seals and penguins. I don't know if it's just luck but the animals here seem to be more active than in other zoos I've seen, which makes for a far better experience. I think it may be that the zoo is intelligent about feeding times.

The zoo is small enough to feel manageable for people but you don't feel the animals are cramped. All the apes and monkeys especially seem to have lots of space.

We are now 2rd year members for the Zoo and the wild places and we go at least once a month. Also we have just paid for our friend and her daughter to have membership for Christmas as we love it that much.

We took out membership for our son as a birthday present as he is dotty about animals. Even though we have been so many times we see or find something new every time. There is still a whole "Brazil" section we have not been around yet.

I'm leaving this review after visiting the restaurant for the 1st time for lunch, we normally take a picnic but having just had another child there is no time to make a picnic!!

We had a coronation chicken wrap, gammon ham with cheese and red onion chutney roll both with chips. Our little boy had a 5 items picnic and absolutely loved it. The cafe is now closed for refurbishment until March / April 2017 so we will be looking forward to a visit for lunch.

I would strongly recommend membership not only as a massive cost saving and a great regular day out with the kids but also for access to special members benefits and events like the recent members only late night zoo access which was amazing to see some of the animals that sometimes dont come out so much in the day.

Great! At first I thought it was a small one, but I was absolutely not disappointed. Of the big animals, only pygmy hippies and "kits" in the form of two powerful lions. Oh, and okapi yet. But the rest is unearthly. Clean water in the sealarium and a tunnel under the water, so you can watch them swim upside down. A wonderful pavilion with insects, not to mention nocturnal animals. I have only seen a better reptarium in Austria, but the entire zoo there was devoted only to reptiles and amphibians. Kindest and helpful staff. You can arrange personal feeding of the pet. For this beautifully kept and arranged greenery. Only coffee in a pub I strongly advise against. UGLY !!!

Great zoo, one of the best zoos we have ever been to!

Very good small zoo. Only there a short time. Very nice cafe. Animals all look well. Keepers very helpful.

Amazing day out for family visits loads of wonderful animals

It was a lovely day out but at times hard work trying to find the animals/insects, as you couldn't see the animals for the trees/ bushes we tried morning and afternoon to see lions NO never saw them. The dark area was too dark also, all you could see was an outline of a nocturnal animals if lucky and for disabled it was a nightmare manoeuvring their wheelchair or mobility scooter in darkness where people couldn't see where you standing let alone sitting. Illuminated foot steps would help and just a tad lighter, mood lighting may be. Staff great and we'll informed and place was we'll kept great for children and worth the price.

A great Zoo. If you need gluten free food then surprisingly the food at the restaurant is really great.

Not the biggest of zoos but still had a great time with plenty if animals to see

Lovely zoo one of the best I've been to very clean looks after the animals well i also highly recommend there sister zoo the wild project.

Interesting animals, great staff, lovely and clean. My daughter did the Zooropia and got stuck towards the beginning. Jessica one of the instructors was fab and helped my daughter all the way round keeping her calm.

More of a garden than a zoo
Not much to see, ok with kids but not a half day affair

Very poor for the money we paid too get in. Not a great selection of animals were on show when we arrived. Not a great amount too do for the younger children when it comes down too Park areas unlike the older children who have the zip wires etc. When it comes too the cafe and the food the selection was poor for the incredibly high prices we paid for meal deal with sandwiches crisps and drinks.

No parking no elephants no chimps no tigers no parrots no good

We didn't like it. Animals don't have much space. Food in the restaurant was terrible, cakes were lovely. None of the ice cream machines were working. Definitely doesn't worth the money they ask for the entrance fees.
We did like the dinosaur models.

Nice and quiet today (Friday). We've got membership so visits are easy and cost effective.
The play park is fun and scooting around for toddlers is good as it's enclosed and relatively flat

Loved it here. I try and visit zoos when I visit out of state or out of the US. Great zoo.

Amazing little zoo, with great animal collection. it has a family friendly environment

Fun day out kids loved the water play area great end it a great adventurous day

A lovely day out and can be reasonably cheap if you book in advance/bring your own food. If you time it right you will also miss the busiest times and feel like your the only ones there.

Nice day out for my Sons birthday, he really enjoyed it! Loads to see, could have spent longer there but it was pretty chilly and starting to get dark (obviously not the zoos fault!)

Fantastic day out, lots to see and great to know that part if your entrance fee goes to help projects all across the world with conservation.

Great place for little ones. Pretty busy whatever time you go. For such a big zoo you would expect a lot more to be there. There are places to purchase food and also plenty of picknick areas. It will keep the kids ocupied for the day

The zoo is quiet small, however, great for small children. They offer a timetable of the animal talks and feeding; you may need to call or email them, if not available online. Also, you can adopt a zoo friend, and meet the animals for extra cost. If you are attending in the Summer the hours are 10am-5pm.

Don't come here often enough. Always improves on the last visit

I want to say thank you to Luke Mitchell in the corporate team. He was very helpful when setting up my membership and even now he is still helping with enquiries when others at the zoo have given me incorrect information

Always a great place to spend a Sunday with the kids

Fantastic place for all the family, so so much to do.
There is everything that you need once your in, but a packed lunch/ picnic saves overspending on the kids.. love it here.

Love the zoo but the new restaurant leaves much to the imagination. Today the kitchen is closed so the only offerings are salads, cakes and pastries. It's table service so I think it will be mayhem when busy. And there are no prices or menus once in the restaurant so the bill is a shock once you've finished. Hope these are just theething problems. All in all needs work

Loved this zoo and gardens. The layout is fantastic with all the animals looking healthy and happy. Best advice is to go early to avoid the crowds.

I have always been unhappy about keeping animals in pens and cages to be looked at by people who are able to walk away freely..but my day in Bristol Zoo Gardens has given me a new perspective on the whole idea.
From the moment we approached the lion enclosure early in the morning until we reluctantly left the butterfly house at closing time the whole emphasis was on giving endangered animals a chance of survival in the best conditions for them. The keepers were happy to chat about their jobs and the welfare of the animals in their care for as long as any of us stayed to listen. The reception staff were pleasant and very helpful making it a joyful experience from start to finish
I'm quite sure we didn't see everything and will go back as often as possible. It's a happy uplifting day out.

Amazing place for kids, friends and family,lots of activities, playground, splash place, facilities, well cleaned.

For the price this place is super expensive, in winter there are lots of exhibits closed too. Certainly won't be rushing back.

Some animals are not present, such as the elephant, the giraffe or the bear.

Great day out for kids under 10, usually have seasonal days & activities for Halloween, Christmas etc.

Brilliant attraction, loads to do and see, really strong emphasis on conservation and recycling- lovely to see so much information on how the zoo is helping other animals around the world. Fab idea to have a high ropes course in the middle of it too!

Very good place. Just a pity the zoo is a little small

Such a beautiful city zoo with amazing grounds and animals.. the best nocturnal house I've ever seen and the rest is just as good. All staff very helpful and friendly. All a good price for a zoo in the city!!

Bristol Zoo is a lovely city centre zoo but is missing something. It's hard to put my finger on it but I always leave feeling disappointed.

It's well priced and lots too see, the kids always have a great time but I have to say better zoos are out there.

Very pretty, take your time and chill. Avoid busy days when there's queues for any refreshments

Brilliant day out in my wheelchair!
Visited Bristol in 2019 for a few days break from Ynys Mon/Anglesey, N Wales.

Fantastic to be able to get so close to the apes! Very disabled friendly zoo.
Great for families young or old.
Can t wait to visit again after Covid-19 Lockdown ends!
Stay safe everyone (staff & animals) at Bristol Zoo! X

Great smaller zoo - well worth a visit. Nice garden setting too. Lunchtime animal show is aimed at smaller children who will enjoy getting closer to some of the animals.

Seeing the first animal (red panda) constantly pace the around it's tiny enclosure, panting and trying to get out was distressing to see. I felt the same watching the gorilla. Those animals surely need more space. When you see the large grass area to have a picnic and people to play football(as they were today) then look at the space for animals you really question these places.

I love going to the zoo. Only thing is the cafe is expensive!

Staff all friendly and knowledgeable about the animals. There were also talks about the animals every half hour. Lots of different things to see from reptiles and butterflies to gorillas and penguins.

Very nice zoo with lots of animals. Really good maintened. Friendly staff. If you have children you just must go there.

A great zoo. Loose a star because You have to walk through gift shop to exit...

Visited at a fairly quiet time and although some of the animals were asleep at first they did make appearances later in the day. Staff were friendly, approachable and knowledgeable. There are regular talks for the more popular animals and a large variety of creatures. Food/drink prices are very high, hence the 4*

This is a great place to entertain your kids. There is such a variety of animals both indoors and outdoors. Most people will find an animal they like. When I was little I didn't like the smell of the fish part but I was probably overreacting... I love the lorikeet feeding. The only downside is that to get to the exit you have to walk through the massive gift shop, so kids will probably beg you for stuff. Gifts are interesting though, and not just junk with "Bristol Zoo" written on it like in some places.

Quite small for the price, poor enforcement of face coverings, overcrowded

Absolutely loved the bat's! You can go right in.
It's a lovely place for a day trip, bats, red tree pandas, a twilight experience with night creatures, seals, penguins, a silver back gorilla named jock and his family and loads more.
(No elephants or giraffes however.)
There is a child's splash park, suitable from toddling to 12/14, an activity centre and information area with face painting. Dotted all round the park are drink and ice cream machines and a restaurant on site, also a gift shop with a wide range.
Very good bus service straight from temple meads Station to the zoo and back again, so convenient to get to. (I believe you get a reduced admission if you use public transport, check the website.)
Its cheaper on weekdays, but still not bad prices for a zoo.

Expensive.how do they work out the prices in the cafe. Not as good as it used to be.

Very small and no dinosaurs there. Expensive for what it is.

A great little zoo. Not huge but with a good variety of animals, insects and fish to see.
When busy parking can be an issue. If you book online it's cheaper, and it often has offers on tickets for children during school holidays.