Innsbruck Alpenzoo is a fun little zoo for toddlers. If a little hilly. But the hilltop location means that there are great views of Innsbruck. There is a range of Alpine animals, from bears to snakes, via otters and lynxes. This and the setting makes for a different experience from many other small zoos. There is also a wide selection of birds but they were not of much interest to Daisy. She liked looking at the fish and frogs in the aquarium and the snakes. Anything where you could lift her up to the glass for a closer look.
The highlight of the zoo for Daisy was the petting area. It features the usual suspects, such as goats, pigs, sheep, chickens and cows. But you can get close enough to touch the animals and buy feed to give them. She also enjoyed sitting on the mini tractor.
The only downsides were that the bears did not look very happy, pacing up and down their enclosure. And there were very few signs in English. Which made it tricky to identify some of the animals.
Innsbruck Alpenzoo With A Toddler: facilities
In terms of facilities, there is a café, shop and changing facilities. We didn’t try the café – we were heading to Ikea for meatballs, always a highlight of a trip down to Innsbruck from the mountains! Maybe not the most exciting place for lunch, but at least you can be sure of a toddler-friendly experience…
There was also a decent playground. Where Daisy enjoyed going down a scarily large slide. We only had time for a couple of hours at the Alpenzoo. But could easily have spent longer, walking around and playing more.
Innsbruck Alpenzoo With A Toddler: getting there
You can make the journey there part of the adventure by taking the cable car up the hill from Innsbruck. Or you can of course drive. The parking is crazy cheap – something like 20 cents per half hour. Hardly seems worth charging! You can also walk, but a toddler would definitely need a buggy, as it is a good 20 minutes uphill from the city.
We drove and didn’t bother with a carrier or buggy. Daisy was happy having a good run about. We just carried her on the steeper sections.
The Alpenzoo is open all year round and children under 3 are free. At the time of our visit the adult ticket price was 10 Euros. For current information, please check their website.
Little zoos are always so good with toddlers though that’s a shame about the bears, it always makes me uncomfortable when the animals don’t seem happy or don’t have enough space. Thanks for linking up with #citytripping and sharing this one
Thanks
I visited a few zoos in Japan, and actually had to leave one early, because the animals were so obviously unhappy in their tiny pens, it was heartbreaking. But a well-done zoo can really be such a wonderful attraction for little ones!
I agree, it is distressing if pens are too small
It’s a real shame about the bears looking cramped and unhappy but glad the rest of the Zoo was interesting and plenty to toddlers to look at.
It is funny what toddlers like – I think one of her favouite parts was playing with some bark chippings in one of the play areas