This is my guide to visiting London Zoo with a toddler. For us, a visit here is a special treat. But although the entrance fee is high, I think that it is good value for money. You can certainly spend the whole day here.
ZSL London Zoo is run by the Zoological Society of London, an animal and habitat conservation charity. It is the world’s oldest scientific zoo. It is right in the heart of London in Regent’s Park and first opened in 1828, but not to the public until 1847. Today it has many themed areas, such as Gorilla Kingdom, Tiger Territory and Into Africa. We particularly liked the Land of the Lions, with the decor leaving you in no doubt that these were Asiatic lions.
There are also a great number of talks throughout the day. I recommend picking up a map and guide at the entrance so that you know what is on where. Watching the giraffes being fed some leaves managed to keep Daisy transfixed for a whole seven minutes. Which is pretty good for a very active toddler.
Visiting London Zoo with a Toddler: The Facts
Make sure you book in advance online for a significant saving on the entrance fee.
We travelled by tube – either Regent’s Park or Camden Town are the nearest. But there is a car park if you need to drive.
The zoo is bigger than I expected, so I was glad that we took the buggy. It would have been too much for little legs walking all day. Our backpack carrier would also have worked well, but I don’t think Daisy would have been able to see well enough from a sling/soft carrier.
There are lots of picnic spots so take your own food if you are on a budget.
We went on an autumn weekday and it was pleasantly uncrowded, so I would recommend that as a good time to visit.
The exit is of course through the shop. Most stuff is expensive, but if you hunt around there are some reasonable souvenirs for your little one. We got a couple of small toys and a sticker book for under a tenner.
London Zoo sounds like a fun place for kids. I know my kids would love it. #citytripping
It is definitely a fun day out
You’re right about the gift shop. We last went a couple of years ago, and managed to get some items that weren’t too pricey. Looks like you had a good time! #citytripping
Yes, it was great
We still haven’t visited, but booking online to lower the ticket price is SUCH a good bit of info. Thank you.
Thanks 🙂
#citytripping
Useful tip to take a picnic!
#citytripping
Thanks – it’s the kind of thing I normally forget!
I can’t believe I still haven’t been to the zoo with my daughter yet – it is an amazing place, I didn’t realise the aquarium was so big though. Thanks for linking up with #citytripping
It is amazing the list of places that you never quite get to!
This was a nostalgic read for me as I had membership of London Zoo when my daughter was a toddler and it was such fun. Might be worth it if you live in London, don’t know how much it costs nowadays. I found out later that the C2 bus goes straight there from Victoria – that would have saved me hassle with the buggy on the tube!
It is a shame we are not quite close enough to make the most of a membership, we had a great day
I haven’t been to London Zoo since I was a young kid! Would love to take the boys here when we’re next home in the UK. Thanks for the tip about booking online to save pennies 🙂 #wanderlustkids
I hadn’t been for years either – it is fun to be revisiting places I went to in childhood
We always go to zoos when we travel, it always surprises me how different each of them are. We live in Los Angeles, so we have a membership to the LA Zoo which cuts down on cost, but if/when we visit London I will keep these tips in mind. Thank you! #wanderlustkids
Membership of a zoo sounds like a great idea, but unfortunately we are not close enough to make the most of it
London Zoo sounds fab. We’d love to visit it one day. It still amazes me that there’s a zoo in Central London. And interesting that they have the largest aquarium in the UK! Thanks for linking up to #wanderlustkids last month x
I sometimes run in Regent’s Park and it is funny if you catch sight of a giraffe or something over the fence!