The nine most popular zoos in Poland

Poland has so many great zoos that it’s tough to pick the best ones. Like worldwide, zoos are one of Poland’s most popular family-friendly attractions, making it a great day out for the whole family. Prepare yourself for a journey to the fantastic animal world! 

Wrocław Zoo and Africarium

The Wrocław Zoo is not only the oldest zoo in Poland (established in 1865), but it also includes Africarium – the only oceanarium in the world dedicated to Africa’s water environment and the top tourist attraction in Poland. Africarium is located within the area of Wrocław Zoo, and you do not need to buy any separate entrance tickets to Africarium. The opening hours of Africarium are the same as the rest of the Wrocław Zoo.

Photo source: Zoo Wrocław

Warsaw Zoo

The Zoo was opened in the Praga district of Warsaw in 1927. The garden was 12 ha, now it extends over an area of 40 ha. The Warsaw Zoo is a place with a lot of history. Between 1940 and 1944, Jan Żabiński (director of the Warsaw zoo) and his wife Antonina hid around 300 Jews in the zoo’s enclosures and their villa located within the Zoo. You can read more about this history in the non-fiction book “The Zookeeper’s Wife” by Diane Ackerman or watch the movie called “The Zookeeper’s Wife”. Learn more in English about this story and about visiting the house, which is located on the grounds of the Warsaw Zoo.
The Warsaw Zoo is open every day, including all public holidays.

Photo source: Zoo Warszawa

The Zoo in Łódź and its new part – the Orientarium

For several years, the Łódź Zoo has been developing a new project – Orientarium, which opened in 2022. The Orientarium is dedicated to the fauna and flora of Southeast Asia. The author of the Orientarium project in Łódź is the same studio that designed the Africarium in Wrocław (our tips on visiting the Zoo and Africarium in Wrocław).

The main attraction of the Orientarium in Łódź is the underwater tunnel where visitors can observe the coral reef and aquarium for sharks and rays. The tunnel is 26 m long and 2.4 m high. The average depth of the reservoir is 6 m, and at the deepest point, 8 m. The space above the acrylic tunnel was filled with 2.5 million liters of water.

Plants, shrubs, ivy, and grasses planted in the new part of the Zoo come, among others, from Laos, India, Australia, Japan, and the Philippines. In addition to gardens, seven ocean reservoirs and three freshwater reservoirs, the Orientarium has enclosures for, among others, Indian elephants, panthers, Malay bears, gibbons, and aviaries for hornbills and Balinese starlings.

Photo source: Zoo Łódź

Gdańsk Zoo

In the Gdańsk Zoo (located in the Oliwa district), animals from all continents live in 125 hectares. Among them are those whose populations in the wild no longer exist. It is the largest zoo in Poland in terms of area!

It’s worth visiting the mini zoo/petting zoo with children. You can pet and cuddle goats, rabbits, and alpacas. Zookeepers prepare food for guests to feed to the animals. Admission is charged extra for children (adults have free entrance). Payment is cash only. Mini zoo opening hours.

Photo source: Zoo Gdańsk

Kraków Zoo

There are over 1,400 animals in the Kraków Zoo, representing 270 species. Endangered animals constitute a large group (over 100 species). The Zoo is located in Wolski Forest (Las Wolski) – a beautiful forest park, unique in large cities, with numerous, marked walking and cycling routes.

It’s worth visiting the mini zoo/petting zoo with children. This area, designed with children in mind, offers the opportunity to get up close with domesticated animals. You can pet and feed goats, donkeys, llamas, alpacas, ponies, and rabbits with food prepared by the zoo. The mini zoo is open from 9.30 am to 6 pm.

Photo source: Zoo Kraków

Poznań Zoo

Do you know the city where there are two zoos? In Poland, it’s Poznań!

The New Zoo (founded in 1974) is like a vast forest in a hilly area with six large ponds. There is a free trackless train that makes it easy for children and strollers to explore the zoo. In April, the train runs on weekends, and from May to August, daily. There is also a paid ropes park and a playground. During weekends and holidays, there are long lines at the ticket office. To skip the line, you can buy your tickets online. Children under 3 years old are admitted free of charge. The New Zoo is open every day, including all bank holidays.

The Old Zoo is smaller than the New Zoo, which can be a nice feature, especially with small children – it’s more like a city park with animals. The main advantage of the Old Zoo is that it’s free, so you don’t need to worry about long lines or plan your visit. There is also a paid ropes park and a playground. The Old Zoo is also open every day, including all bank holidays.

Photo source: Zoo Poznań (the new zoo)

The Katowice area – the Silesian Zoological Garden in Chorzów

This is the third-largest zoo in Poland. In an area of nearly 50 ha, in the heart of Upper Silesia (Górny Śląsk), you can observe over 300 species of animals. The zoo also hosts the Dinosaur Rock Valley (Skalna Kotlina Dinozaurów) – the first outdoor exhibition of this type in Europe, created in 1971.

Photo source: Zoo Chorzów

“Zoo Borysew” – a zoo in central Poland, famous for white tigers and lions

The zoo covers 25 hectares with over 500 exotic animals representing 90 species from 5 continents (among others, white Bengal tigers, white lions, pumas, white wolves, servals, lemurs, Indian buffalos, tapirs, zebras, five species of monkeys, kangaroos, camels). One of the attractions is the petting zoo with miniature goats, sheep, and rabbits. The zoo can also be visited by a colorful railway (it is covered, which is helpful in bad weather).

Photo source: Zoo Borysew

Opole Zoo

Opole is one of the oldest cities in Poland, located in southwestern Poland, and is the capital of the Opole Voivodeship. The zoo is located on an island on the Odra River. In addition to exotic animals, the zoo also offers a mini zoo and playgrounds. In 2024, the zoo opened an aquarium with tanks for coral reef fish, sharks, fish from the Amazon and Congo Rivers, and a touch pool with stingrays.

Photo source: Zoo Opole

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