This is a great zoo in the centre of London, on the edge of Regent’s Park. If you use the Regent’s Park underground it is a pleasant 30 min stroll through the park to the Zoo entrance. Otherwise use Baker Street or Camden Town underground stations and the number 274 bus which stops a couple of hundred yards from the entrance. One a Sunday in June there was a short queue to get in (5 mins max) and the zoo, although quite busy, never felt crowded.
If you travel by train to the zoo it is worthwhile downloading a voucher from “Days Out Guide”:https://www.daysoutguide.co.uk/zsl-london-zoo which will give you one free entrance for every adult ticket purchased (it cost us £44 for 2 adults, 2 children and a guide book). The other thing I would advise is giving yourself at least a full day there as there is so much to see plus various talks etc which we did not have time for.
The animals look very happy and well cared for as one would expect for such a well-known zoo. Some of the larger animals such as rhinos and elephants are kept at the sister Whipsnade Zoo. We found that we did not miss these but there are the big cats, gorillas and giraffes if you want the larger animals. As many of the enclosures have been modernised to have glass fronts there are excellent views of the animals. The toddler in our group has to be lifted up to see the snakes, bugs etc as they were in higher display areas – a low step for small children would have been helpful.
There were plenty of sitting and eating areas and a small but good adventure playground by one of the cafes. The food available was of the standard and price you would expect in an attraction of this type but it was perfectly possible to find somewhere to sit for a picnic. All the staff were friendly and helpful and happy to chat about the animals to both adults and children. The paths were easy for buggies and wheelchairs; there were plenty of clean toilets etc.
All in all a great day out for all ages, we shall certainly be going back to see the animals we did not have time for on this visit.
