We had our days roughly planned before leaving home and had done some research on getting to Zoo Praha, which sounded simple, walk to I.P. Pavlov Metro Station, take the C line to Nάdraži Holešovice station and then catch the 112 bus direct to the zoo, however we hadn't worked out how to get a ticket. My wife had read online, that you needed a ticket to enter the metro station or you could be fined if you went beyond a certain point without one, so we decided to ask at our hotel reception. They kindly checked and confirmed the route we had chosen was correct and that we could even buy the metro tickets we needed from them, which can then be validated at a machine in the station to activate them and these would also cover us for the bus journey.
Tickets in hand we headed to I.P. Pavlov metro station, once down into the station we had a quick look at the map, worked out the end station we thought would be on the front of the train and literally only a couple of minutes before a train arrived, which didn't have the station on we expected and ignored it, quickly checked an overhead map and realised it was a station on route, so got on the next, which was once again only minutes. We had worked out the number of stops before Nάdraži Holešovice was four, so could easily work out when to get off and it was easy to see the station names as we stopped, even though the train was quite busy. Once arriving at Nάdraži Holešovice station, we then had to find the right bus and after initially following the bus signs and ending up on the wrong side, we were pointed in the right direction (following the tram signs we originally ignored) we arrived at the stop. When the bus arrived it was a free for all and very crowded, a local was kind enough to give up his seat for my wife and I could clearly see on the screens as the stops went by, knowing the zoo was last anyway it wasn't going to be difficult at all.
In all previous zoos’ we have visited, we have always been given a map, however here they didn't, which was a little frustrating knowing the size and numerous pathways, so on entry I took a picture using my phone of a large map board to use as a guide, but ideally get a map, they must be available having seen a few people with, although there are map boards around, there are not as many as you might expect.
Our visit was out of season, so disappointingly there were many enclosures empty and various parts being worked on, however it was much quieter than I expect it will be in summer. There’s lots of walking to do, so good footwear is a must, most of the pathways are well kept, but there are a few steep sections, including a cliff side pathway with great views of the park below. Although some of the notices were also in English, we found it disappointing that not all information points and cafes were too, making it a little difficult to know what you want to order.
Zoo Praha is known as one of the best in the world and I can see why, however there is also room for improvement, it’s difficult to see in some enclosures, especially those where the animals are inside and you’re looking through a window with loads of reflection, whereas some enclosures are great, the giraffes indoor enclosure has a fantastic viewing area, there’s plenty of viewing points above and below water for the penguins and you can watch the sea lions swimming.
It’s one of the largest zoos’ we have visited and has a wide range of animals, covering a large area, making it a great place to take the kids and you can even stop for refreshment, while they play in the kids play area.
We enjoyed our day, being in Prague it’s unlikely we would visit again, but would definitely recommend adding it to your Prague trip. Below are our pictures, videos and on the map at the bottom of the page, you can also see where we walked in the zoo (north of the river), using our IgotU gps tracker we had attached to our Rucksack.
Tickets in hand we headed to I.P. Pavlov metro station, once down into the station we had a quick look at the map, worked out the end station we thought would be on the front of the train and literally only a couple of minutes before a train arrived, which didn't have the station on we expected and ignored it, quickly checked an overhead map and realised it was a station on route, so got on the next, which was once again only minutes. We had worked out the number of stops before Nάdraži Holešovice was four, so could easily work out when to get off and it was easy to see the station names as we stopped, even though the train was quite busy. Once arriving at Nάdraži Holešovice station, we then had to find the right bus and after initially following the bus signs and ending up on the wrong side, we were pointed in the right direction (following the tram signs we originally ignored) we arrived at the stop. When the bus arrived it was a free for all and very crowded, a local was kind enough to give up his seat for my wife and I could clearly see on the screens as the stops went by, knowing the zoo was last anyway it wasn't going to be difficult at all.
In all previous zoos’ we have visited, we have always been given a map, however here they didn't, which was a little frustrating knowing the size and numerous pathways, so on entry I took a picture using my phone of a large map board to use as a guide, but ideally get a map, they must be available having seen a few people with, although there are map boards around, there are not as many as you might expect.
Our visit was out of season, so disappointingly there were many enclosures empty and various parts being worked on, however it was much quieter than I expect it will be in summer. There’s lots of walking to do, so good footwear is a must, most of the pathways are well kept, but there are a few steep sections, including a cliff side pathway with great views of the park below. Although some of the notices were also in English, we found it disappointing that not all information points and cafes were too, making it a little difficult to know what you want to order.
Zoo Praha is known as one of the best in the world and I can see why, however there is also room for improvement, it’s difficult to see in some enclosures, especially those where the animals are inside and you’re looking through a window with loads of reflection, whereas some enclosures are great, the giraffes indoor enclosure has a fantastic viewing area, there’s plenty of viewing points above and below water for the penguins and you can watch the sea lions swimming.
It’s one of the largest zoos’ we have visited and has a wide range of animals, covering a large area, making it a great place to take the kids and you can even stop for refreshment, while they play in the kids play area.
We enjoyed our day, being in Prague it’s unlikely we would visit again, but would definitely recommend adding it to your Prague trip. Below are our pictures, videos and on the map at the bottom of the page, you can also see where we walked in the zoo (north of the river), using our IgotU gps tracker we had attached to our Rucksack.