In Day 16 of our epic family travel adventure we took a half day trip Prague Zoo, one of the finest zoos in all of Europe. In fact, we checked trip advisor before going and found that it was the 6th best zoo in the world!

Just a few days earlier we had visited Vienna Zoo and we were extremely impressed, we wanted to see how Prague Zoo would compare.

How To Get To Prague Zoo

Prague Zoo is across the other side of the Voltava River from the city centre, and is seems a little tricky to get to. We checked on Google Maps and found that we had to catch 2 subway trains and a bus. It sounds tough right? Well think again.

The train system is extremely efficient in Prague. With our all day public transport ticket which costs 110 Czech Koruna (about $6 Australian), it’s quite cheap to zip all around the city. We never had to wait more than 3-4 minutes for a train.

And the bus system is also extremely easy to navigate, and we never waited more than 6-7 minutes for a bus. All up, it took half an hour to get to the zoo, and it was really easy with the help of Google Maps.

What’s So Good About Prague Zoo

One thing that struck us with this zoo was the cost. It’s cheap to get in at about 150 Czech Koruna. And the food prices throughout the zoo are quite reasonable also. Actually much cheaper than you would find in the tourist areas of Prague.

The zoo has countless cafes where you can purchase a decent meal. And there are vending machines literally everywhere where you can buy water, all sorts of hot and cold drinks, and light snacks. Don’t bother bringing your lunch to this zoo!

The zoo is along the banks of the Voltava river, which has a high, steep river bank along it. It’s a long way up and a seriously tough walk. about half of the zoo is at the bottom, and half at the top of the hill. I was not looking forward to climbing that hill.

Riding the Chair Lift

But then we discovered the chair lift which charges 25 CKZ to get to the top. Not only was it a lifesaver, it was seriously good fun! So much that we got on it again for a joy-ride later in the day. Another bonus – you will get outstanding views of the Voltava River and Prague city.

The zoo attractions were amazing. It doesn’t earn 6th best zoo for no reason. There was an amazingly large range of animal species. The spaces are huge for the animals. And the ranges of habitats is phenomenal. We spend about 6 hours in the park, and we needed another 2-3 hours to see everything. And we were literally racing around towards the end. This a full day zoo.

Is Prague Zoo better than Vienna Zoo?

And now for the million dollar question – is Prague Zoo better than Vienna Zoo? We can confidently answer this question, because we visited both just a few days apart from each other, in similar hot weather. We caught public transport to both and spent roughly 6 hours in both.

  • Cost – Prague is about 60% the cost for both entry and food, a clear winner.
  • Ease to get to – Prague wins out marginally here, because Vienna took us 1 hour compared to half hour for Prague.
  • Nearby attractions – Vienna was at the back of Schonbrunn Palace, Vienna’s number one attraction. Prague is fairly isolated for nearby attractions. Vienna wins here.
  • Variety of animals – Both zoos had excellent varieties, however Prague wins out slightly here.
  • Quality of enclosures – Prague has a few large open range type enclosures and is the clear winner here.
  • Crowds – Because Prague is so expansive it feels less crowded, and is the winner.

Overall, you can see that Prague Zoo is the best of the two zoos. It does deserve it’s ranking of the 6th best zoo in our opinion and is well worth the visit. Your kids will be talking about it for years to come, it really is a memorable day out. But it’s not just a zoo for kids. Whether alone, with partner, family or friends, do yourself a favour and allow a full day for the Prague Zoo.

Catch our other European VLOG adventures

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