We’re All Going to London Zoo Tomorrow – And You Should Too!

There’s something about London, there really is. What that thing is, I’m not entirely sure, but there’s a reason it’s the second most popular tourist hotspot in the world, only narrowly being beaten by (bafflingly) Istanbul.

Over eighteen million people visited London in 2023, knocking the likes of Paris and New York and Dubai into a cocked hat. Maybe it’s the geography of London, which is equidistant from the Americas, Asia, and Africa and is dead handy for visiting the rest of Europe. It does make it easy for a world traveller to visit.

Perhaps it’s the language – an estimated 1.35 billion people know some form of English, which makes it a good choice for bilinguals. Or maybe it’s the food – it’s an old joke about English food being awful, but actually, when it’s done well, it’s top-tier.

Rare roast beef can make your heart sing. A warming Shepards Pie is like a hug on a plate. I once met a Texan who told me he’d kill for a decent Full English Breakfast back in his native America. “Y’all do that right” he drawled.

Given he had access to a gun, I hoped that was more of an idle threat. He comes to London specifically for decent bacon, sausages and beans, and perhaps a glimpse of the Royal Family.

It’s certainly not the climate. In London, it rains on average, 109.4 days a year and it feels like most of those days will be when you’re on holiday there. As Mrs B is fond of reminding me, “There’s no bad weather, only bad clothes” although I suspect that is more a comment on my fashion sense rather than my ability to waterproof myself. My clothes are mostly terrible.

Of course, the other reason London is a popular destination for travellers is its history. Unlike America, we actually have some.

From the magnificent Tower of London (started in 1078) through to Westminster Hall (1097) and just across from Big Ben, contained within the magnificent Elizabeth Tower (built 1859) and even in the bizarre historical things like the Ancient Urine Deflectors of Fleet Street (1800’s) the history is everywhere.

Of course, as I grew up with London only being an hour away by train, it’s all absolutely normal to me, but imagine seeing London through the eyes of someone who has never been – it would blow your mind for sure.

London Zoo

It goes without saying that we love a family trip to London and when we recently had to review the magnificent Landmark Hotel in Marylebone, it made sense for us to explore another great bit of London history – the world’s oldest scientific zoo that is London Zoo. 

Opened in 1828, it delighted generations of Londoners and tourists from further afield with its displays of animals and habitats from around the world. More recently, it was used for some scenes in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone which of course my daughter wanted to see, as she’s a complete Potterhead.

It appeals to Mrs B’s environmentally friendly credentials, and The Boy and I really wanted to laugh at some monkey bums, so all in all, it has something for everyone and given London’s propensity for rain, it seemed like a reasonable all-weather activity for the family.

Over 1.3 million people visited in 2023, so it must be doing something right.

Getting to London Zoo

London Zoo is located at the north end of Regent’s Park in NW1 and no matter where you’re coming from, is easily accessible by public transport, which in London is either the tube or bus.

For my money, the tube is probably best with Camden Town on the Northern Line being about a 0.8 mile walk from the Zoo, followed by Chalk Farm (also Northern Line, but a slightly longer walk).

If you want to stretch your legs, Baker Street on the Bakerloo, Circle, Metropolitan or Hammersmith and City lines, is about a mile away.

Alternatively, the Number 88 or 274 buses stop nearby. It’s always worth checking out the excellent TFL Journey Planner to make sure you have the best route, but in a pinch, and if you’re feeling flush you could also hail one of London’s numerous, iconic black cabs that seem to be everywhere.

Tickets for London Zoo

As with most things these days, the best prices for things are online, and London Zoo is no exception.

You can pre-book your slot in advance. Simply choose the day and time you want to visit and while you’re not required to enter the Zoo at the exact time on your ticket, you can enter the zoo between the time stated on your tickets and one hour before closing time.

If your itinerary is a bit fluid, you can choose a day that suits you within the next 12 months with a Flexi ticket. Standard tickets (generally available at weekends and school holidays) start at £31.00 per adult, or £21.70 for a child.

Off Peak (i.e. weekday) London Zoo tickets start at £27.00 per adult, or £18.90 for children. Other concessions are also available. Alternatively, you can rock up at the main entrance and hope for the best price – although I’m not sure what they are!

This is the part of the blog where you sharply draw breath and exclaim “Blimey Jim! That’s north of a hundred pounds for a family of four. Are you made of money? etc” and it’s also the part of the blog where I wearily explain that no, alas, I am not made of money.

However, if you’re savvy there are a few discounted offers such as the National Rail Free Adult Ticket offer which can bring the price down a bit. A quick Google around will reveal a few offers here and there you might be able to take advantage of.

My second point is that London Zoo, despite being frankly amazing, receives exactly zero state funding and relies on memberships, entrance fees, venue hire, and sponsorship to generate income as part of a global conservation charity.

Every ticket purchase we make supports their wildlife conservation work around the world and while I’m no certified eco-mentalist, I have a sneaking suspicion that we probably do need to do more to support environmental conservation efforts worldwide, considering that our use of plastic as a species shows no sign of waning.

Anyway, Sir David Attenborough would surely approve of this use of your money.

What to see at London Zoo

Once inside, you begin to realise how vast London Zoo actually is. It covers a huge 36 acres of prime London real estate, which is enough to make a property developer weep.

Luckily, despite coming perilously close to closing in the past, most recently due to the COVID pandemic, each time, generous souls such as you and I have come back to replenish the coffers when needed.

Because London Zoo recognises that many of their visitors are tourists, they thoughtfully provide luggage lockers right by the entrance, allowing you to drop bags and suitcases as you wander around, as well as refreshments pretty much everywhere so you’re never too far from a snack for any hungry children.

When it comes to getting around, there are maps aplenty, but if you’re Generation X or older, there is also a handy London Zoo app available for iOS and Android devices you can download from the App Store.

The Zoo itself is split into three Zones: Orange, Blue and Pink.

The Pink Zone is over a bridge that takes you over the Outer Circle Road of Regents Park and is bordered to the north by the A5202 and contains amongst other things, the rainforest display, the highly amusing monkey house and spectacular into Africa display.

The Blue Zone is gorillas, the outback and tigers and is situated at the beginning of the Zoo.

The Orange Zone is lions, Penguin Beach, insects and butterflies and probably our favourite section of the zoo.

Clearly, depending on your own tastes, itinerary and interests will guide you on where you want to start, but whatever you decide, it’s definitely a full-day experience to make the most of it all. There are a few areas I can recommend though.

For the Instagram Lovers

If you love a perfect shot of yourself and/in nature, head straight for the Orange Zone, specifically, the Butterfly Paradise. Opened in 2006, it’s an indoor, covered, and warm showcase of a vast array of butterfly species in a carefully created, free-flying, ‘walk through’ environment where you can learn more about life cycles, biodiversity and climate change.

There’s something quite magical about walking through a beautifully crafted garden surrounded by hundreds of butterflies and being able to get up close and personal with such a riot of colours.

Everywhere you look, there’s the chance for a beautiful picture of a colourful plant, butterfly or selfie with both plant and butterfly to produce a carefully crafted shot that will be the envy of your friends.

For the Film Lovers

London Zoo has been used in films since time immemorial. For the classic film lovers, why not recreate the final scene from Withnail and I, where Withnail stands quoting Hamlet?

Originally filmed by the old wolf enclosure, now near the Activity Zone in the Orange Zone is now a bit overgrown but still recognisable – why not treat yourself to one sad soliloquy?

For all the Harry Potter fans out there, the Reptile House in the Blue Zone was where the Burmese python scene from Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone was filmed. Sadly, it was now closed to the public in 2023 and the animals have been moved to a new habitat – The Secret Life of Reptiles and Amphibians.

Another notable area at London Zoo is the old penguin closure which was designed by Berthold Lubetkin and features a modernist design with two interlocking spiral ramps over a circular pool.

Despite its historic status, the Lubetkin Penguin Pool was deemed unsuitable for the penguins’ welfare in more recent years, and they were eventually moved to a new, more naturalistic habitat called Penguin Beach.

However, the old enclosure is still there. It is Grade I listed by English Heritage for its architectural interest and has been featured in the video for Harry Styles’ chart-topping hit “As It Was” in spring 2022.

For the Lovers of Chocolate Biscuits

Well, it’s got to be the penguin enclosure, right? For those of you reading from abroad, this is a terrible joke as a penguin in the UK is also a type of popular chocolate biscuit.

Luckily, McVities who make penguin biscuits have capitalised on this joke and have teamed up with London Zoo to get young people and their families closer to nature, because they sensibly believe that building knowledge about animals is the first step towards protecting them.

Penguins (animal type, not biscuit type) are highly amusing and as well as a twice-daily public feeding display, there are daily talks on this wonderful animal as well as an opportunity to purchase every conceivable sort of penguin souvenir you might want.

While We’re on Food…

As any long-suffering parent will tell you, children need a more or less constant supply of snacks throughout the day, and luckily, London Zoo is well catered for in this regard.

With 5 food venues dotted around the site, you’re never far from a snack. The main place to eat is the Terrace Restaurant which serves hearty hot food from 11.30 am to 3.30 pm and snacks outside this time.

It offered classic dishes such as Fish and Chips, burgers and salads although as always, this is subject to change – the menu as at September 2024 is here.

If you’re like us and prefer to bring your own food, you’re in luck! There are plenty of lovely picnic spots where you can lay out a blanket and enjoy a packed lunch.

What Not to Miss With Kids

One of the highlights of visiting London Zoo is the daily animal talks and feeding times. It’s the perfect chance to learn more about your favourite creatures and even see them at their most active.

Whether it’s watching the penguins get their lunch at Penguin Beach or learning about the majestic tigers during their feeding time, these sessions give you an insider look at the animals and the hard work that goes into caring for them.

Our kids also loved the Animal Adventure zone, where they could meet farm animals like goats and llamas, dig for worms, and even crawl through tunnels in the meerkat enclosure. It’s an interactive experience designed to inspire curiosity and teach children about different types of animals and how they live.

You might even get to hear the deafening roar from one of the resident lions nearby, which prompted all the kids to emerge from the tunnels and slides and run over to see what all the fuss was about!

As mentioned before, it is really worth checking out the London Zoo Experiences to make the most of your visit!

Final Thoughts

Unlike other tourist attractions in London, you come away from London Zoo with a warm glow that you’ve contributed to the environmental protection of some of the most endangered species on the planet and you’ve seen one of the oldest zoos in the world.

No matter what you’re into, there’s something for everyone so you could do a lot worse than popping in there for the day.

Hey, 1.3 million people can’t be wrong.