Dublin Zoo

Dublin Zoo

09:30 - 16:00
Monday
09:30 - 16:00
Tuesday
09:30 - 16:00
Wednesday
09:30 - 16:00
Thursday
09:30 - 16:00
Friday
09:30 - 16:00
Saturday
09:30 - 16:00
Sunday
09:30 - 16:00
About
One of the world's oldest zoos, Dublin Zoo is also modern in design and houses more than 600 animals. It has been redesigned in recent years to be a safe environment for people and the animals with gardens, lakes and natural habitats.
Duration: 2-3 hours
Meets animal welfare guidelines
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The area
Address
Neighbourhood: Phoenix Park
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See what travellers are saying
  • elodieanoumea
    Rocbaron, France267 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    An average zoo
    We are used to going to zoos (Sydney, San Francisco, Lisbon, Barcelona, New Zealand...) and we have this one in the rain, not too cool, but it doesn't matter. Some enclosures are small like the tiger, the lionesses. No signposted route, we did it in 2 hours. We expected better
    Visited March 2024
    Travelled with family
    Written 11 March 2024
  • Liyuno
    Bonn, Germany47 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    What a day!!
    We absolutely loved it! The zoo is huge, has large enclosures and appears species-appropriate. The animals have many places to retreat and we particularly liked the huge enclosure of the rhinos and the one of the elephants. There is a lot of information about the zoo's scientific work and plenty of opportunities to eat. The price is on the more expensive side, but in our opinion it is justified. We stayed for about 3 hours and definitely recommend the zoo!
    Visited March 2024
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 22 March 2024
  • Kityayma
    Sydney, Australia577 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    A very pleasant surprise addition to a walk in the park
    We were taking a walk around Phoenix Park when we passed Dublin Zoo. We nearly didn't go in but were so glad we did. We visited the zoo just after it opened for the day and there were very few people around so in some areas we felt like we had it all to ourselves. It was a sunny winters day and the animals were quite active. The zoo is much bigger than I thought it would be but it's easily walkable and wheelchair and pram friendly. The collection of animals is impressive too. There are a few tired areas and it's hard to see through the scratched and dirty glass in some enclosures. Among the best areas are the ones in the African Savanna and the waterside gardens where the gorillas and chimps live. We paid €24 to enter the zoo which I thought was very reasonable (and the zoo is non-profit). Children under 3 are free and for those 3 - 15 years you pay €18 . Tickets are slightly cheaper if you book online.
    Visited March 2024
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 9 April 2024
  • BigTool
    454 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Typical city zoo.
    The zoo isn't too large, maybe 2 hours walking at a leisurely pace. There are a few displays designed to get close-up views, but we visited on a cold day with spotty showers. The animals were mostly off display, probably having a Guinness.
    Visited May 2023
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 30 April 2024
  • Eamonn F
    Edinburgh, United Kingdom13 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Super family attraction
    A really fantastic place to visit with kids. Huge grounds - you could spend hours here. Good playground. Lots of food options. Not cheap but easy to bring your own food and lots of picnic areas available. The animal select it continues to grow. Large, well maintained enclosures and animals seem well cared for.
    Visited May 2024
    Travelled with family
    Written 4 May 2024
  • Alison B
    Stevenage, United Kingdom3 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    100 Stars! 4 Red Pandas!
    This place is huge, even though it's right on the edge of the city. The animals are in amazing habitats, and so they might be tricky to see the first time you look. We had a wonderful day going around twice, and I'm glad we did, as I realised there are 4 red pandas! Not the 3 I saw on our first look.
    Visited April 2024
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 7 May 2024
  • EmandLukeReviews
    Nottingham, United Kingdom70 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    🦓 Dublin Zoo is a MUST VISIT 🦓
    An absolutely fantastic day out for all ages. Tickets were incredibly reasonably priced for the size of the zoo and the amount of animals that are cared for there, we also loved that we could add a euro conservation donation to their ongoing conservation projects. The ticket cost may initially seem a lot but given the vastness of the zoo they were worth it. Firstly, the zoo is beautifully kept - there was not one piece of litter anywhere - and the grounds themselves were so beautiful. It’s clear that they care an inordinate amount about the local wildlife, which is lovely! A highlight for me was the lovely zookeeeper who was feeding the gorillas being so patient with us and letting us ask so many questions, she was absolutely lovely and let us leave feeling so much more informed about the amazing animals we were seeing. Also, each animal environment has a sign explaining what Dublin Zoo are doing to look after these species in the wild, which is amazing. My partners highlight was seeing the orangutans being fed, it was beautiful. We have seen a lot of reviews saying food there was expensive but we believe it was reasonably priced for a zoo! Warning: This is a full day trip if you want to see everything! We were there for around four hours at least 💪
    Visited May 2024
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 17 May 2024
  • Jenny M
    11 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Fab zoo
    This is a must see in Dublin. It's a beautiful zoo and we came away with well over 100 photos! The staff are great, try and get to some talks if you can. Food is okay but you can bring a picnic and add to the day's experience by having it outside in the Phoenix Park as well. Really brilliant day out.
    Visited May 2024
    Travelled with family
    Written 22 May 2024
  • Elinor P
    3 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Lovely, great value zoo!
    Lovely zoo! Very good value for a family of 5. Easy route through the zoo - you can’t guarantee you’ll see everything but the route maximises your chances! Top tip - take a photo of the map and the times of the feeding/talks so you can refer back.
    Visited May 2024
    Travelled with family
    Written 27 May 2024
  • narratemyday_nmd
    Liverpool, United Kingdom116 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Family trip to the zoo (11,9 and 2. Year old in tow)
    This was a fantastic family day out! €54 for a family of 5 booked in advance online - under 3 is free. Lots of parks in the zoo for the kids to play on. ✨Do the talks as the keepers are great interacting with the animals - especially the elephants 🐘 There is food to purchase and one of the chicken places do a kids meal for €10 chips 2 chicken strips and a drink of choice Adult meal drink chips and 4 chicken strips €15 There are lots of FREE refillable water stations around the zoo so bring your flask It’s a nice walk through PHoenix park up to the entrance - no real need to change buses up hill on the way in slightly then easy on the way back down especially if you have a pram
    Visited June 2024
    Travelled with family
    Written 9 June 2024
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4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles7,868 reviews
Excellent
4,637
Very good
2,159
Average
680
Poor
225
Terrible
167

These reviews have been automatically translated from their original language.
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Dreamer06313723045
Monaghan, Ireland6 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2024 • Couples
Considering it was a bank holiday, the zoo wasn't overly crowded.
The Wild Lights are all set up at the minute (not lit up though), so a great way to kill two birds with the one stone.

The African Plains are the best of all of the animal attractions.
Probably because the animals are in huge open areas and you could see them clear as day.

A lot of the outdoor enclosures were very overgrown, although probably better for the animals, but when you're paying for it, it would be nice to see them not hiding behind trees and shrubs.

Food vendors - very few opened, but there is plenty of vending machines if you're in need of a quick drink or sweet treats.

The Chicken Hut is super super overpriced.
We paid €10 for 4 frozen chicken tenders between us, nothing special about them - could get a massive bag in Lidl for far far less. The upside was the soft drinks were lovely and cold coming out of the machine.

Would recommend taking snacks and food with you, especially for the kiddies.
Would recommend the Summer for a visit.

Highlight of the day is listening to all the little ones commentating about the animals and what they see in front of them. Will put a smile on anyones face.
The little girl shouting 'It's a whale', at the sea lions and another little one shouting at the tiger to 'Move your bum over here'!!!!!!!!
Written 31 October 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Mary O
19 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2024 • Family
Booked our tickets online and paid €65 for a family of 4, we spent 4.5 hours there and really enjoyed the day. We were really impressed with the amount of animals the zoo has and enjoyed how each animal was attempted to match their habitat , a fabulous display of plants and trees in different areas . The only animal we failed to see was the tiger , all others were ticked off the list , even if some took a second trip back to see.. A few of our favourites were the snow leopard , the flamingoes, the Bolivian squirrel monkeys and the giraffes. Drinks and ice creams were €2 each inside . We were lucky with the weather and it wasn’t overcrowded , highly recommended
Written 30 July 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

flufumps
Southport, UK191 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2024 • Couples
Visited here whilst on a day trip to Dublin and what really good value for money this zoo is! Gate prices were reasonable, i feel it's just the right size zoo to be able to see everything without getting too tired and the zoo keeper talks were really informative. Plenty of toilets dotted around the park as well as places to eat and drink. Would definitely recommend this zoo to anyone visiting the area!
Written 4 August 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

flame01
dublin763 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2024 • Family
A really disappointing experience when we visited on Tuesday 23rd July 2024

My wife & I arrived around 2PM with 2 grand-children expecting a lovely day out. It wasn't long before the children were starting to ask... "Where are the animals", I was more than surprised to note the lack of animals to view. We had to tell the kids that they were having dinner and that's why they were not out .. we really should not have to do this

The sea lions were the most enjoyable, but only because they had no where to disappear to and were in plain sight

The whole large area where the Western Chimpanzees should have been was populated with work men in orange hard hats cutting back vegetation with noisy powered tools which could be heard all over the area ... hardly similar to a visit to see animals in the wild !

To make the experience dismal overall was the really poor signposting. Yes, there were signs, but most were almost overgrown and only indicate limited directions to close by animals. A lot of the displayed maps had a "You are here" dot on them at the bottom, but no where to be seen on the actual map, so you really had no idea which way to go

I spoke with a volunteer I met and expressed my disappointment about the signage and asked why .... the Zoo has not invested in an app which includes an interactive map showing where you are at any time and the location of the animal enclosures. It could also list exhibits that are under construction or closed .. thus saving older visitors a lot of unnecessary walking

As a Grand-Parent visiting and being of a certain age, I found the amount of walking entailed with nothing to see, to be soul destroying. Even our 10 year old was starting to complain of sore legs

Although we were not charged going in ( GrandParentsGoFree promotion ), the visit cost us €36 for the 2 kids ( 2 X €18 ) , really poor value for money and I wont even start to write about the food costs once inside.

Will I return .. absolutely not. The adult price at entrance is €24 which means we could have paid €84 .... another example of rip off Ireland offering poor value for money
Written 24 July 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Paul Dooley
2 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2024 • Family
Bad. First thing, we went to pay in and were charged two 'Senior concession' @ €18 each, with our baby granddaughter going free. Everyone in the country is aware this week is 'Grandparents Free' week except for guess who? That's right, the guy at pay in! Having paid, they couldn't refund the over payment, instead having to refund the lot, then repay, total of €24, a big difference.
The management at the Zoo have setup a new game for the children - spot the animal. Very difficult task for adults let alone the children.
We weren't the only ones experiencing the same difficulties.
We enjoyed our day with our granddaughter, but we could have had as good an experience, for free, within the Phoenix Park itself.
Written 25 July 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Catharina B
Sao Luis, MA4,123 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2023 • Couples
The zoo is located in an area that has impressive vegetation! It appears they transported each species from the different places the animals came from.
This zoo gives the impression that everything is very natural and native. There are many species of plants, some quite different, with surprisingly large leaves.
The “zoovenir” store has very interesting items to give as gifts to children.
There are many spots reserved for picnics and options for ice cream, hot dogs and hamburgers. There is a small restaurant on site, called Meerkat, where you can have a meal (Fish and chips, pizza), but you must pay attention to the detail that the self-service soft drink does not include free refills.
The animal observation points are very safe and allow us to see them up close.
Google
Written 11 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

dragoon17c
Dublin, Ireland506 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2023 • Solo
Dublin Zoo is the largest zoo in Ireland. It is located in Phoenix Park and is about a 15-minute walk from the tram station. Ordering online in advance is 10% cheaper. The zoo is very large and has many wild animals, such as snow leopards, elephants, orangutans, etc. The expanded Africa Campus doubles the zoo's size. Compared to London Zoo, Dublin Zoo is better value for money.
Google
Written 25 December 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Gareth B
29 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2024 • Family
As a family of 6, we travelled from Northern Ireland to Dublin Zoo which is (obviously) billed as one of if not the biggest and best tourist attraction.
We were extremely disappointed. It was like a game of where’s wally, trying to spot animals through the overgrowth in their pens. Lions and a single tiger could only be seen through the hedge grow with no decent view of the them at all: my daughters were so disappointed, as was my father who, at 65 years old, was visiting a zoo for the first time.
Poor food overpriced.
With food and entry we spent €160 for. Walk around a park. We seen more foliage than animals. The biggest attraction was the kids play area (but we weren’t there to watch the humans!)
Seals drew the largest crowds but o lay because they could actually be seen.
Really really disappointed. I spoke to ‘Órla’ she asked what animals we didn’t get to see, I said I’d be quicker telling you what I did see (as above).
I feel extremely ripped off. I could have taken my children to a free farm in Portrane instead.
I appreciate the impact loss of 2 elephants has had. Tragic for the park and the herd, that aside. It was not worth the time money and effort to visit
Written 9 July 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Braindamagedbaron
Newark-on-Trent, UK1,807 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2023 • Family
My daughter wants to be a zoologist so against my better judgement we took her to the Zoo.
It was awful, a really dreadful experience. We saw more monkeys and meerkats than you can shake a stick at and that was about it. Aside from the orangutan that couldn't even bring itself to move. It was a forlorn sight watching it picking an apple with it's fingers in a repetitive manner while staring blindly into space. We heard big cats, but saw none. The entire zoos was playing hide and seek apparently while wandered around getting more and more agitated.
Even our animal adoring daughter eventually made her way to the exit feeling very sorry for herself and the animals within. We actually felt guilty for paying the exorbitant fees. AVOID.
Written 24 March 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Chloe S
5 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2023 • Friends
So glad we decided to book this on our short break to Dublin, it only cost us €18 each and we were there for around 5 hours! Amazing value for money. The zoo is so big and they have sooo many animals to see, as well as little park places for the kids too. There was plenty of places to grab snacks and drinks and toilets dotted around. Thoroughly enjoyed it and would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for things to do in Dublin that arent too expensive.
Written 22 April 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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