I had not been to the Zoo since taking my own children and this time I was taking my grandchildren. Boy has it changed! There is a much larger area for the 'African' section and a huge area for the Gorillas which I particularly enjoyed as there was a keeper and he told us some excellent stories some of which were a little sad about a mother losing her baby. I walked in awe! Well done to the staff and the layout. Now the downside the food there was not great as it was a little like the worst kind of fast food with long queues and dreadful food. I know they are not in the business of food for humans perhaps a better idea would be to sublet the human side to out side catering? As a child my Grandfather had membership of the Zoo and we would visit quite often and also have an excellent Sunday lunch there - perhaps that could be re-introduced? The petting corner has changed for the worse from my memory as a child but perhaps as was is not needed any more. However the stone chair was still there and I had to bribe the boys so I could take a photo of them sitting in it. I had a great time and as for my grandchildren perhaps they in time will take their children to Dublin Zoo one day? read more

I love Dublin Zoo, I know Zoo's can have a bad reviews, but Dublin Zoo obviously is working hard to provide great environments to the animals involved. The walk around the zoo, even without animals is great as its now all landscaped and looks great. Facilities are pretty good, plenty of cafes and drinks machines. The meercat resturant allows you to eat dinner and watch meer cats how cool is that. The recent Ape enclosure is really cool. Its such a nice experience watching the apes watching us wandering what all the fuss is about. A great place. read more

Dublin Zoo has come a loooooong way in the last 10 years. I still think Dublin is too cold/damp and small to have a good Zoo but they really made the absolute most of it. I love that they have a farm for the smaller children with familiar animals within reach. The place is quite well kept and the info about animals is always interesting. Any kid would have a blast there, especially since they opened an amazing new indoor playground. I do have one complaint, it's the food. I think they should just stick to vending machines because the slop they serve in the restaurant hardly tastes like food. On my second time there I decided to bring my own food but I still got a hot chocolate, none of us even wanted to drink more than one sip, it was brown water. Expensive brown water. read more

Zoos can be considered a litmus test of a relationship - if a pair can have a good time watching the animals play, they will likely be able to get along in most circumstances. So it's not entirely surprising that we will often fit in such an adventure on our vacations - Toronto, San Diego, even the Bismarck Zoo come to mind. We weren't sure what to expect in Dublin - with its typically cool climate (apart from the time we were there of course - I often felt we had mistakenly flown to Miami), would the animals be generally huddled indoors, a la San Francisco? Or worse, would the animals be sad and withdrawn, as the criminally mismanaged zoo outside of Vancouver? Naturally we had to find out. Approaching Phoenix Park (the largest urban park in all of Europe, I believe) by the well-run Hop On/Hop Off Bus, we arrived at about 10AM, and quickly gained access to the facility - the E17 entry fee seemed reasonable enough, and the ticket sellers friendly and informative. The zoo is basically a figure 8, in which we explored going clockwise. I'm happy to report that the animals were generally outdoors, seemed happy enough to at least not hide from the visitors, and the monkeys/apes/gorillas/chimpanzees were as always amusing. Toilets and refreshment stands were plentiful throughout the park, and seemed to be in more-than-adequate condition. Paths were wide enough so that we could avoid the occasional stroller pusher (as with the vehicles in this country, we didn't see a lot of those mega-strollers with the mother yapping on her cellphone). Attendees for the most part were engaged with why they were there - I didn't witness any screaming brat demanding access to Pokemon or any nonsense like that. As a bonus, we saw a stall where a pig had just given birth to six the previous week. The piglets were running amok around her, getting milk at every chance, while it was apparent she just wanted to be left alone so she could sleep. Very entertaining. So we wound up spending a full three hours at this zoo. When we return to Dublin we'll revisit. read more

I'm an animal lover, except for sheep but that's a story for a later time, so obviously the zoo is the right place for me. I used to have two problems with Dublin Zoo. The first being the fact that they had polar bears. I've very against polar bears in captivity as they do not cope well with that sort of confinement....or any confinement to be exact. My second problem is the price, I had thought that is was just me being the stereotypical student and moaning at the price but I've talked to other people about it and they agree. For a family of two adults and three children the price is just under 50 euro, this is excluding food (if there was no chances for a packed meal), the compulsory buying of overpriced toys and books on the basis that they're educational and other such expenses. Having said that, I do like this zoo, possibly for the extremely endangered snow leopards that I am hopelessly in love with. The breeding program in Dublin Zoo is very successful so the population of baby animals can reduce even the coldest person to squealing in a high pitch voice "OH MY GOD LOOK AT THE LITTLE BABY IT'S SOOO CUTE!" The tiger enclosure is not to be missed especially at feeding time, as are the seals which have always been highly amusing. The nocturnal rooms are interesting as is the reptile room. The Avery however is lacking in something that I can't quite put my finger on. The African Plains are OK despite the initial hype. I had expected more animals in this area considering the space that is available for further enclosures. My advice for other people who intend to go, take a packed lunch, good walking shoes because everything is ridiculously spaced out and will take a lot of walking. Do try and see some of the animals being fed as it's well worth it and don't miss the Orangutans or Gorillas. Please be sure to take note of the conservation section in the Gorilla house about the use of bush-meat. But me mindful of small children as some of the images are rather graphic and upsetting. read more

A zoo in our climate is quite hilarious. I can't imagine all those tigers and lions enjoy rain a whole lot. The sea lions looked fairly happy though. One of them stood on a rock waving his flipper at the crowd for about half an hour. The day we chose to go wasn't wet but it wasn't sunny either. This meant most of the animals decided to lie about behind bushes looking depressed. I found the €15 entrance fee a tad steep too. A tenner would have been enough. The African plains enclosure was being renovated when we got there and we were promised some serious gorilla action in the future. The animal handlers looked a little grumpy too. You'd expect a bit of cheeriness given the family friendly image of the place. I've been to zoos in other parts of the world and this place pales in comparison. read more

The entire trip to the zoo was spent wondering if that Bosco song would ever leave my head but fortunately the amazement of seeing the transformation of Dublin Zoo rid my head of the red-headed fistee menace. I always had my doubts about whether zoos were in any way ethical, my memories of school tours spent looking through iron bars at bored animals reinforced these doubts. I remember as a child asking my dad why the animals were behind bars when they'd done nothing wrong. Well, I had heard over the years that the zoo was "being done up" but I never imagined! It's really beautiful and fells like a huge (by our standards, not the wild animals!) park in which the animals walk along a short distance from us. No more cages or crazy animals! Yay! read more

Lots of awesome animals, but you cannot see a lot of them! Almost all the ones from the African section were missing because of renovations. My friend and I could not find where they had been moved to, and the map does not say, even though it talks about the renovations. They do have penguins though! They got so close to the wall that I could almost touch one (but I didn't because I was worried someone would make us leave). Kind of a strange layout, as there are a few areas that are devoid of all animals and just have shops. read more

Visited Dublin Zoo yesterday. What an amazing amenity to have on our doorstep. We felt as though we were far far away from the hustle and bustle of the big city. It was fantastic to see the animals up so close. We bought our tickets online - We saved a euro per ticket and got to skip the REALLY LONG LINES!! read more

This place is great, it's the only place in Dublin that you can get a penguin if you really need one. Most of the other animals are too big to take but you can tell them to fuck off right to their faces and they can't do anything about it, and you can laugh at them for getting locked up in animal jail. I'm quite a depressed person if I'm being honest and shouting at apex predators and laughing at them makes me feel powerful and to be frank gives me a bit of an erection, which promptly subsides once I remember the circumstances of my life. The bus journeys home to my bedsit after these trips are usually the most upsetting times of my life, it's a hard crash back to reality after the high of telling a tiger he looks like a big orange idiot or a gorilla that he doesn't even know basic math, and I often cry right there on the bus, but I've gotten good at suffering quietly so people rarely notice. read more

I visited the zoo in the morning of a weekday, the place was well-house kept but there are things I didn't like; the pathways are too narrow that you feel the zoo is crowded everywhere, popcorn concessions are placed aside these narrow paths with people lining up to buy and others trying to make their way. I had a baby stroller and it was so inconvenient to move around the place and so I often had to fold it and let the child walk. Few restaurants and limited eating benches. African savanna is my favorite, plenty of animals that can be seen from different points. Unlike most zoos, I couldn't see any live shows except with sea lions, there was a guy, I don't know what he was doing, I just couldn't find a place to stand! read more

Dublin Zoo - Zoos Near Me - Dublin, D

Enjoyed a visit to Dublin Zoo on a bright day. Get there early and read the schedule of activities on the map you're given on entry - you can stop by certain animals to see them at feeding time and listen to the keepers chat about them and answer questions. Watching the penguins at feeding time was lots of fun. The meerkats are cunningly kept in an enclosure only viewable from the restaurant but you don't need to eat there to watch them. read more

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Despite the fact that this place does not seem to be signposted, or have any kind of car park, thousands of people managed to find this place before us. Luckily for us we'd already bought our tickets (via Tescos clubcard) online, and so avoided the really long queues. We visited on a hot summer day, and so the place was buzzing with noisy screechy children (bah humbug!) but we were able to avoid the crowds on the whole and everyone seemed good spirited. Most of the animals were in large pens and seemed happy enough. Watching the orangutang's interacting with other primates high above us was great, as was watching the young elephants frolicking in their pool, young monkey pouncing on each other, and listening the the parrots in opposite cages have squawking squabbles while children joined in. Take a picnic and plenty to drink, there are lots of kiosks to get nourishment here but it's really very expensive so it's best to limit what you need to buy, unless your lucky enough to be made of money. They take a photo when you arrive. Ours looked lovely, but the only option to purchase it was attached to some kind of pop up book, and would have cost us €25! Outrageous - we declined of course. read more

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I was only there last Saturday and it was absolutely amazing. I haven't been for a few years so it was a bit different. I went with my scout troop and the kids had a brilliant time. It is very big and easy for everyone to move around without bumping into anyone. It's good to see that there will be a few expansions to some of the enclosures. It's also good that there is talks on for certain animals. While I was there, I got the opportunity to be to there when the talks where on about the elephants, it was good to see how they reacted with each other and the zookeepers. There was some nice animals there, my favourite are lions, monkeys and penguins. read more

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Who wouldn't enjoy spending a day watching animals? Especially when it's a sunny day in Dublin? At the Dublin zoo you'll get to see a whole bunch of different animals - ranging from gorillas,and elephants to snakes and Flamingos. This was the first time my best friends children had been to the zoo and they absolutely loved it! It is a large spacious zoo, where the animals appear to be well looked after, and can wander in and out of shelter as they please.This is a whole day trip, it took us around 7 hours to go around everything - not rushing at all and stopping for coffee a picnic and ice creams;) Ps.The best thing to do is book your tickets online as it works out cheaper than paying full price on the day. I recommend to get there early, take plenty of snacks, sandwiches, drinks and maybe even a selfie stick!;) read more

its just not like I remembered it. The animals looked depressed (the ones we actually got to see). Only part i enjoyed was the african plains. All the place is getting done up so when I arrived there was tractors and loud noises everywhere. It took away the feel from the zoo.. i dunno maybe I just went on a bad day? read more

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I bought a family pass for $60.78 (US dollars). The zoo is pretty cool. The animals are closer to you then USA zoos. Plenty to see. This is no where near as big as the San Diego Zoo or Safari Park, but for $60, its worth it for once in your lifetime. read more

Spent a good few hrs here, plenty to see and do, glad I wasn't hungry, food prices made temple bar look cheap, monkeys were funny and chips were being fed, recommended... read more

Dublin Zoo - Zoos Near Me - Dublin, D

Well, I have been there only one time and that was in March, so probably not really the best time to go to the zoo. I think the ticket was about 14 EUR and it was okay as entrance fee. The place looks fairly modern, there is enough infrastructure (benches, toilets) but I had the feeling that some areas for animals were a little bit small (tiger, lion). In the end - it is a zoo. Probably not always the most ethical way to entertain yourself. read more

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Trips to the zoo are always fun. I can't say I've ever been to a *bad* zoo. There wasn't anything particularly unique about this one, though. But I still really enjoyed seeing all of the different animals. read more

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I think Dublin zoo does not get the credit it deserves! I love this place and have been many times and have been nagging my friends and family to go with me all summer. The animals are all in great conditions, with plenty of land. The place is updated and clean and fun. You can spend hours here with friend, family, boyfriends ect and not get bored. I recommend going on a sunny day, bringing a picnic and enjoying the wildlife. (the big cats are the best ;-) ) read more

It's one of the best zoos that we've been to. If you go to the zoo you must take a walk through Phoenix park! It's a bit outside of the city, probably worth taking a taxi or bus at least one way. It's a bit pricey for the admission, would have liked to see more for my buck. We loved the African Safari section, we had never see the animals mixed in together like that in an exhibit. The lands were gorgeous, we really enjoyed the pond in the middle. It would have been nice if there were a few more animals and things to do. We've been to other zoos where there were camel rides, educational exhibits that were interactive, etc. read more

I went there with my 4 year old daughter today. We spent 3 hours walking a whole place! I really liked that you get to see animals pretty close. Also the zoo is very clean and beautiful to walk. My daughter was really happy to see baby elephants playing with their mommy & daddy elephant:-). The food inside the zoo is pretty expensive and I recommend you to take your own lunch and eat it at the picnic tables (that's what we did). read more

Dublin Zoo - Zoos Near Me - Dublin, D

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Hey zoos always give you a perspective of the population in the area. This zoo was very nice. The wolf pack was crazy scary but the hippo needs a bigger area. read more

Dublin Zoo - Lions - Zoos Near Me - Dublin, D

This is great place for a day out for families and everyone else. Its a big place and lots of animals to see. Make sure to buy a souvenir and remember your fab day out . read more

I visited the zoo on a trip to Ireland and it is brilliant. We got there an hour after it was open and all ready there was a fairly large queue and it wasn't as if the weather was fabulous. Once we were in the crowds dispersed and drifted off. The zoo is really well set out with different sections build and designed to replicate the natural environment of the animals housed there. The animals look well looked after and the zoo is spotless. There's also a really cool discovery centre where lots of informative talks are given or displays shown. There are plenty of areas around the zoo to take a rest or stop for refreshment and all the facilities are well maintained and clean. All in all a brilliant day out read more

Valid for November 2013 , they have a great deal on their Facebook, 5 euro entrance¬!! :) "We've reached 100,000 Facebook Likes! As a big THANK YOU from all of us here at Dublin Zoo we're offering our fans €5 entry during the month of November. See you soon! To redeem this offer log onto: https://dublinzoo.digitickets.co.uk/tickets and enter the code 'Facebook' into the discount code box. T&Cs apply: 1) Applies to single tickets only. 2) Valid until 29th November only. 3) Only valid for tickets purchased online." read more

Nice grounds, good foliage, nice selection of animals to look at. The African Savannah was very cool. Biggest complaint though was that the sight lines into most exhibits were very limited. When more than a few people were anywhere, you couldn't see much. They need to clear out some of the foliage to make it easier to see their collections. read more

Brilliant day out with kids,gets them interested in other things other than there phones. I have a 16 yr old 11 year old and 6 year old and it's a great bonding time. read more

There are many upsides and downsides to Dublin zoo I find! It is located just down the road from me as I live in Castleknock village, I hadn't been in years but I was there at the end of March with My school on a biology trip! The day was wonderful, we learnt a lot from the friendly workers and were welcomed, all was well. However one thing that I was shocked about was the price! As it was a school trip and I was happy to go with my friends it didn't bother me to much but if I were to go again outside school with family I would think twice unfortunately read more

Located in the enormous Phoenix Park, I was lucky to have a good amount of time to spend here on a lovely summer day. It's recommended to give yourself about 2 1/2 hours to see everything at a leisurely pace but I would very much recommend giving yourself 3 to 3 1/2 hours (especially if toting children along). This zoo has what I look for when visiting one. The animal enclosures are large, well-tended, and offer each species plenty of mental and physical engagement. The animals themselves look plump and healthy. The main function of this zoo is breeding endangered species, particularly elephants and lions. One of its lions, Leo, is currently their famous celebrity. He appears on the MGM studio logo as the roaring lion. In addition, they've three lively baby elephants to spike up te cuteness factor and delight the heart of each visitor. That there's an extensive lake that flows in the center of the zoo which allows for many island-like exhibits to host mangebays, gorillas, and orangutans that climb and play about. They've also got a unique African Plain exhibit that hosts a mixed animal exhibit with zebras, giraffes, rhinos, and ostriges all living together. Intermixed between exhibits are plenty of bathrooms, playground spaces, and eateries. read more

If you are staying in Dublin for an extended time and you have lots of sunshine this is worth going to but if many of the days are raining this isn't one to spend a nice day on if limited nice days. We were lucky enough to have six straight sunny beautiful days and this was one of our stops that we enjoyed. read more

Nice zoo but spoiled slightly by high prices and less than disciplined parents letting their precious ones run amok (and I saw that as a parent myself). read more

All I remember are vocal seals, loud lions, strange apes and too many people. I guess it was an OK time, but I went there because of my wife. Walked probably 4 miles or more to get there from our hotel, but hey, it was something to do. Not really different from your average zoo, though. read more

I must say, I really love the Zoo. Its a fantastic day out, when the weather is nice it is even better! What I love is that the Zoo is constantly improving, always upgrading a number of different areas, improving facilities etc. What I really think lets the Zoo down is the quality of food available. the only nice restaurant is at the entrance, so when you are really hungry, half way through, there is only one small fast food restaurant with really poor quality food, which is really disappointing. That is my only big complaint - my advice, make use of the picnic tables and bring your own food! :) read more

Hi. Perhaps because I've been to Taronga Zoo, Australia and enjoyed it immensely is the reason Dublin Zoo let me down. On a plus side, I liked how the animals were let alone to do what they would do in the wild. In other words they weren't forced to do tricks. On the negative, there was so much walking around crowds and so many people eating and take away everywhere. These areas could have been combined in two larger areas and therefore more animals to view. Come on..I didnt go to a zoo to watch humans eat. read more

Dublin zoo is great place to spend the day seen the gorillas defo the highlight of zoo.

Great zoo. It has great African and Gorilla habitats. Almost everything we saw was thoughtful in terms of the animals comfort. No 19th century bars and blocks here, try the London zoo for that. read more

A great family day out in a above-standard European zoo is what describes Dublin Zoo best. When the weather is good. Nothing less and nothing more - but be forewarned: they charge 15 Euros per adult. So it seems the recession has not yet caught up with the animal kingdom... read more

One of my favourite Zoos! I especially love the African Savannah and the islands for the monkeys. There is a big variety of different animals and their compounds are usually clean and well taken care of. The only bad thing is food. Unfortunately the food in the Nakuru Restaurant takes really long and isn't particular good. Also there isn't a big variety of food to choose from. But except for that I love it. read more