Prague Zoo

A large zoo spread over a rocky hillside above the Vltava in Troja, and one of the best-loved family days out in Prague.

The zoo opened in 1931 and has grown into a park of around sixty hectares, with valleys, cliffs and forest used to create landscaped habitats. It is known internationally for its role in saving Przewalski's horse, the last truly wild horse species, which it bred for decades and helped return to Mongolia. It is also regularly ranked among the best zoos in the world in visitor surveys.

Highlights include the Indonesian Jungle pavilion, the gorilla house, the elephant valley, the giant salamanders, the Chambal gharial pavilion and a chairlift that carries visitors up the slope. In August 2002, the Vltava flood devastated the lower part of the zoo, and the story of the animals lost and rescued is still told there.

The zoo lies next to Troja Château and the Botanical Garden, so the three combine into a full day. Take the metro to Nádraží Holešovice and a bus, or in the warmer months walk through Stromovka park. See Prague with kids for more family ideas.