European Travels: Visiting the world’s oldest zoo in Vienna, Austria
Schรถnbrunn zoo is the world’s oldest zoo, established in 1752 and is impressively, still in operation today. Schรถnbrunn Zoo is a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to being part of the Schรถnbrunn Palace Gardens and receives around 2 million visitors every year. After visiting ourselves, I can concur, that this is a must-add to your travel itinerary when visiting Vienna. It is one of the most beautiful zoos, with surrounding gardens and architecture that was a joy to photograph. It’s almost frozen in time since founded back in 1752 and I fell in love with that. The history of Schรถnbrunn Zoo makes for an interesting read!ย
Heading into the worlds oldest zoo!
The star of Schรถnbrunn Zoo
A visit to Schรถnbrunn Zoo serves you up visual wonders from every continent on the globe. From anteaters to Zebras, Siberian Tigers to Orangutans, and it is even home to the Giant Panda. Which is one of only 27 zoos around the world to have as an attraction. Yang Yang (้ณ้ณ โSunshineโ) and Long Hui (้พ่พ โSign of the Dragonโ) are also a successful breeding pair of giant pandas at Schรถnbrunn zoo, which is so exciting to hear. And to witness Yang Yang in person was just a breath-taking experience, and quite honestly, something I never thought I would ever get to see as a wildlife enthusiast.ย
She was so cute, just sat there foraging for remnants of food that had fallen out of her dish. She was a popular star at the zoo because the crowds at her home when she was out, took some time to wiggle through for a glimpse of her. But so, so worth it. You may also be interested to read that Schรถnbrunn Zoo works alongside the China Wildlife Conservation Association {CWCA} in its efforts to protect the Giant Panda species.ย
Everywhere you looked, everything was just so perfectly beautiful. This zoo quickly became my favourite that I had ever visited before. And I think it was easy to come to that conclusion, considering the age of Schรถnbrunn Zoo, the class, elegance and beauty of everything, speaks volumes.ย
There are a handful of places to eat within Schรถnbrunn Zoo and each of the buildings look as gorgeous as the next one. Getting seats was tricky, due to them all being so busy {and people needing shade from the 30 degree heat!}. So, sadly we didn’t get to sample any of the restaurants, but the food going from kitchen to table looked lovely. Many visitors enjoy including Schรถnbrunn Zoo in theirย European toursย to experience its beautiful architecture and delightful dining options.
Exhibits within Schรถnbrunn Zoo
Schรถnbrunn Zoo has so much to it, that you need a good 2-3hrs to walk around it all! From a rainforest, aquarium terrarium, bird houses, insectarium, a Palm house that is home to the Orangutans, the East Africa house, the rat house and even a Giraffe house! And that’s not everything!ย
Wildlife conservation at Vienna Zoo
The conversation that goes on within Schรถnbrunn Zoo is incredible. There is a wide program of species protection from the bald ibis to the Brazilian tapir, the European pond turtle to the orangutans. From captive breeding programs to public relations work, to do something to help towards a species extinction that works alongside education, recreation and research.
I also love that the zoo will do updates on the website of new babies being born or eggs being laid. Showing that their efforts within the wildlife conservation and all of their hard work and dedication is paying off.ย
This zoo was incredible to visit. We both absolutely loved our time there and the gorgeous weather added to that, in spades. I could have shared hundreds of photos taken during our time at Schรถnbrunn Zoo, so whittling them down was no easy feat. We could not recommend this place higher if we tried. We visited with our Vienna Pass, which saved us lots of money during our time in Vienna. So that is something else that we recommend if you are even heading to Vienna, Austria in the future.ย
Just to also mention, that the zoo is accessible for pushchairs and wheelchairs, with some hilly parts to the zoo. But overall, all accessible. There is water fountains dotted around the park to replenish reusable water bottles and also changing facilities in the bathrooms too. Also, don’t worry about the language barrier, because everything is available in English, too!
If you’d like to check out some more of our Vienna Travels, you can check out our hotel, our time at the Vienna Natural History Museum and also The Madhouse Tower!ย
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