We decided to take a day trip to the Berlin ZOO with our friends. First idea was to get there with three families, but in the end we went with two.
We set off from Poznan in the morning. The road to Berlin is fast and convenient (and not cheap!) – you can reach the A2 highway. In the center of Berlin traffic is restricted for vehicles with a vignette only – there is a ecological Umwelt Zone. Buying this label for a single entry is unprofitable. We decided to leave the car outside the ring and take subway to get to city center. We found cheap parking – called Car Park Steglitzer Kreisel, it is located at Schloßstr. 74. Leaving the car for one day costs 2.5 euros here. This garage is open around the clock. Next to the parking lot is the subway station – simply perfect.
We were away from Berlin Zoo for 8 stops of metro line U9. Getting to the place took 10 minutes. In the subway you can buy a family all day ticket, so you can save on communication fees.
At the ZOO we bought tickets that allow admission to both the zoo and the aquarium – a ticket is called Kombi and costs 20 EUR. On entrance to the Zoo we don’t get map of the area – it can be bought for a few Euros. We supported our visit by online map in cellphone. If you prefer to have a printed version should prepare it in home.
The Berlin zoo is very nice. This is one of the oldest gardens in Europe at the forefront of best ZOOs in the world. A huge amount of wildlife – 15,000 animals belonging to approx. 1,600 species. Each species has mapped natural conditions. Most of the animals are very well visible.
The park is well maintained and is ideal place for walking. Many people rests on premises, not only spending time on watching the animals, but eg. reading a newspaper or talking outdoors. There are numerous statues of animals, fountains, and a large playground for children and a huge amount of vegetation.
The garden has few restaurants. We went to one of them to buy some chips.
Berlin Zoo covers an area of 35 hectares. With huge aquarium we’ve got area that’s far too much to watch in one day, especially with children.
We expected to see a Panda bear. Imagine our surprise, when we noticed that Panda is gone because of death that happened few years ago. The fact is that we didn’t checked that prior to arrival. Children thus were a little disappointed that in the place where Panda lived is just an empty cage and a commemorative plaque.
We saw: elephants, tigers, lions, giraffes, crocodiles, nocturnal animals (including bats), gorillas, monkeys, hippos, rhinos, penguins, flamingos, kangaroos, llamas, bears, zebras, owls, antelope, seals and penguins. Aquarium in addition have a high exposure of jellyfish as well as reptiles, amphibians and insects. Here we especially recommend the huge formicarium with ants. One of the interesting attractions for children is Tierkinderzoo. There are goats and sheep that you can pet.
We highly recommend to go to the Berlin Zoo. It is easily accessible from Poland. A number of animals is huge, we need to repeat the trip someday in the future.