Opened in 1844 on the edge of the Tiergarten, Berlin Zoo (Zoologischer Garten) is the oldest zoo in Germany. It is home to around 20,000 animals from nearly 1,200 species, including the country's only giant pandas. The aquarium, in a 1913 building on Budapester Straße, fully reopened on 18 August 2026 after three years of renovation; you can visit it with a separate or a combined ticket. Both main entrances are a short walk from Zoologischer Garten station, in the heart of City West. Allow half a day for the zoo, a full day with the aquarium.
Highlights
The Elephant Gate
On Budapester Straße, two reclining sandstone elephants support a pagoda roof of red wood with gilded ornaments and green glazed tiles. The original gate from 1899 was destroyed by bombing in November 1943; the present copy was rebuilt in 1983-1984. It is the zoo's most photographed entrance, next to the aquarium.
The giant pandas
Meng Meng and Jiao Qing, on loan from China, arrived in Berlin in 2017. The Panda Garden is also home to their twin daughters Leni and Lotti, born on 22 August 2024, who celebrated their second birthday at the zoo in August 2026. Their older brothers Pit and Paule, born in 2019, now live in China. The pandas can retreat indoors whenever they like: come back a few times if the enclosure looks empty.
The aquarium
Opened on 18 August 1913, the listed building spreads fish, reptiles and amphibians over three floors. The crocodile hall, rising over several levels, is considered the first walk-through enclosure inside a building. Since the renovation, new tanks, terrariums and interactive stations also present new species, such as the inland taipan and the Burmese star tortoise. The aquarium also breeds many species of jellyfish.
Hippo Bay
Opened in 1997 under a double glass dome of more than 800 panes, the hippo house lets you watch hippos and pygmy hippos underwater through panoramic windows about 8 cm thick.
Fatou the gorilla
She arrived in West Berlin in 1959 and celebrated her 69th birthday on 13 April 2026; she is considered the oldest gorilla living in captivity. Now elderly, she has an enclosure of her own.
Opening hours and prices
The zoo is open every day of the year: 9am to 6pm until 25 October 2026, 9am to 4.30pm from 26 October to 31 December 2026 (last winter, these hours applied until 22 February), 9am to 6.30pm from late March to late September (30 March to 20 September in 2026); last entry at 5pm, 3.30pm in winter. On 24 December, the zoo and aquarium close at 2pm. The aquarium is open every day from 9am to 6pm, last entry at 5pm. Zoo or aquarium only: from €16 online and €25 at the ticket office for ages 16 and over, from €7.50 online and €12.50 at the ticket office for ages 4-15, free under 4. Combined zoo and aquarium ticket: from €24 online and €37 at the ticket office, children from €11 online and €17.50 at the ticket office. Reduced rate (pupils and students aged 16 and over, trainees, jobseekers, people with a disability of 50% or more): from €9 online and €14 at the ticket office, €13 and €20 with the aquarium. Prices checked in October 2026.
Infos pratiques
Tips
Buy online: it is much cheaper than at the ticket office and you skip the queue. The ticket is dated, with an entry time slot: you can arrive at any time during that slot and then stay until closing, but you cannot leave and come back. Online tickets cannot be exchanged or refunded; the QR code can be shown on your phone. Animal houses and restaurants close 30 minutes before the zoo, and after closing only the Elephant Gate stays open as an exit. Dogs are not allowed. Tierpark Berlin in Friedrichsfelde (U5, Tierpark station), run by the same company, is a second, larger zoo in the east of the city. Prices checked in October 2026.
How to get there
Lion Gate: Hardenbergplatz 8, 10787 Berlin. Elephant Gate: Budapester Straße, next to the aquarium (Budapester Straße 32, 10787 Berlin). S+U Zoologischer Garten (U2, U9; S3, S5, S7, S9; regional trains), one minute's walk from the Lion Gate. Buses 100, 200, M45, M46, M49, X10, X34, 109, 110, 204, 245 and 249, stop S+U Zoologischer Garten. For the Elephant Gate, U Kurfürstendamm (U1, U9) is also a few minutes' walk away. Car parks on Budapester Straße and Nürnberger Straße.
Opening hours
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