Bird park Villars les Dombes — Attraction in Bourg-en-Bresse

Generally a beautiful park, very green and nicely designed when it comes down to aesthetics and topics.

Parking was easy and well managed. Loads of staff trying to fill the parking lot in a way that makes sense, friendly and clear in their expressions.

As with any park, there is a lot of walking involved and especially for small kids you'll need to be prepared to bring a pushchair.

The toilets were absolutely yucky. I was only in the men's toilets, but it smells of wee everywhere, you're literally walking in it, the whole floor is covered in it. I know men can be yuk but some of those toilet I really wouldn't be surprised if they haven't been cleaned in a while or are leaking. I have never seen so much dodgy liquid on the floor. It really reeked. Some toilets have massive queues, not just the ladies', also the men's toilets. What surprised me though is, that our friends' daughters tried to get to the ladies and were trying to find a free cubical and three (!!!) ladies were so rude and pushed them out of the way. (which would be another downside, in some toilets you can literally see the cubical doors when you stand on the path).

Shops/coffee and food stalls are understaffed. Particularly during high traffic periods. I.e. there was a bird show to begin in the arena and there was a massive (seriously, it was huge) queue trying to get in. There was a food/coffee stall with two windows, only one window was open. One lady was working and the first thing she said was, that she had no coffee as they ran out. When the show ended, the queue at that shop was huge, by then the second shopkeeper didn't make much of a difference.

Same with the bbq restaurant we got there just before the lunch storm hit and we already had to wait about 20min to get our order and the queue started just behind the door (so really not long). By the time we finished and walked out, the queue was around the corner alongside the building, who knows how long they had to wait. One till. Having two people using the same cash machine is not really efficient. They'd need at least 3, then the queue started on the pick-up side, because the chicken needed longer cooking times. So all in all not very efficient. Two coffee machines (you get a coin at the till) but one machine had an error message in French (needed maintenance, but was still working), that many people couldn't read nor knew how to get rid of the error message. So people started queue on the other coffee machine.

A few other food stalls were closed, it was a hot day, I think about 34°C. Hardly any shade anywhere. So in order to get some drinks, a couple of grown-ups had to walk through half the park to get something for the rest of the group, as we tried to find shade with the little kids. If you are not planning the visit ahead, try to avoid too sunny days.

Bird show was OK. A bit disappointing that they have so much staff in that arena but then decide to just play a boring recording and then let the birds fly. Other parks actually talk about the birds and give facts about the specific birds on display, also are interactive with the crowd. Here you just sit down, a tape plays, trainers let the birds fly over your head, then they sit down in the middle of the arena and all birds walk out like in a circus good-bye. Not impressed.

The range of animals is quite impressive. And beautiful birds, that seem to be kept in good conditions and clean. Butterfly house, and there was a penguin/fish area, which unfortunately was shut down and we couldn't find access to the Australian area with the kangaroos which our daughters desperately wanted to see. The only path we could find to go there seemed to be closed with a gate but no further information. It's also advisable to follow a set path. Going to see what interest you may be too chaotic and it's easy to get lost in the park. Also walking everything multiple times is suboptimal.

Oh one more thing... to get out of the park: ONE (!!!) turnstile. Why they didn't just open the bloody gate is beyond me. We had to QUEUE (!!!) to leave the...

Mixed reviews...the first part of the park looks old and not well cared for (lack of panels, small cages...). The newest part of the park (Australia, penguins) are well cared for and the animals roamed freely and the bird cages were bigger. I take off one star because two of the spectacles were closed off due to the nocturnal concerts programmed (information regarding this closure was lacking on their website), the sitting restaurant was also closed and the food at the “La Petite Carpe” was disgusting. Sandwiches are kept in a fridge so the bread is not only cold but soggy and tasteless. They had run out of hot dogs at 13h30 and they had little to offer (ie chips) because “we didn’t receive the products”...hello ?!?? It’s high season !!! And did I tell you the price ? 2 sandwiches + 2 ice teas = 14,60€ 😱.

Also there was a lack of information regarding the visit to the “La Petite Dombe”. No one told us we needed to book a guide in order to visit.

Better plan is to bring your own food and hopefully the park will continue developing bigger and better areas for the animals.

The high point of the visit: the loris enclosure !!! It was...

Agréable endroit pour passer un bon moment en famille et pique niquer. Nous avons toujours un immense plaisir d’y aller 1 à 2 fois dans l’année.

Encore une Journée Inoubliable au Parc des Oiseaux de Villars-les-Dombes ! 🦜🌳✨ Niché au cœur de la Dombes, région aux mille étangs, le Parc des Oiseaux de Villars-les-Dombes est bien plus qu'un simple parc animalier : c'est une véritable immersion dans un monde fascinant où les oiseaux sont rois. Préparez-vous à une journée d'émerveillement et de rencontres incroyables ! 🤩 Une Proximité Unique avec des Espèces Magnifiques 🕊️🦋 Ce qui frappe dès l'arrivée au Parc des Oiseaux, c'est la liberté dans laquelle évoluent de nombreuses espèces. Ici, pas de cages oppressantes pour la majorité des pensionnaires, mais de vastes volières et des espaces ouverts qui permettent aux oiseaux de s'épanouir pleinement. Cette approche offre aux visiteurs une opportunité rare d'approcher les oiseaux de près ! Imaginez-vous face à un flamboyant ara, observant un majestueux vautour ou admirant le plumage éclatant d'un calao, sans la barrière habituelle. C'est une expérience sensorielle et éducative unique qui ravira petits et grands. 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Des plus petits colibris aux gigantesques rapaces, en passant par les élégants flamants roses et les oiseaux exotiques aux couleurs chatoyantes, la diversité est époustouflante. Chaque allée réserve son lot de découvertes, et les informations pédagogiques riches en contenu vous permettent de mieux comprendre la vie et les défis de ces incroyables créatures. 🤓 Un Cadre Idéal pour la Détente et le Pique-Nique 🧺☀️ Après avoir parcouru les allées et les différentes zones thématiques (des Terres d'Oiseaux aux Mondes Tropicaux), quoi de mieux qu'une pause bien méritée ? Le Parc des Oiseaux a pensé à tout en offrant un très bel espace de pique-nique ombragé. Sous la fraîcheur bienvenue des grands arbres, vous pourrez savourer votre déjeuner en toute quiétude, bercés par les chants des oiseaux. C'est l'endroit parfait pour recharger les batteries avant de repartir à l'aventure ou simplement pour profiter d'un moment de détente en famille ou entre amis. 😌 En plus de l'espace pique-nique, le parc propose également des points de restauration pour ceux qui préfèrent se laisser servir. Mais la possibilité d'apporter son propre repas et de le déguster dans un cadre aussi agréable est un véritable plus, surtout lors des belles journées ensoleillées. 🥪🥂 Le Parc des Oiseaux de Villars-les-Dombes est une destination incontournable pour les amoureux de la nature, les familles en quête d'activités enrichissantes, et tous ceux qui souhaitent passer une journée mémorable au contact d'une faune aviaire exceptionnelle. C'est une invitation à la contemplation, à l'apprentissage et à...