Zoological Gardens Karlsruhe — Attraction in Karlsruhe

Let's get wild with this review of the Karlsruhe Zoo!

We ventured out to the zoo on a chilly Saturday morning and boy, was it a wild experience! The good news was that we had the zoo almost all to ourselves, as the cold weather seemed to have driven away most of the other visitors. With free street parking and a short walk to the entrance, we were ready to embark on our animal adventure.

Despite being on the smaller side compared to other zoos in the area, the Karlsruhe Zoo certainly packs a punch. It boasts heavy hitters like majestic elephants and mighty polar bears, which were definitely a sight to behold. We were impressed with how well the animals were taken care of, and the relatively clean condition of the zoo.

Now, let's talk food. We stopped for lunch at a restaurant on site, and while it was typical quality for a zoo restaurant, it did the job of satisfying our growling stomachs. However, the real gem was the crepe stand near the petting zoo area - their crepes were the perfect sweet treat to indulge in during our animal adventure.

It's worth mentioning that the zoo is on the older side, but don't let that deter you. We saw construction underway, which is a clear sign that the zoo is making improvements and aiming to keep up with the times.

Overall, we recommend checking out the Karlsruhe Zoo if you happen to be in the area. However, we wouldn't recommend making a long journey just to visit the zoo. While it's definitely a fun experience, we feel it's more of a half-day adventure rather than a full-day excursion. So, hop on over and get...

We are so disappointed to read that the Zoo Karlsruhe has cancelled the lease with the Karlkutta Cafe. This cafe was a little gem with nice and fresh food, a relaxed atmosphere and just perfect, it will be missed. Furthermore, I am even more disappointed to read that the Zoo will now give the lease to a big catering company so that we as visitors get to enjoy more of the same low quality food! Clearly a decision motivated by money rather than quality. I can confidently say that now the food at this Zoo is not very healthy nor children appropriate. And unfortunately now there is no alternative anymore.

That being said, the Zoo itself is nice, with lovely green areas and play parks, a lake, and a very special car ride. I have to say that the new installations on the play parks can in no way compare to the old ones, they were just better. I am curious to see what other new ideas will implemented and if they will lead to the same disappointment as the most recent one, cancelling the lease on one the nicest cafes...

This zoo is absolutely wonderful to spend time at! They're all kinds of interesting things here and it's very well-maintained. From the animal exhibits for different parts of the world to the vast gardens there is something to suit most interests. They have a combination of indoor and outdoor activities for children specifically as well. Concerts are held by the water feature on special occasions with choreographed fountain to match the music.

The only thing that is quite sad to see, is that one of the elephants who lives here clearly has psychological problems from its previous captivity situation (Elephants can live 80 years or so and this one's old enough to have been around when zoo were a very different environment). It does have a very nice setup now with space and activities and other elephants. The poor creature is certainly an example of why we need to treat animals...