Salzburg Zoo Tours and Activities

Allow at least three hours to explore Salzburg Zoo, opened in 1962 in a dramatic setting adjacent to the Schloss Hellbrunn estate. While not the biggest zoo in Europe, there’s still a lot to pack in: rare white rhinos, hippos and sleek antelopes in the African Savannah enclosure; great scavenging birds of prey, pink flamingos, brown bears, lynx kittens and mischievous monkeys.

There are more than 1,200 animals at the zoo, consisting of some 140 species, including endangered animals. The zoo covers 34.5 acres (14 hectares) and there has been considerable expansion and improvement in the standard of its facilities since 2006, with new enclosures built for wolves, alpacas and rheas, the completion of a petting zoo for kids and the opening of the South America House, featuring tapirs who recently had a baby. Other additions include a new lion house as well as cheetah and jaguar enclosures. Conditions have upgraded for human visitors too; the Mahlzeit im Zoo restaurant has had a facelift and offers typical Austrian cuisine –schnitzels and strudels – along with comfort for children.

Salzburg Zoo takes advantage of the light summer nights to open late between the end of July and the beginning of September, with the last admission at 9.30pm.