Chester Zoo Recensioni 

Chester zoo is a good zoo but need to highlight the zoned area on the pathways , then your not going back where you have already been

So disappointed with the lack of animals in their enclosures and the entry fee costs. Paying nearly £100 including lunch and petrol to get there. For 2 pensioners that is very expensive to be completely disappointed with our what should have been a social day out.
Definitely won’t go back or recommend it. 3 star was generous

The food was very bad. Just cold and messy a little amount and super expensive. I honestly felt offended. But the staff had an overall okay manner.

We recently stayed at The Reserve at Chester Zoo and had an absolutely fantastic experience from start to finish. The accommodation was beautifully presented, modern, spotless, and incredibly comfortable. You can really see the attention to detail throughout the whole stay.

The staff were welcoming, friendly, and went above and beyond to make us feel looked after. Everything felt relaxed, well organised, and family friendly whilst still offering a unique and memorable experience.

One of the best parts was the connection to Chester Zoo itself. Waking up surrounded by nature and wildlife made the stay feel really special and unlike a normal hotel visit. The atmosphere was peaceful, calming, and perfect for switching off.

Food and facilities were excellent, and the overall experience exceeded expectations. We would highly recommend The Reserve to anyone looking for something different, whether for a family trip, a couple’s getaway, or simply a relaxing break.

The only thing I would say is that it is expensive at times. For example, having a second “welcome drink” cost £16.50, which did feel quite pricey. However, I do appreciate that the money made helps support the zoo and its conservation work, which makes it easier to justify.

Overall, we had an amazing stay and will definitely be returning.

i my wife and daughter went to the reserve restaraunt chester zoo, for sunday lunch, it was fabulous, i and my wife had roast beef, my daughter had pork, absolutely delicious, once we finished the main course their was no room for a sweet, i would like to thank the chef and kitchen team for excellent meal and presentation, also the staff who served us, very pleasant and delightful, surroundings/restaraunt five star. will definetly return. highly recommended

Expensive day out, half the animals were not out, viewing galleries not equipped for the amount of people visiting, best section elephants but thats about it. Shame really, wouldnt be returning any time soon...

I have been a member of Chester Zoo for nearly 3 years. But having lived in Chester all my life (over 64 years)I have been a regular visitor and observed it's renovations.
As commented by many visitors the range of animals and the quality of care is incredible. But yes for a one day family experience it can be very expensive.
However for a family with toddlers a tears membership it is relatively inexpensive.
Myfavourites with our grand children are the butterfly house, the penguins and the bat house. Oh and the meerkat tunnels! A packed lunch is advisable.

Sadly but probably inevitably was the removal if the monorail, especially as the zoo us so large now it is difficult to get around in one day.
Two things that would improve the experience
1. Numbers/letters or maps to help navigate your way back to your car. I know we have apps on our phone...but if excited, busy with children or forgetful...it us so easy to not remember where the car us. The only support from the zoo are large area zones...A B C or D
2. Lack of fresh water facilities.

Visited on the 27.03.2026 to take part in a Experience booking to feed the penguins!! One of the most enjoyable things i have ever done!! From the minute we arrived at Experience HQ and were met by our amazing guide Naomi who made the start of this birthday gift wonderful!! It was for my birthday and my daughter accompanied me and we had the best time!! Naomi escorted us to the exhibit and handed us over to an equally amazing colleague named Ellie. What a wonderful experience and Ellie's knowledge of each of the 64 penguins was fascinating!! Would happily book to do this again!! Huge thank you to Naomi and Ellie whose enthusiasm, kindness and friendly manner made our day (along with the penguins being awesome too)! Thank you!!

Chester Zoo used to be a great zoo. Sure, it's still the largest in the UK. And while I understand this come with general overheads and conservation costs, the ticket prices are steep. However, for a day out, I accepted paying them in advance. It was only after a 90 minute drive when they tell you upon arrival that certain areas are closed, 'Sorry for the inconvenience', but curiously no mention of this on their app or site when you book online.

Then comes the food charges. These are beyond extortionate, they're criminal. One plain pretzel was £6.50!!!!!! It would have been a rip of at half that price! And with regular sized vanilla latte (which I didn't taste any vanilla), and one bottle of water, £14.95!!!! This is just daylight robbery and a betrayal of paying customers good will. You know full well that when people are onsite they're going to pay for food and drink. While I can expect some mild exploitation here as you would expect at say a service station on the motorway, this prices are sickeningly insulting and beyond any level of reason. It's literally just fleecing people for the sake of it because you can. Disgusting behaviour from an institution that proclaims to support conservationism and relies on the goodwill of its visitors. I will never come back here again, not unless you slash food and drinks prices by at least 50% of your current rates.

And lastly, I asked for some food when I got here at 10am, the staff said, 'Sorry we don't serve those items until 11:30am', but the board behind them makes no mention of this.

Terrible.

With these prices I bet someone high up, the owners of the park, are lining their pockets and feathering their nests nicely!

Never again.

Last time.

And I urge others not to visit here lest they want to take out a small loan to cover the experience.

Oh one other thing, to top it off, many of the enclosures are empty and devoid of actual animals. Great day out so far.

Stayed in the Reserve for 2 nights 3 days, what a magnificent experience. From the moment we arrived the staff were attentive, helpful and genuinely pleasant. They very obviously enjoy working here. The accommodation was spacious, luxurious and everything catered for. Food on the restaurant was exceptional and a great choice. Only tiny comment, it took an hour to fill the outside bath but boy was it worth the wait. Imagine relaxing in a hit bath after a long day walking watching the Giraffes doing their stuff. The individual experiences were great and the keepers are so enthusiastic and knowledgeable on their field (and beyond). We learnt so much about the conservation work being done, all with the welfare of the animals at the absolute heart. We had a lot of time with many but Poppy and Rachel stood out for us. But everyone, without exception, was excellent. The waiting staff were a little slow but obviously new to the place and learning their skills, that did not cause us a problem in the slightest. It was a lot of money but absolutely worth every penny. I booked for my daughters and myself as an Xmas present and we were not disappointed. A very special treat and the nearest i will get to a safari. Feeding the giraffes 🦒 was the absolute highlight such magnificent beautiful animals. Thank you all, im saving already for a return visit with my Fiancée.

We had a half term visit to Chester zoo but also managed to get a lodge at the Reserve. The whole experience from check in to check out was perfect. The accommodation was stunning. The food good. And the two days at the zoo did not disappoint. Every staff member went over and above to make us welcome and they were so helpful. In particular I would like to mention Theo who was looking after the snow leopards. This lovely man was so knowledgeable with his facts and information. He did not stalk us out just gently approached to tell us about the animals. Such a charming young man. John who was with the rodents also knew everything there was to know about his area.
We will definitely visit again perhaps in better weather!

A wet day on 6th Feb 2026 so many animals stayed in their shelters/bedrooms. We saw about one third of the animals signposted so very disappointing.
Maybe the zoo could offer cheaper prices on wet days? £78 for two adults was way too expensive for such a poor showing of animals.

Booked for the Savannah experience in an overnight lodge. The accessible lodge I booked, which was needed, was changed by reception at last minute but was not told this, by the time the children had unpacked and claimed their beds we realised there was no accessibility for my son and his powered wheelchair, he was unable to go through into bedrooms for lack of space, he was unable to get into the bed or go to the toilet. We were hyped up about all the extras we would get for the price, they were not worth it. We had booked for the storytelling and Lantern Parade, the children were unable to access these as it was our mealtime, children had to be an adult for storytelling and after waiting an extraordinary long time for our meal we missed the slot for the Lantern Parade, no help towards this was offered from staff. Although we had unlimited time within the zoo, we saw what was available within a couple of hours, which was not a lot of animals. I feel extremely let down by this experience and it was most definitely not worth the money. I have put in a formal complaint but this has just been seen as 'feedback' and is not being dealt appropriately which means I am going to have to take this matter further, not needed if they just dealt with my correspondence in a correct manner.

Loved our day out here with my wife and kids. Lots to do and had some good food at the restaurant also. Definitely recommend for something to do in summer with the family

We took our 2 year old granddaughter
We had a lovely time
We saw a lot of animals
Some weren’t in their pens but you expect that sometimes
Everywhere was signposted well
All the staff i came across were really helpful and polite.
Took our own picnic/drinks in our festival cart
Plenty of room.
We go at least once a year and love it
Debs

Our family were appalled. Totally overpriced and absolutely nothing to see. Most enclosures were empty. As stated on their website there are over 30,000 animals to see, I counted the amount of animals we saw today - 5, just about. For some reason we must have missed the other 29,995. Not recommended at all.

My son said this isn't a zoo - you just walk and walk and don't see any animals!! No lions, no cheetahs, no wild dogs, literally empty cages!! No signs or explanation why the animals aren't there! A pure rip off

I attended today with my mother, sister & my two year old son. It was extremely busy (which I understand it is the holidays, however the zoo should have a maximum capacity as it really affected our ability to see any animals) and people had no social etiquette or manners. There are designated smoking areas, amazing, however people were still smoking anywhere & vaping too. The lack of adequate & accurate signposting around the zoo is shocking, it would help to have paint lines of the “zones” which you want to follow. That would also make it more fun for the kids too. The food & drink pricing is pretty high, especially considering the service is slow. We were there just after opening & none of the food outlets had any vegan food options available. As we were exiting the zoo, we attempted to make enquiries about an annual membership however the worker at the desk really couldn’t be bothered speaking with us or answering our questions. Overall, we were extremely underwhelmed with our experience today.

Chester zoo was amazing we where able to see all the animals including the tigers, one of the panthers and the snow leopards up close as they where sleeping on there backs and rolling around. Learn the map before you go we did get a little lost but staff where happy to show us the way, we had a very lucky day seeing all the animals and as you leave there’s more to see round closing time. Definitely get the refill drinks in the summer only downside is the refills are all fizzy drinks would be great to have squash as refills. Thank you Chester zoo for an amazing time x

My grandaughter and I went on the predator trail today at Chester zoo. It was absolutely fantastic and our guides John, Christos, Emma and Georgia we fantastic. They gave us the best trail and we saw all the animals we hoped to and more. Including the snow leopards jaguar and tigers . Thank you and we will definitely do it again