Chester Zoo Recensioni 

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

We did the Secret Life of the Zoo tour with Naomi and Charlotte, and it was great - they certainly know their stuff about the animals!

Excellent customer service from all.

Just back from Snow Leopard breakfast and all I can say is wow, wow, wow and WOW!!! Absolutely fantastic and fascinating experience. Christos, Ruby and Georgia we so welcoming and passionate about working for Chester Zoo. Helen our guide was brilliant as well as very informative with lots of very interesting facts about the snow leopards. Got to see keeper put out food for these beautiful 3 Snow Leopards, Nubra (Mum), Yashin (Dad) and super cute baby Bheri. Followed by an amazing big breakfast in the historic Oakfield Restaurant. Highly recommend

A very uncomfortable experience - we entered what we had assumed was the guest information building at the front of the zoo (which we realise now is the place you visit when partaking within an experience) only to overhear a particularly unpleasant, racist and frankly sexist conversation between two older male members of staff. Furthermore, other members of staff were abruptly dismissive of us when trying to ask for help - a blonde lady (possibly Kirsty - we struggled to recall the name on the badge) treated us like fools suggesting we had not read the signage above the door before entering.

Happily, we had not bought tickets at the time, so swiftly changed our plans.

We visited today, the tickets were cheaper than usual so we thought it would be a great day out. I can’t say it was great, we did see some amazing animals including a baby orangutan, Rhino, and Giraffes, however the children were really disappointed that some of their favourite animals were either not there or not visible. My 9 year old was so disappointed when the Capybaras were nowhere to be seen, and the lions, the snow leopard, the lemur walk, didn’t have Lemurs! One thing I thought was a bit of a rip off was the marshmallows for roasting, a bag of identical large marshmallows are £4 from B&M they were selling a single marshmallow for £2.80.
I did feel sad that there were lots of animals that were alone 😔
I get that sometimes the animals aren’t around or indoors, but when my child is walking around looking and saying no, nothing in there, and again nothing in there, it’s a bit annoying.

It was our first visit to the zoo since I was little, I'm now 50+, so didn't really know what to expect after all these years, I think the last time I went it was to see Jubilee the elephant. It was really nice to see the animals, granted there were no lions, tigers or cheetah, and we were told the bat house was closed today on arrival, but it didn't spoil the visit. A regular latte was £4.05 and it was well worth it, as for prices in the shop, it was very mixed, they have a very good range of £1 items on the till (pens etc). I've seen comments on here about rudeness of staff, I have to say we did not experience this at all, from going in, through security, visiting the areas etc, they staff were friendly and very courteous, we were made to feel very welcome. Yes, it is expensive and can imagine for a small family it's out of the question, but as for a once of year treat it would be great.

We love Chester zoo but I do understand the price comments. I found it was expensive to visit so took out a yearly membership which I find much better value for money it also gives you 10% off things around the zoo. Often the animals are harder to see on busier days but visiting during the week is magical! If you can visit on a weekday it’s really worth it. I think that it’s good for animal welfare that they can remove themselves if needed. A few deaths of older big cats have occurred lately due to old age so this may also be why. Keep up the good conservation work Chester!

Chester zoo was an amazing memory for me as a child, my parents would bring me every summer.

Pros -
The enclosures are amazing, they are among the best I have seen alongside Longleat and West Midlands safari. I really appreciate how much effort was put into certain enclosures to make them feel and look great, whilst actually meeting animal’s needs.

They have a wide range of animals, larger than most zoo’s; it’s definitely the biggest zoo I have been to.

The conservation efforts are also amazing, they are doing wonders to support many endangered and very rare species, some very close to extinction, their work truly matters.

The walkthrough areas are the highlight of the zoo, it’s truly magnificent to walk into areas that felt like I was transported into another world and into the exact locations and regions the animal’s were from. There’s something very enchanting about these parts of the zoo, even though we came mainly to see the jaguars, snow leopards, cheetah (that doesn’t seem to be there?) tigers and lions all of which we didn’t get to see either due to closures or empty enclosures.

Cons -
The staff were incredibly rude, out of the many I met there were only two nice individuals and they were doing the harder work. The rest however ruined the experience, they talked down to me and treated me poorly, felt like they judged me based on how I looked. One of the worst experiences in terms of staff friendliness out of any place I have been so far and this impacted my rating dramatically, I came for a nice day out, that I had been looking forward to for many years. Some of the staff were also just not very helpful.

A lot of enclosures were closed, empty and some very unkept, there were some that had clearly been forgotten about as they weren’t the main focus. It should’ve derailed on the website that these would be closed, otherwise I might’ve chosen to come another day. There were many viewing locations only for small children, so most adults wouldn’t be able to see, especially taller people. Most of the photo-op areas were also child only.

They didn’t have many events running despite the size of the zoo, seen many more zoo’s that are much smaller have more events and more enrichment for the animals. And you cannot even know when the events are on without the app, there are no signage or anything indicating them.

The zoo is much more catered about children than I remember, for example there used to be more “family” focused things to do (such as the railway, which is now gone) and now there is many more play areas. I did not like this environment and some interactive activities were poorly placed next to very shy animals, meaning lots of crying and screaming children next to enclosures where the animal simply wouldn’t leave it’s den.

The cost. £74 for two adults is extreme, it is the most expensive zoo I have been to aside from longleat during their light show that felt much more worth the price. Given the closures, empty enclosures, and that it’s September on a weekday, this is far too overpriced, to follow this their gift shop was the most overpriced out of any zoo I’ve been to yet, same with their food.

Ending thoughts -

Given the cons, the cost, I feel this zoo has unfortunately become very overhyped. It is missing the charm it had when I was younger, the excitement, and just has become very money grabby. I’m glad I went since it was nostalgic for me, but I do not think it’s worth it at the price I paid. I would not come again and I don’t think others should at this price point either. Slightly disappointed and disheartened, again, I feel I wouldn’t have rated this so poorly if I didn’t have high expectations and if the staff hadn’t been so rude. I was torn between giving this zoo 3.5/5 stars but with further rude staff in the gift shop after spending a lot of money, just let me down.
More animals doesn’t always mean a better experience.

Expensive! Over £100 to get in two adults two kids age 7,8 and our youngest 2.
Small coffee in paper cup £4
Facepainting starts at £10, small cuddly toy £25, drawing kids book £15!!! Outrageous.
The map we bought for £1 wasn't up to date and was different from the in zoo one.
We spent a while looking for the cheetahs as they're on the paper map but there aren't any now!
Jaguars open but sign saying coming soon?
Didn't see one staff member talking to anyone for educational purposes.
Signage is not great when walking around.
One helpful lady in the bats spoke to my children she was nice and the boat ride was OK after the 25 minute wait! Albeit you can't see any animals hardly.
Come on Chester Zoo we used to love this place it's unfortunately a really poor longwinded and money grabbing place now it seems.

Always an amazing day out. Love love love it!

Used to go to Chester Zoo years ago when My Son was young. How it Has Changed!!!! Took my Grandson and Son , His Partner and my Sister. Used to really enjoy it. But yesterday hardly saw any Animals , no Lions, where are the Bears?,? And only saw glimpse of a Tiger!!! Overall, disappointed! Won't be back any time soon. Its a Shame as We were all so looking forward to it!

best zoo in uk! remember lions tigers and leopard is cat! And sleeps normaly all day! a lot of animals inside in zoo! I will be back one day!

⭐ One Star: Where Are the Wild Things?!
Went to the zoo today with a group of 10 excited humans, expecting a wild day out with lions, tigers, and bears (oh my!). What we got instead was more like a nature walk through an empty graveyard Seriously, enclosure after enclosure — nada. It was like the animals had all called in sick or gone on strike for better lunch options.
The lions, tigers, and bears? Nowhere to be seen. The only “wild” creatures we encountered were a gang of seagulls aggressively mugging us for our chips. We did see some rats and a lot of locusts, so... exotic pest control, I guess?
Now, about the face painting. £10 a pop, so naturally we expected a bit of sparkle and a smile. One of our group has a lovely little boy with special needs who finds it difficult to wait in line and needs to stay in the shade. His mum kindly sat him out of the way and I held their place — standard stuff, right? WRONG. The face painter went full power trip and scolded the poor mum, then accused her of pushing in when it was her son’s actual turn. Compassion? Understanding? Not in her skillset. Honestly, the locusts showed more empathy.
It’s a massive zoo, so we walked approximately 400 miles, powered solely by hope and disappointment. By the end, the only creature we saw more than once was the same bored-looking pigeon — and even he seemed ready to leave.
The animals at this place are like the Scarlet Pimpernel: “They seek them here, they seek them there…” but unlike the Pimpernel, they don’t make an appearance. Ever.
We won’t be going back. Next time we want to see wild animals, we’ll just go to a dog park. At least they show up.

Poor value experience. It was £99 for two adults and two children and then were charged £1 for a map! The food cost was extremely expensive so best to take your own. One star reviews predominate and our experience was very much in line with these disappointing reviews. Many of the animals cannot be seen as the areas in some cases are quite large and dense. It appeared as if the animals were in hiding which was very disappointing for the children especially after a long walk to see, particularly lions and tigers. Unfortunately we felt it was a bit of a rip off and would not revisit.

Waste of money!!
Absolutely not worth the ticket price. All the best animals people go there to see e.g. lions, tigers, leopards, bears, aligators etc...none were visible. Even the realm of the red ape was completely empty.
Viewing areas had too many over grown bushes so the animals that were present were hard to see because of bushes or too far away.
Paid a lot of money to see grass and trees, kids and adults were disappointed and bored, ruined what was supposed to be a good day out.
Do not reccomend!

Saw no lions, tigers, leopards, jaguars only one elephant and one rhino. Cost a small fortune ( 5.00 for a portion of chips!!) and reminded me of the scene in Jurassic Park when they are looking for the dinosaurs and the disappointment when nothing there. Would not go again. Blackpool Zoo is much better and not as expensive.

We have visited several times before. Always find the way the animals are cared for is excellent and enjoy the visit. But this time the zoo has been over taken by greed. Entry fee is already quite expensive and now the food/drink etc kiosks are overpriced. On a hot day with only one water refill station found - at the new Heart of Africa toilet area (near the entrance) you are held to ransom for their prices. Water £3.50 Tea £3.15 Magnum £3.80 come on Chester Zoo play fair and don't be so grasping, if you had more reasonable prices we would have bought more and you would have received more money/profit. We will not be visiting again, so more money lost !!

The worst zoo, I would not recommend to visit. Took the kids for a fun day and ended up seeing empty stalls for majority of the time. Very disappointed and upset children after overpriced tickets! Would’ve had a better fun at the park. Please don't waste your money nothing to see take your time and money elsewhere!