Edinburgh Zoo – Red Pandas, Koalas and the View from the Hill
A day.
The route
Edinburgh Zoo climbs the slopes of Corstorphine Hill on the west side of the city, with chimpanzees, koalas, red pandas, giraffes and its famous penguins, and views over the rooftops from the top of the hill.
It's run by the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, a conservation charity, and it makes a whole day out for a family, with plenty under a roof when it rains.
Before you go
Book accommodation nearby
If you are staying over: here are ours nearest where the day starts and ends.
Book Edinburgh Zoo's tickets online before you go to save on the gate price: at the time of writing £30 an adult and £20.60 a child aged 3 to 15, each with a voluntary 10% donation, under-3s free, and last entry an hour before closing.
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The day
Corstorphine
A day on the hill among the animals, from the penguins at the bottom to the hilltop and its view across the city, with lunch in the zoo's own restaurant or a picnic on the lawn.
About five hoursAbout 2 miles on foot
Edinburgh Zoo
An attraction
Edinburgh Zoo's gate is on Corstorphine Road, with its car park in front: £5, paid by contactless at the exit barriers or at the tills inside. It fills early in the school holidays. Lothian buses 12, 26 and 31 stop right outside. The zoo opens at 10am every day but Christmas Day and closes at 4pm from November to February, 5pm in March and October, and 6pm from April to September, with last entry an hour before. The zoo is on a hillside, so wear comfortable shoes. The paths climb from the penguins and the flamingos to the hilltop, where the view opens across the city. Lunch is at the Gannet, serving food all day with Young Explorers meals for under-13s, or soup and sandwiches at Penguins Café, beside the penguins. Some routes have steps or steep slopes, and a free mobility vehicle takes one wheelchair or pushchair. Dogs can't come in; assistance dogs can.
If it rains
The Budongo Trail's chimpanzees, the sloth house, the koala walk-through, Living Links and the Magic Forest are all indoors, the rhino, the pygmy hippos and the giraffes have indoor viewing, and every café has seats inside; bring waterproofs for the paths between.
The Torfin, a café in Edinburgh.
Make it a weekend
More days out in Edinburgh.
Photograph by Anna Ka via Google