Krakow Zoo

It's often said that you can get the measure of a nation by how well they treat their animals, and if this is anything to go by, then Poland must be right up there with the best. Zoos in general can provoke strong reactions, notwithstanding their immediate popularity with children, but it must be said that Cracow has a really excellent one, located in the pretty Las Wolski (Wolski Forest) in the western suburbs of the city. It's of manageable size, with decent-sized open areas for the larger mammals, and aviaries that are not over-stocked with feathered friends. There's a small cafe just outside that sells grilled Polish sausages and chips, as well as drinks and other snacks. Round it all off with a stroll through the pretty forest surrounds. A good day out.

No, niektóre zwierzęta wyraźnie wykazują oznaki stresu z powodu przydzielenia im niewielkiego miejsca pobytu. Takie raczej nie powinny być trzymane tu, tylko przeniesione do lepszych warunków, a w szczególności płaszczka i inne zwierzęta które nerwowo chodzą naokoło jak wilki i kotowate, dlatego zaniżam ocenę.

Great place, was very impressed!

This Zoo was one of the best zoos I've ever visited. It featured many animals, my favourite were white eagles. The animals seemed very well looked after and looked quite content. We spent good few hours there. Wonderful idea for a day out on a fresh air.

Great venue! A wonderful place to visit on a family holiday.
The mini zoo offers lots of nice attractions for kids. :-)

Mixed feelings about this one.. I go there every so often when the weather is nice but after visiting the zoo in Barcelona it is very pale in comparison. Still it's a great place to walk around when you're looking for fresh air in the city.

A very well kept zoo. Beautiful surrounding. It is really pleasant to visit.

Visited the zoo last Saturday.Had a lovely walk thru the woods to get to it.It really was worth the effort. All the animals looked so well fed and cared for,in fact the lion is definitely the most handsome fella I,ve ever seen!! Having read the reviews before Iwent Iwas expecting to be horrified by the conditions I would find but was pleasantly surprised at what I found .A lovely place beautiful surroundings and well looked-after animals.WELL DONE KRAKOW.

I just went today to the zoo with some friends and I ended up horrorized.It was -6 and covered with snow but they opened it today cos the day was sunny.the animals were in tiny places,freezing cold,looking miserable and some of them had the door of the place where they sleep and stay warm locked so they couldnt enter again in the warmth and the visitors could see them.
I saw an ostrich freezing,moving her paws hysterically cos of the snow and when we went closer we saw that her legs had wounds cos of the snow.
If you want to have animals in a climate that is not the proper one you should do it with good conditions,not puttin ,for example,3 monkeys in a 2 square metters room with no light and snow at their feet.
I cant believe how people allow this zoo open
The worst thing in Krakow and with difference.
POOR CREATURES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

PS. Last time looked, the Baba Jaga cafe (cause I believe this is the one you're talking about, Mark, built in the shape of a witch's hut, right?) does not exist anymore. When I last visited the zoo, the cafe was not there, most probably demolished and/or the wood stolen by locals.

There's still a good deal to improve but starting this autumn, some of the big cats (Siberian tigers and snow panthers who can stand our winters) are going to have a new outdoors walk - I heard it's going to be quite spacious.

There's still a good deal to improve but starting this autumn, some of the big cats (Siberian tigers and snow panthers who can stand our winters) are going to have a new outdoors walk - I heard it's going to be quite spacious.

Visited here last week with a bored 3 year old who LOVED it. My husband & I left feeling really sad though. The big cats had the tiniest of enclosures & looked miserable. Lots of the other animals were pacing back & forth which I understand to be a sign of stress.
I know they are underfunded, & they do remarkably well with what they have, but I can't help feeling they shouldn't be keeping big cats unless they can provide well for them.
The chimps, apes & monkeys mesmerised our son, & we spent a good 45 minutes just watching those. They too seemed a bit cramped.
All in all (big cats aside) not too bad as far as zoos go. (Can you tell I disaprove?)

hi,me my dad younger sister and brother went the zoo last month in krakow is were great there is lots of animals to look at, seals, horses, camels, monkeys, tigers, lions, jaguars and all sorts but there was a bit too much birds.There was two in door parts to the zoo one was a little bat cave with lots of bats and other nockternal animals it was quite dark and scary but very good.There was another inside part full of fish and reptiles it was very interesting and there was all sorts of snakes.There was also a childrens part to the zoo with small animals like hamsters,rabbits and piglets there was a small cafe next door to it to,overall the zoo was great if you visit krakow you shud defenly check it out.there is a handly bus you can catch which is just near the krakovia football stadium it takes about 10 or 15 minuits on the bus which takes you sraight there!!

We, as a family with teenage children liked this zoo, the surroundings were excellent, very relaxing, very pretty, well kept, maybe some animal enclosures could have been bigger (eg for cats and monkeys) it was fun to watch the chimps being fed, they were very cooperative and handed back the bottles to the keeper.

I agree with what Christopher says. I was brought up in Africa, so I know how big cats should live - but overall this zoo seems to be one of the best I have ever seen - probably because its not too large and the staff seem to take great pride in keeping it clean, in quite difficult circumstances. The place is underfunded, but somehow keeps its cheer. There is also an excellent playground and petting farm for children which has recently opened up - ideal for bored kids in the summer!

Krakow zoo is by comparison an excellent zoo, with lovely surroundings. Most of the animals seem happy, except the big cats which seem a bit miserable, circling in their relatively small cages.Worth a visit just to admire the amount of work put into the flowers and shrubs.

I'm not really a big fan of zoos, but actually enjoyed this one. It doesn't take too long to walk around, and mercifully all the information is not only in Polish, but also English. Check out the weird cafe-restaurant a couple of hundred yards away, on the path into the Las Wolski Forest - you can grab a beer here whilst listening to recorded bird song piped through the tannoy! Bizarre!