Edinburgh Zoo

Travelled from middlesbrough to see the zoo looked on the web to see what they had showed wolves and other animals that were not in the park only one resturant open which was expensive and whole zoo was up a very steep hill which was not warned only one shop at bottom for drinks nothing at top was open and after a steep walk we were dissapointed we had no where to refresh pens over grown and dirty and was told in shop when kids r off all things are open even a bus up the hill this is not helpful when the park is open to public all year round very dissapointed

3 adults and a 2 year old....just under £50.00 food over priced....3 sandwiches 3 coffees and a kids packed lunch...£31.46....gift shop over priced.....animals look depressed.....and kept in mostly small rooms not much day light....aminals passing back n forth....the zoo its self is on a hill....so ramps expected...but to find out I had to pull a buggy up n down steps....it was a good job I had family to help. Food places closed...even in the hight o summer...its over grown with nettles on the paths....the only bit that was ok was the penguin marching... even tho itwas only 3 of them....I dont recomend it....its a shame as was looking forward to it most of all on our holidays.....rundown n needing attention.

Last brought my then 3yr old grandson in 2005. Abiding memories then, steep hills,poor old polar bear,amazing giant tortoises.

This time, with 2 grandchildren , empty cages, cramped big cat areas, very little seating at hilltop. No safari train to take older people up what is a very steep climb. Where are the elephants, giraffes, giant tortoises. At one point I thought we had arrived at the Noah's Ark as all the animals of any size seemed to be two by two. If Edinburgh zoo is to survive find a new, much larger site out of the built up area, plenty of land off the bypass, and build something to do Edinburgh proud. thanks but no thanks!!

We have free passes to go to Edinburgh Zoo so thought we'd stop to see the pregnant Panda whilst in town. Overall it's OK-ish if you like caged animals, but it's on a very big hill which isn't great for push chairs (I guess walking for kids wouldn't be either).

We saw a Panda's bottom for about 5 minutes and then we were shuffled on so the next group of slack jawed tourist could stare at one of the most lifeless animals in the world.

Then we went to the cafe (or one of the cafes - the one at the top of the hill) and the staff treated us like they were doing us a favour by serving them. Believe me, Edinburgh is one of the most beautiful cities in the world, and the Zoo should not be on the agenda of anyone who goes there!

animals were lathargic and not very active and it was all up hill the animal were not very exotic! overall it was so-so

What a great day out, from the safari ride to the hilltop with the superb views to the gift shop at the end of our visit. We spent the whole day here and enjoyed every minute. The ride to the hilltop was great with just enough info to keep the kids amused. The penguin parade was my favourite part but the kids loved the giant panda tour best. The gift shop has a huge selection of panda toys and gifts. Would recommend for a good value for money summer holiday day out for the family.

My visit to the zoo was absolutely horrible. What was meant to be a fun trip out with a friend turned out to be disastrous. Firstly the staff were rude as soon as we arrived at the front desk to pay the ticket price, the women grunted that we had to pay the 'family price' even though there was only two of us, which would of cost at lot more overall and she made me show id to prove i was over the age of 16 and that i shouldn't be accompanied by and adult, even though i turned 19 last year. When we actually entered the zoo it was nice enough. But as it came to lunch time we decided to dine in the 'Jungle food court', i ordered homemade soup and bread. There was a at least in the soup and the bread was incredibly stale. Not something i was expecting at the price we payed for it. and again the staff weren't pleasant. On our way out i went to the gift shop and purchased a monkey toy for my sibling , the alarm went off as i tried to exit the shop. I was convinced the women at the desk had not scanned it properly or removed the tag. A women approached me immediately tried to tell her there must of beeen a mistake, she did not listen. She searched my handbag and my shopper bag before noticing the safety tag had not been removed properly, I was extremely embarrassed that i had been accused of stealing and overall angry at my experience at the zoo.

DO NOT VISIT EDINBURGH ZOO.

Good zoo, we are members of chester zoo, so have free access to this place.

Pros: lovely chimp family, penguin parade

Not so nice the catering, but altogether this zoo can be recommended

Edinburgh Zoo is a great family day out. There is loads to see and do! The staff are extremely friendly and helpful. We took the hilltop safari up to the top and worked our way down as it was the best way to see everything as the hill can get a little steep near the top. All the animals were very active, especially the big cats as they were in season we were told. We got some amazing photos of all the animals. The chimps were very loud and active and so were the monkeys. The penguin parade is a must see as my family just loved it. The pandas are also a must see, they are beautiful! The female was asleep when we visited but the male was moving around and eating alot but book in advance online if you want to see them. There is staff around to tell you about the pandas and there are volunteers all around the zoo to tell you about the animals or answer questions which was great. I highly recommend the jungle cafe and the grasslands restaurant as the food in both of these places was great. value for money is great and if you make it on a sunny day you will have fantastic day.

One of the times i visited was when poor Mercedes the polar bear was still here and that poor old soul was one of the most miserable looking bored creatures I have ever seen.

They are particuarly bad for breeding animals to work as a vistor draw and then culling them. google red river pigs edinburgh to find out more on that one.

Only this year it is working on getting the giant pandas in to be a real money spinner yet at the same time it has been threatened with the removal of its operating licence after inspectors found it had failed to address a series of animal welfare and safety failings that date back at least five years.

At the same time it is spending a fortune on pandas: the big cat enclosure is in a terrible state of disrepair; the sea lion enclosure has several animals were suffering from eye infections; and the main food store was infested withvermin.

In additon to that just what you need when bringing in the worlds rarest bears with tricky needs - problems with the zoo's veterinary hospital.

All of the above inspection findings are fully verifiable via freedom of information documents and other publications.