Ljubljana Zoo is one of those attractions in Ljubljana which is just too good to be missed. It’s fun for the whole family.
My family go there whenever we can. We buy annual tickets year after year which shows that we are true lovers of Ljubljana Zoo, the only zoo in Slovenia.
Here you can see me sitting on the horns of the bronze bull at the entrance to the park. Not very comfortable. 
Getting There
How many cities do you know where you can walk to the zoo from your centrally located hotel or apartment? In Ljubljana you can. Ljubljana Zoo is just 30 minutes easy walk away from the Old center of Ljubljana.
If you don’t feel like walking, you can take a city bus (number 18) which runs every day. Or you can take a taxi or drive — there are enough parking spaces around the Zoo.
My favorite way of getting to the zoo is by bike. There’s a new bicycle lane all the way from the city center to the zoo and it’s really a nice ride along the old villas of Rožna dolina (Flower Valley) and the greenery of Rožnik (Flower Hill).
See this map below for different options how to get from Ljubljana city center to Ljubljana Zoo…
Red dots mark a walking path, the green line a biking lane. It’s truly an enjoyable hike from the city center through Tivoli Park to the zoo.
See the green bike symbols on this map? These are spots where you can rent a bicycle. It’s a simple and inexpensive bike rental system called BicikeLJ, similar to those in many other bigger cities. Here you can read all about it.
As you can see by this Ljubljana Zoo map the whole place is set in the forest, there are trees and greenery all around. In the summer you can always find enough shade (the animals too), so it’s never too hot.
The part by the road is flat, but the part in the back goes uphill which make it for a nice hike while observing animals in the wild.
Slovenia’s only zoo is not big, as you can see, but I think that’s a good thing.
Ok, now that you know how to get to the zoo, let’s look at what you can see and do here…
Ljubljana Zoo Animals
It’s best to visit the zoo at times when zookeepers are feeding the animals. There are some exciting shows you can see. Here are my favorite shows (some only run in the summer or spring):
- Asian elephant (her name is Ganga) which is always at 10am and 4pm.
- Californian sea lion show is every day at 11am and 5pm.
- Cheetah run is three times a week (Wednesday, Friday and Sunday) at 5.30pm.
- Capybara agility show is on the air every day at 6.45pm except Monday and Wednesday.
The sea lion show is a big attraction. Lots of people came to see it. In the summer months it’s good to come a few minutes earlier so that you can be in the first row and see everything.
The sea lion does all kind of tricks — like juggling a ball on its nose, offering a fin to the zookeeper, touching with its nose the stick the zookeeper is holding up in the air and then jumping back into the water with a big SPLASH!
After each trick the zookeeper gives the seal lion a fish. He throws it in the air for the sea lion to catch or throws it directly into his mouth.
Other Cool Animals
There are many special things you can do in Ljubljana Zoo, like feeding the animals with the help of zookeepers, night visits, camping, photo tours, being a zookeeper for a day…
Mini Zoo
This is the Mini Zoo. Its my second best place in Ljubljana Zoo. You can go in and pet the animals.
There are goats, sheep and pigs and lots of baby animals. You are not allowed to feed animals in the Mini Zoo but it is not a problem to offer them hay which lies on the ground.
Playgrounds
Some jokingly say that there are more playgrounds in Ljubljana Zoo than animals. There are a lot of playgrounds there but not that many.
When I visit the Zoo I usually go to one of the playgrounds first.
One of my favorite is called The Crocodile. You start with walking up its long tail and then, for bigger kids and adults, you can climb on its back, then jump on its head and finally slide down its long nose.
The younger children can go right into the crocodile’s tummy which is made of ropes, safely travel through its body, then climb on crocodile’s head and slide down.
What you see on the photo above is my little sister’s favorite part of Ljubljana Zoo. It’s like a big sandbox.
From the snake’s head the water pours out, then it flows onto big wooden gutters where the children can play with it. They put the water in the buckets, mix it with sand and use it to build things in the sandbox.
In the summertime kids put off their shoes and enjoy in the creative and fun games while their parents relax on the deck chairs, watch their children play and just have a good time in the shade of the big trees.
A few hundred meters away there is another playground, right across the restaurant, overlooking giraffes and ostriches in the enclosure.
This one is for children ages 5 and up as it is quite high from the ground. The ladder and ropes that lead up to the slide is steep, so a caution is needed here.
Next to the swing is an African tree house which swings too and best thing for almost any child — the trampolines!
Restaurants in the Zoo
Actually, there is just one restaurant but it’s quite big and it’s in a good central position (you can have a break and still see your child play on three different playgrounds around the restaurant.
You will not find any gourmet dishes in this restaurant, just some typical fast food snacks and meals. If you wish for a finer meal I suggest either a Serbian restaurant Čad which is just a few minutes drive away or a guesthouse Rožnik on the hill right above Ljubljana Zoo (you can go up there by car during the weekdays or walk from Čad (about 10 or 15 minutes).
Opening Hours & Prices
The zoo is open year round except on December 25. Here are Ljubljana Zoo opening hours:
- November to February: 9am to 4pm
- March and October: 9am to 5pm
- April and September: 9am to 6pm
- May to August: 9am to 7pm
And the prices to Ljubljana Zoo:
- for children under 10 the price is €4 (kids under 2 visit for free)
- for school children the price is €5
- students and seniors pay €6
- the price for adults is €7.5
- for disabled persons the price is €2
Dogs also need a ticket. The price is €1.5. There is also a 10% discount for groups of 10 persons and up.
For more details visit the official English site of Ljubljana Zoo.
Have a great time!