Prague Zoo

Prague Zoo sits on a generous sweep of hillside in the Troja district, about twenty minutes north of the Old Town by tram or riverboat, and the terrain alone sets it apart — you spend the day moving between wooded ridges and open valley sections, which gives the whole place a genuinely parkland feel rather than the institutional grid you find at many older European zoos.

The gorilla pavilion is the standout exhibit, a well-designed indoor-outdoor space where the western lowland group moves between a heated interior and a large outdoor yard. The Komodo dragons draw steady crowds too, housed in a purpose-built tropical hall where the lighting and temperature are managed well enough that you actually see the animals active rather than inert under a heat lamp.

Prague has a serious record on breeding programmes — Arabian oryx, Przewalski's horses, and pygmy hippos among them — and the signage throughout makes a genuine effort to connect individual animals to wider field conservation work, which lifts it above the average zoo visit.

The hillside layout is lovely but tiring. There are electric shuttle carts for those who need them, and the main paths are paved and pushchair-friendly, but plan on three to four hours minimum if you want to cover the upper sections properly. In summer the valley bottom gets very warm by midday, and shade is uneven across the site.

Skip Saturdays in July and August if you can — the gorilla house and Komodo hall both develop real queues by late morning.

Arrive before ten, wear comfortable shoes with grip, and bring water. Families with children aged four and above will get the most from a full morning here.