# Bucharest Zoo

[Romania](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/attractions) › [Muntenia](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/region/muntenia) › [București](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/city/bucuresti)

> The capital's zoological garden, open since 1959 in Băneasa Forest, with tigers, lions, bears, wolves, zebras, monkeys and more than 150 species on almost 6 hectares.

**At a glance:** Zoos and aquariums in București. Opening hours: Monday closed, Tuesday–Sunday 09:00 – 19:00. Ticket: 20 lei. The visit takes 1½ – 2 hours. Information verified on 10 October 2026.

## Key facts

- **Opening hours:** Monday closed, Tuesday–Sunday 09:00 – 19:00 — Summer hours (1 April–31 October): Tuesday–Sunday 9:00–19:00. Winter (1 November–31 March): Tuesday–Sunday 10:00–17:00. Closed on Mondays. Last entry: one hour before closing. Closed on 25 and 31 December, 1 January and the first day of Orthodox Easter (official website, October 2026).
- **Ticket:** 20 lei — children, pupils, pensioners: 10 lei
- **Visit duration:** 1½ – 2 hours — an estimate; longer with children
- **With kids:** Yes — animals along asphalted paths
- **Best season:** April – October — longer hours from April
- **Address:** Strada Vadul Moldovei nr. 4, Sector 1, București
- **Coordinates:** 44.51708, 26.10441
- **Phone:** +40 21 269 0600
- **Website:** https://bucurestizoo.ro/
- **Wikipedia:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoo_B%C4%83neasa
- **Wikidata:** https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q927893
- **Categories:** [Zoos and aquariums](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/gradini-zoologice-si-acvarii)

## About Bucharest Zoo

Bucharest Zoo, known to locals as Zoo Băneasa, took shape between 1955 and 1959. The animals that had been kept in the Cișmigiu, Carol I and Herăstrău parks were gathered in a "Zoological Corner" at the edge of Băneasa Forest, and the first visiting season began on 1 May 1959. It has had the official status of a zoological garden since 1962. Today it is a public service under the General Council of the Municipality of Bucharest, not the sector town hall.

The garden is small next to Europe's big zoos: almost 6 hectares, with asphalted paths and older enclosures, some of them nearly unchanged for decades. According to the official website the collection has more than 150 species, and the most sought-after include the tigers, lions, bears and monkeys. For families in the city it is a short, cheap and easy outing rather than a travel destination.

### What you can see

The official list of mammals includes the Siberian and Indian tiger, lion, leopard, jaguar, puma, lynx, brown bear and tundra wolf. There are also zebras, Bactrian camels and dromedaries, llamas and alpacas, capybaras, Bennett's wallabies, meerkats, lemurs, Japanese macaques and many birds, reptiles, amphibians, invertebrates and fish. The reptiles and fish live in indoor pavilions, with aquariums along a corridor, good for rainy days. In summer a clock-shaped sign next to the enclosure shows the feeding time of some animals. At the entrance, the walls of the ticket office are covered in large, colourful mosaic animals.

### Good to know

After the storm of 17 July 2025 the garden stayed closed for a week, to remove fallen trees and repair fences and shelters, and reopened on 24 July 2025. Representatives of the garden then spoke of almost 40% of the vegetation being lost, a figure I could not confirm from another source. Trees cut back high are still visible along the paths. In the 2026 press I found no confirmed plan to move or modernise the garden; the idea of a large bioparc on the edge of the city was discussed in the past, but without a deadline or a clear site. The area differs on the official site: 5.85 ha on its home page and 6.8 ha on the history page.

## Don't miss

- The tigers, Siberian and Indian, among the garden's most popular animals.
- The lions and the leopard, seen from the paths in the heart of the garden.
- The brown bear and the tundra wolf, animals from our own region and from northern Europe.
- The reptile and aquarium pavilion, with an indoor corridor that suits rainy days.
- The large, colourful mosaic animals on the wall of the ticket office at the entrance.

## Good to know before you go

### Getting there

**By car:** the zoo is in the north of Bucharest, in Băneasa Forest, on Vadul Moldovei street in Sector 1, next to the Bucharest–Ploiești road. I found no official information on parking; check on the spot.

**Public transport:** the official website only says the zoo can be reached by public transport. Unofficial sources mention STB lines 301 and 148 and the Aurel Vlaicu metro station (M2) as a starting point; check the route in the STB app before you go. Nearby are King Michael I Park (Herăstrău) and the "Dimitrie Gusti" National Village Museum.

### Fees & discounts

Adult ticket: 20 lei. Children over 3, pupils, students and pensioners: 10 lei (pupils and students show their report card or student ID). Free: children under 3, people with disabilities and their companions, under Law 448/2006. Tickets can also be bought online at bilete.bucurestizoo.ro. Commercial photography or filming: 2,500 lei per day. Keep your ticket for the whole visit; re-entry needs a new ticket unless the staff give special permission.

### Rules

Do not feed the animals, touch them or throw objects at them. Do not tap on the glass and keep quiet. Do not cross the protective barriers. Smoking, pets, bicycles, roller skates and scooters are not allowed. Put litter in the bins. Ordinary photography is free; the 2,500 lei fee applies only to filming and commercial photography.

### Facilities

STEP HEAR audio system for visually impaired visitors · online tickets · no other confirmed information on facilities

## Details

- **Year established:** 1955
- **Area:** 5.85 ha
- **Signature animals:** tigers, lions, brown bears, monkeys

## Frequently asked questions about Bucharest Zoo

**How much is a ticket to Bucharest Zoo?**

A ticket to Bucharest Zoo costs 20 lei (children, pupils, pensioners: 10 lei). Adult ticket: 20 lei. Children over 3, pupils, students and pensioners: 10 lei (pupils and students show their report card or student ID). Free: children under 3, people with disabilities and their companions, under Law 448/2006. Tickets can also be bought online at bilete.bucurestizoo.ro. Commercial photography or filming: 2,500 lei per day. Keep your ticket for the whole visit; re-entry needs a new ticket unless the staff give special permission.

**What are the opening hours of Bucharest Zoo?**

Opening hours at Bucharest Zoo: Monday closed, Tuesday–Sunday 09:00 – 19:00. Summer hours (1 April–31 October): Tuesday–Sunday 9:00–19:00. Winter (1 November–31 March): Tuesday–Sunday 10:00–17:00. Closed on Mondays. Last entry: one hour before closing. Closed on 25 and 31 December, 1 January and the first day of Orthodox Easter (official website, October 2026).

**How long does a visit to Bucharest Zoo take?**

A visit to Bucharest Zoo takes about 1½ – 2 hours (an estimate; longer with children).

**Can you visit Bucharest Zoo with kids?**

Yes, Bucharest Zoo is suitable for children (animals along asphalted paths).

**How do I get to Bucharest Zoo?**

Bucharest Zoo is located at Strada Vadul Moldovei nr. 4, Sector 1, București. By car: the zoo is in the north of Bucharest, in Băneasa Forest, on Vadul Moldovei street in Sector 1, next to the Bucharest–Ploiești road. I found no official information on parking; check on the spot. Public transport: the official website only says the zoo can be reached by public transport. Unofficial sources mention STB lines 301 and 148 and the Aurel Vlaicu metro station (M2) as a starting point; check the route in the STB app before you go. Nearby are King Michael I Park (Herăstrău) and the "Dimitrie Gusti" National Village Museum.

**When is the best time to visit Bucharest Zoo?**

The best season for Bucharest Zoo: April – October (longer hours from April).

## Nearby attractions

- [King Michael I Park (Herăstrău)](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/parcul-regele-mihai-i-herastrau) — Parks and gardens · București · Free · 2 – 2½ hours · 7 km
  Bucharest's largest park, on the shore of Lake Herăstrău: nearly 190 hectares of strolling paths, the Japanese Garden, Caryatid Alley and Rose Island.
- [Primăverii Palace](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/palatul-primaverii) — Castles and palaces · București · 85 lei · 45 min · Top 100 · 7 km
  The Bucharest home of Nicolae and Elena Ceaușescu from 1965 to 1989, also known as the Ceaușescu Mansion or Spring Palace, with its lavish interiors, mosaic pool and private cinema, seen on guided tours only.
- [Dimitrie Gusti National Village Museum](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/muzeul-national-al-satului-dimitrie-gusti) — Museums and memorial houses · București · 40 lei · 2 – 2½ hours · 7 km
  An open-air ethnographic museum on the shore of Lake Herăstrău, in the middle of Bucharest: farmsteads, wooden churches, mills and workshops brought from all over the country and rebuilt here since 1936.
- [Arch of Triumph](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/arcul-de-triumf) — Monuments and historic sites · București · 15 lei · 45 min · 8 km
  The 27 m interwar monument at the end of Șoseaua Kiseleff, built in memory of the Great Union, with 292 steps up to a terrace overlooking northern Bucharest.
- [National Museum of the Romanian Peasant](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/muzeul-national-al-taranului-roman) — Museums and memorial houses · București · 20 lei · 1½ – 2 hours · 9 km
  The museum in the Neo-Romanian building on Kiseleff Road, named European Museum of the Year in 1996, keeps over 100,000 objects of peasant art and civilisation.
- [Grigore Antipa National Museum of Natural History](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/muzeul-de-istorie-naturala-grigore-antipa) — Museums and memorial houses · București · 32 lei · 1½ – 2 hours · 9 km
  The museum on Kiseleff Road holds the 1907 dioramas, the Deinotherium skeleton and over 2 million zoological, palaeontological and mineralogical pieces, in a building inaugurated in 1908.

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Last updated: 10 October 2026
Source: Pe Plaiuri (https://peplaiuri.ro/en) — Guide to tourist attractions in Romania