# Craiova Zoo

[Romania](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/attractions) › [Oltenia](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/region/oltenia) › [Dolj County](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/county/dolj) › [Craiova](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/city/craiova)

> One of the oldest zoos in the country, opened in 1906 in Nicolae Romanescu Park, with its lions, tigers and bears, and free admission.

**At a glance:** Zoos and aquariums in Craiova, Dolj County. Ticket: Free. The visit takes 1 – 1½ hours. Information verified on 10 October 2026.

## Key facts

- **Opening hours:** I found no official opening hours for the zoo; the operator (ECO URBIS) publishes hours only for Valea Ciutelor (October–March 10:00–16:00, April–September 10:00–21:00, daily). Call 0251 411 214 before you go.
- **Ticket:** Free
- **Visit duration:** 1 – 1½ hours — an estimate; a short walk
- **With kids:** Yes — animals, ponies at the Hippodrome
- **Best season:** April – October — more pleasant in warm weather
- **Address:** Parcul Nicolae Romanescu, Aleea Grădinii Zoologice, Craiova, Dolj County
- **Coordinates:** 44.3016, 23.8063
- **Phone:** +40 251 411 214
- **Website:** https://ecourbiscraiova.ro/domenii-de-activitate/gradina-zoologica/
- **Categories:** [Zoos and aquariums](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/gradini-zoologice-si-acvarii)

## About Craiova Zoo

Craiova Zoo began in 1906, in the park laid out a few years earlier on the site of the former Bibescu garden, as a simple zoological point: a few enclosures around the Forester's House, with local fauna, foxes, badgers and roe deer. In the 1960s lions, monkeys and ostriches arrived, and after 1989 llamas, jaguars and African ostriches. Today's operator is ECO URBIS Craiova, the municipal company that also looks after the park.

Unlike zoos in many other cities, admission here is free, according to the operator. The enclosures line the paths between old trees, and the oldest residents, the bear, one of the lions and the tiger, are among the stars. It is a place on the scale of the city: more a short walk among animals, within the park, than a day trip.

### What you can see

The official list counts 37 species: carnivores (lion, tiger), herbivores (mouflon, llama, nutria), omnivores (brown bear, brown capuchin, coati) and birds (swan, white stork, peafowl, African and emu ostriches). The collection changes: in early 2026 several animals, including fallow deer, raccoon, llamas, rabbits, emus and farmyard birds, were handed over to the zoo in Călărași, and the operator announced that the large and rare species will stay.

### Good to know

For 2026 the operator announced a reorganisation of the enclosures, done in-house, in stages, with no public deadline; check the official page for what is on show on the day of your visit. I found no official opening hours for the zoo. Separately, in the Hippodrome area of the park, Valea Ciutelor (opened in December 2025) is a ticketed area where you can feed deer, alpacas and pygmy goats.

## Don't miss

- The lions and tigers, among the oldest animals in the zoo.
- The brown bear, one of the animals that have lived here longest.
- Free admission, rare among the country's zoos.
- A walk through Nicolae Romanescu Park, with its lake, suspension bridge and rotunda.
- Valea Ciutelor, at the Hippodrome, where you feed deer and alpacas (ticketed).

## Good to know before you go

### Getting there

**By car:** the zoo is in Nicolae Romanescu Park, in the south-west of Craiova, a few kilometres from the centre.

**Public transport:** I found no confirmed line to the entrance; look up the route in Craiova's local transport app.

### Fees & discounts

Admission to the zoo is free, according to the operator. Valea Ciutelor, in the Hippodrome area, is ticketed: 30 lei adults and 10 lei children (from age 3; under-12s must be accompanied by an adult; free for children with autism spectrum disorder, with medical documents). Pony rides for children aged 3 to 12, at the Hippodrome: 50 lei for 30 minutes or 25 lei for 15 minutes.

### Rules

Do not feed the animals food brought from home and do not throw anything into the enclosures. Do not frighten them and do not enter fenced-off areas. Children stay under adult supervision. Follow the signs at each enclosure.

### Facilities

no information on toilets or wheelchair access

## Details

- **Year established:** 1906
- **Signature animals:** lions, tigers, brown bears

## Frequently asked questions about Craiova Zoo

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

Admission to Craiova Zoo is free. Admission to the zoo is free, according to the operator. Valea Ciutelor, in the Hippodrome area, is ticketed: 30 lei adults and 10 lei children (from age 3; under-12s must be accompanied by an adult; free for children with autism spectrum disorder, with medical documents). Pony rides for children aged 3 to 12, at the Hippodrome: 50 lei for 30 minutes or 25 lei for 15 minutes.

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

A visit to Craiova Zoo takes about 1 – 1½ hours (an estimate; a short walk).

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

Yes, Craiova Zoo is suitable for children (animals, ponies at the Hippodrome).

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

Craiova Zoo is located at Parcul Nicolae Romanescu, Aleea Grădinii Zoologice, Craiova, Dolj County. By car: the zoo is in Nicolae Romanescu Park, in the south-west of Craiova, a few kilometres from the centre. Public transport: I found no confirmed line to the entrance; look up the route in Craiova's local transport app.

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

The best season for Craiova Zoo: April – October (more pleasant in warm weather).

## Nearby attractions

- [Nicolae Romanescu Park](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/parcul-nicolae-romanescu) — Parks and gardens · Craiova, DJ · Free · 2 – 2½ hours · 1 km
  A romantic park of nearly 100 hectares designed by the Frenchman Édouard Redont and inaugurated in 1903, with a lake, a suspension bridge, the Enchanted Castle and the zoo, in the south of Craiova.
- [Craiova Art Museum](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/muzeul-de-arta-craiova) — Museums and memorial houses · Craiova, DJ · 30 lei · 1 – 1½ hours · 3 km
  The museum in the Jean Mihail Palace, built in 1898–1907 to plans by Paul Gottereau, holds six works by Brâncuși, including “The Kiss”, as well as Romanian and European art.
- [“Alexandru Buia” Botanical Garden, Craiova](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/gradina-botanica-craiova) — Parks and gardens · Craiova, DJ · 1 – 1½ hours · 4 km
  A botanical garden of almost 13 hectares in the middle of Craiova, with lakes, a collection of more than 3,000 taxa, walking paths and a new tropical greenhouse under construction.
- [Căluiu Monastery](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/manastirea-caluiu) — Monasteries and churches · Călui, OT · 45 min · 33 km
  A sixteenth-century foundation of the Buzești boyars, tucked into a valley in Olt County: a church with the votive painting of Michael the Brave, the Buzești tombs and a brick enclosure wall.
- [Brâncoveni Monastery](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/manastirea-brancoveni) — Monasteries and churches · Brâncoveni, OT · ½ – 1 hours · 52 km
  A convent in Olt, in the village that Matei Basarab and Constantin Brâncoveanu came from: defensive wall and bell tower of 1634–1640, a Brâncovenesc great church of 1699, and a museum with a lapidary.
- [Sucidava Fortress](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/cetatea-sucidava) — Fortresses and fortifications · Corabia, OT · Free · ½ – 1 hours · 103 km
  The Daco-Roman and Roman-Byzantine fortress in Corabia, with its excavated walls and towers, a 6th-century basilica, the "secret well" and the northern pier of Constantine the Great's bridge over the Danube.

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