Romania's zoos and aquariums appeared mostly in the 1950s–1970s, in the parks of the large cities, and many have been rebuilt since 2010, with larger enclosures in place of the old cages. Besides exotic species, almost all of them also keep the country's own wildlife: brown bears, wolves, lynxes, deer, forest and wetland birds. They make a good half-day visit with children and are open all year, with shorter hours in winter.
The Oradea Zoo, rebuilt between 2010 and 2013 on the site of an old noble park, has tigers, wolves, bears and zebras on 7.5 hectares. On the coast, the Constanța Dolphinarium, the first in the country, opened in 1972, holds dolphin shows in a covered hall and has a small reserve with birds and animals of Dobruja next to it.
The zoo in the Noua district, at the foot of the forest, enlarged to 10 hectares after the 2012–2014 modernisation, with tigers, lions, bears, sea lions, penguins and a planetarium on site.
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.
Romania's first dolphinarium, opened in 1972 on Mamaia Boulevard, with dolphin shows in a covered arena and, on the same ticket, a small reserve with Dobrujan birds and animals.
One of the oldest zoos in the country, opened in 1906 in Nicolae Romanescu Park, with its lions, tigers and bears, and free admission.
Romania's oldest European bison reserve, in the Slivuț forest near Hațeg: the first bison brought from Poland arrived here in 1958, and the herd can be watched from the fence of the enclosure.
The “Dragoș Vodă” reserve, founded in 1968 in Vânători-Neamț Nature Park: a small zoo with bison, deer and birds, at the edge of the forest where free-ranging bison live.
Oradea's zoological garden, open since 1962 on the grounds of a noble park with a chapel, rebuilt between 2010 and 2013 and now covering 7.5 hectares, with tigers, wolves, bears, zebras and dozens of other species.
The zoo in the Dumbrava forest, opened in 1929 and considered the first in Romania, with tigers, lions, jaguars, white wolves, bears and lakes where you can go boating.
The zoo on the Cornești Plateau, open since 1964 and now spread over 42 hectares of forest, with elephants, giraffes, gibbons, tigers, lions and bears, the largest in Romania by area.
The public aquarium in central Tulcea, with fish from the Danube and the Black Sea, coral reef tanks and a tunnel among sturgeon, plus an exhibition on the Delta's wildlife.
The Libearty Bear Sanctuary, on 69 hectares of forest near Zărnești: home to more than 120 brown bears rescued from captivity, visited only on guided tours. It is not a zoo.