Barcelona Zoo enthrals children and adults alike. Featuring over 7,000 animals from over 400 different species, a visit offers primates, felines, tropical birds, elephants, giraffes and dolphins to name a few, making this a perfect day out for all the family.
Situated right on the edge of the Old Town, Barcelona Zoo occupies some 14 hectares inside the green oasis that is the Parc de la Ciutadella.
Founded in 1892, the Zoo was originally located in buildings that had been used for the 1888 Universal Exhibition. At the time, the animals in the Zoo came from the private collection of Lluís Martí Codolar, who kept them on his estate in the neighbourhood of Horta.
From its humble origins, Barcelona Zoo has undergone considerable expansion and modernisation, always with priority being given to the wellbeing and upkeep of the animals and the improvement of their animals living conditions; as well as conservation, with the reintroduction of numerous species in danger of becoming extinct.
As well as animals, Barcelona Zoo offers a number of educational programmes for children and adults, designed to create a greater understanding of and concern for wildlife.
Other attractions at the zoo include a dolphin show (a perennial favourite attraction for younger visitors) and observe mandrills and titis (the world’s smallest monkeys). Kids can come into contact with farm animals at the petting zoo, where they can ride a pony or play in the large children’s park.
Barcelona’s art nouveau past is never far away this city, and Barcelona Zoo is no exception. You’ll come across modernista treasures such as the fountain crowned by Joan Roig i Solé’s sculpture, La Dama del Paraigües (The Lady with the Umbrella -1885), one of Barcelona’s most exquisite and best-loved symbols.
