Chester Zoo Reviews 183

Don’t use automatic vending machine got charged £45 for two magnum ice creams no receipt given and didn’t even realise till I got back

Expensive at almost £150 for a family of five involved a lot of walking around a massive park and waiting for a fruitless experience. The zoo was poorly signposted and ended up getting lost and maps weren't free to take. Many of the animals we were hoping to see weren't seen in their enclosures including lions, tigers, jaguars and leopards or we could not see due to overgrown grass restricing views and chester zoo response was "Animals have access to both indoor and outdoor areas at all times, and this does include some areas which may be off show to our guests. All of our animals have free roaming of their enclosures and so they can choose at any time to take themselves off show, which may have been the case during your visit." Not impressed as thats the whole reason for going to the zoo is to see animals- which left the kids dissapointed. Also wued for almost an hour for the boat ride only to get to the front and be told it had broken down. Again chester zoo say they "reserve the right to close or suspended the boat ride without prior notice." Also they had childrens helter skelter and courosel rides which were additional costs and also food prices were extortionate. This is a shambles of a zoo and left feeling very dissapointed and will never be returning or recommending to anyone.

Let’s start with the part that If I didn’t have tickets gifted to me I wouldn’t spend almost 40£ per person and so much for food that is actually small portion. It’s a shame they don’t have a station for families to warm up baby food and they are actually forced to buy food, 3 chicken strips and chips for 8.95£!!! It’s a rip off really. I know they want to collect money but be more considerate though

We had an amazing time with the kids and inlaws last week, everyone treated us really well and we saw some amazing animals.

We visited on Sunday as the review said Chester zoo is the best, we had visited Paignton and Marvell zoo recently so wanted to visit. We travelled from Surrey which took 5/6 hours.my husband is69 and I’m 65 so it takes us a bit longer to travel long distances. When we got there on Sunday morning we didn’t have to queue as we had bought our tickets online. I know when you visit zoos you don’t expect to see all the animals but we hardly saw any, no giraffes, rhinos,tigers,lions. The only highlight was seeing an elephant being watered with a hose and that was as we where leaving as we where very tired and disappointed. It was a very expensive weekend away with not too many good memories.

The zoo was absolutely packed, yet the animals were missing 😳 no lions, no tigers, no rhino, all big cats missing apart from a jaguar which was 500m away and not even black 🙄
A few Pigs and a zebra only on ‘island’ area.

The gardening is overdue as all enclosures are overgrown and not maintained so unable to see if there is an animal.

See a sign saying 3 minute walk but walk for 15m and still nothing… then 20min later you reach the destination with no animal, there was no snow leopard. No cheetah, nothing.

The cafe experience was a disaster. Everyone complaining outside the cafe about the service being slow and orders being forgotten.

It should be illegal to sell tickets to the zoo if there are animals missing, it should be advertised clearly that there will be no big cats. You just walk around the overgrown landscape looking at pictures of animals.

Not even kangaroos.

Stay away, save your money, save your day and go somewhere else.

This is a place where you walk for hours and hours expecting to see animals , but can see only areas with names of animals ,and vacant spaces. Everything inside is super expensive .1 bubble maker for £22.And to make your little one happy ,people are forced to buy it. NEVER back again. Plenty of free car parking is available ,which is the only good thing felt.

Chester zoo is a good zoo but need to highlight the zoned area on the pathways , then your not going back where you have already been

So disappointed with the lack of animals in their enclosures and the entry fee costs. Paying nearly £100 including lunch and petrol to get there. For 2 pensioners that is very expensive to be completely disappointed with our what should have been a social day out.
Definitely won’t go back or recommend it. 3 star was generous

The food was very bad. Just cold and messy a little amount and super expensive. I honestly felt offended. But the staff had an overall okay manner.

We recently stayed at The Reserve at Chester Zoo and had an absolutely fantastic experience from start to finish. The accommodation was beautifully presented, modern, spotless, and incredibly comfortable. You can really see the attention to detail throughout the whole stay.

The staff were welcoming, friendly, and went above and beyond to make us feel looked after. Everything felt relaxed, well organised, and family friendly whilst still offering a unique and memorable experience.

One of the best parts was the connection to Chester Zoo itself. Waking up surrounded by nature and wildlife made the stay feel really special and unlike a normal hotel visit. The atmosphere was peaceful, calming, and perfect for switching off.

Food and facilities were excellent, and the overall experience exceeded expectations. We would highly recommend The Reserve to anyone looking for something different, whether for a family trip, a couple’s getaway, or simply a relaxing break.

The only thing I would say is that it is expensive at times. For example, having a second “welcome drink” cost £16.50, which did feel quite pricey. However, I do appreciate that the money made helps support the zoo and its conservation work, which makes it easier to justify.

Overall, we had an amazing stay and will definitely be returning.

i my wife and daughter went to the reserve restaraunt chester zoo, for sunday lunch, it was fabulous, i and my wife had roast beef, my daughter had pork, absolutely delicious, once we finished the main course their was no room for a sweet, i would like to thank the chef and kitchen team for excellent meal and presentation, also the staff who served us, very pleasant and delightful, surroundings/restaraunt five star. will definetly return. highly recommended

Expensive day out, half the animals were not out, viewing galleries not equipped for the amount of people visiting, best section elephants but thats about it. Shame really, wouldnt be returning any time soon...

I have been a member of Chester Zoo for nearly 3 years. But having lived in Chester all my life (over 64 years)I have been a regular visitor and observed it's renovations.
As commented by many visitors the range of animals and the quality of care is incredible. But yes for a one day family experience it can be very expensive.
However for a family with toddlers a tears membership it is relatively inexpensive.
Myfavourites with our grand children are the butterfly house, the penguins and the bat house. Oh and the meerkat tunnels! A packed lunch is advisable.

Sadly but probably inevitably was the removal if the monorail, especially as the zoo us so large now it is difficult to get around in one day.
Two things that would improve the experience
1. Numbers/letters or maps to help navigate your way back to your car. I know we have apps on our phone...but if excited, busy with children or forgetful...it us so easy to not remember where the car us. The only support from the zoo are large area zones...A B C or D
2. Lack of fresh water facilities.

Visited on the 27.03.2026 to take part in a Experience booking to feed the penguins!! One of the most enjoyable things i have ever done!! From the minute we arrived at Experience HQ and were met by our amazing guide Naomi who made the start of this birthday gift wonderful!! It was for my birthday and my daughter accompanied me and we had the best time!! Naomi escorted us to the exhibit and handed us over to an equally amazing colleague named Ellie. What a wonderful experience and Ellie's knowledge of each of the 64 penguins was fascinating!! Would happily book to do this again!! Huge thank you to Naomi and Ellie whose enthusiasm, kindness and friendly manner made our day (along with the penguins being awesome too)! Thank you!!

Chester Zoo used to be a great zoo. Sure, it's still the largest in the UK. And while I understand this come with general overheads and conservation costs, the ticket prices are steep. However, for a day out, I accepted paying them in advance. It was only after a 90 minute drive when they tell you upon arrival that certain areas are closed, 'Sorry for the inconvenience', but curiously no mention of this on their app or site when you book online.

Then comes the food charges. These are beyond extortionate, they're criminal. One plain pretzel was £6.50!!!!!! It would have been a rip of at half that price! And with regular sized vanilla latte (which I didn't taste any vanilla), and one bottle of water, £14.95!!!! This is just daylight robbery and a betrayal of paying customers good will. You know full well that when people are onsite they're going to pay for food and drink. While I can expect some mild exploitation here as you would expect at say a service station on the motorway, this prices are sickeningly insulting and beyond any level of reason. It's literally just fleecing people for the sake of it because you can. Disgusting behaviour from an institution that proclaims to support conservationism and relies on the goodwill of its visitors. I will never come back here again, not unless you slash food and drinks prices by at least 50% of your current rates.

And lastly, I asked for some food when I got here at 10am, the staff said, 'Sorry we don't serve those items until 11:30am', but the board behind them makes no mention of this.

Terrible.

With these prices I bet someone high up, the owners of the park, are lining their pockets and feathering their nests nicely!

Never again.

Last time.

And I urge others not to visit here lest they want to take out a small loan to cover the experience.

Oh one other thing, to top it off, many of the enclosures are empty and devoid of actual animals. Great day out so far.

Stayed in the Reserve for 2 nights 3 days, what a magnificent experience. From the moment we arrived the staff were attentive, helpful and genuinely pleasant. They very obviously enjoy working here. The accommodation was spacious, luxurious and everything catered for. Food on the restaurant was exceptional and a great choice. Only tiny comment, it took an hour to fill the outside bath but boy was it worth the wait. Imagine relaxing in a hit bath after a long day walking watching the Giraffes doing their stuff. The individual experiences were great and the keepers are so enthusiastic and knowledgeable on their field (and beyond). We learnt so much about the conservation work being done, all with the welfare of the animals at the absolute heart. We had a lot of time with many but Poppy and Rachel stood out for us. But everyone, without exception, was excellent. The waiting staff were a little slow but obviously new to the place and learning their skills, that did not cause us a problem in the slightest. It was a lot of money but absolutely worth every penny. I booked for my daughters and myself as an Xmas present and we were not disappointed. A very special treat and the nearest i will get to a safari. Feeding the giraffes 🦒 was the absolute highlight such magnificent beautiful animals. Thank you all, im saving already for a return visit with my Fiancée.

We had a half term visit to Chester zoo but also managed to get a lodge at the Reserve. The whole experience from check in to check out was perfect. The accommodation was stunning. The food good. And the two days at the zoo did not disappoint. Every staff member went over and above to make us welcome and they were so helpful. In particular I would like to mention Theo who was looking after the snow leopards. This lovely man was so knowledgeable with his facts and information. He did not stalk us out just gently approached to tell us about the animals. Such a charming young man. John who was with the rodents also knew everything there was to know about his area.
We will definitely visit again perhaps in better weather!

A wet day on 6th Feb 2026 so many animals stayed in their shelters/bedrooms. We saw about one third of the animals signposted so very disappointing.
Maybe the zoo could offer cheaper prices on wet days? £78 for two adults was way too expensive for such a poor showing of animals.