Chester Zoo

There is alot to see and do here so have a plan of what you want to tick off as its just too big for a day.

The layout is well designed and staff very helpful.

Fyi some of the animals maybe hidden away or sleeping but still plenty of others to entertain you.

Worth taking few water bottles with you as waiting in line at some of the shops is a bit of a pain.

i think that chester zoo is a fantastic family day out. some people have complained about the shrubbery in the enclosures but i think that adds to the excitement. my two children both found it entertaining looking closely for the animals in their enclosures and the whole family had a great day out. the zoo is large and therefore takes all day to walk around so in my opinion, the entry price is good value. i do also agree that the animal enclosures are great and are of good size and are fair to the animals. chester zoo also contributes to good animal welfare and i think the staff are very friendly. overall, a GREAT day out!!

I found the zoo a let down there was loads off toilets the side where there chimpanzee and the butterfly elephant side was.but the side where the bats and the meerkats ar there was no toilets my daughter is 6 and I couldn't find a toilet any where we walked for 5 mins and couldn't find one in the end she had accident and it spoilt ar day.and she was so imbarrissed

We took out yearly membership back in May 2014 for me, my wife and our daughter. Having now been there at least 5 times this year this for us has been fantastic value for money. Sometimes we only go for a couple of hours but this is the great thing. Our daughter is only nearly two years old but she has had a few nice experiences from doing this. I am really looking forward to the new "Islands at Chester Zoo" experience that will hopefully be opening next year as I think that this will further enhance the experience at the Zoo.

The downside that I have felt was last nights Christmas Lantern Walk. This was £9.99 each (our daughter was free as under 3 years old) which included a warm winter drink (a rather small cup of hot chocolate) and a short walk around the park. This walk was nicely lit with very pretty lights however I would have expected a few more 'animal-related' lights. There were a few near the manor house but that was it. Also got to "see" Father Christmas. Plenty of Elves walking around the park entertaining the children which was a nice touch do I did feel a little ripped off as there weren't any animals to see. (Elephants you could see and the Bats, but that was it)

Overall - I love Chester Zoo and will visit again whilst I've got my membership but I don't think I would waste my money on the Lantern Walk again.

The place was a complete let down for my me and my family. The Zoo claims to be the biggest in England, which may be true based on its size. However there were only a handful of animals and tigers and leopards were no where to be seen. I spent £99 on tickets to visit this dismal place and was constantly being pestered by the staff for a photo shoot. On the other hand, I have been to Knowsley safari park which is much better and cheaper for a great family day out. DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY ON CHESTER ZOO!

Chester Zoo is definitely a great way of spending the day, especially if you have young children! The size of the zoo means that you can easily fill the day looking through the huge selection of animals housed there. There are also several activity areas for children so I would certainly be confident that on a sunny day your kids will love it! The main downfall like most attractions like this is the quality and price of food on site. Their basic typical selection of low quality burgers or hotdogs with chips at astronomical prices is something that tends to aggravate me when on days out at such places. That aside though baring in mind the selection of animals and attractions, I would definitely recommend, although I would probably advise bringing a packed lunch if you are a fan of edible food! For those brave enough there is a bat cave! Yes, you literally walk through a dark cave with hundreds of bats flying past your head at speed! In summary, a great venue for a day out with a poor selection of food options. As long as you are prepared for that you will not be disappointed!

I've been to many zoo's in the UK and this is by FAR my favourite. They really seem to care about animal welfare and it's great to see how much space they have. The lions enclosure could be improved though... they seem to have the least space!

I understand that the shruberry makes it difficult for children to see but it is there to reduce stress for the animals and degree studies have proved that the shrus reduce the animals' dtress by 70%. The elephant enclosure here is probably one of the best in the UK and I am doing a zoology degree so I know. I understand that if you pay you want to see animals but the shrubs and platforms away from viewing areas help the animals cope much better imagine having children screaming in your face all day long 7 days a week

Some enclosures had nothing at all in them but you didn't find this out until you had trekked to them.

Hedges etc so high that at 5'2" even i couldn't see anything let alone children.

They should not have elephants as the enclosure is just too small.

Some animals alone in enclosures with nothing (it seemed to me anyway) to amuse them.

Overall we just felt disapointed that we went to a zoo but saw very little animals-and yes I know that sounds ridiculous!

I thought Chester Zoo was lovely. Starting the day with a free shuttle bus to and from the train station was excellent and the driver was very friendly.

Booking online made sure there was no queuing and also gave a small discount but there really was no real queue at all.

The animal enclosures where great, people saying they were over grown are just silly as it obviously better for the animals to have more shrubery than just cast into a small enclosure.

Well worth the money as it took hours to explore and the selection of animals was great. The new baby elephant was beautiful.

The conservation at the zoo shows how great it is as they encourage breeding of endangered animals and many of the animals have been born at the zoo unlike other animal attractions I have visited. They even recycle.

The spectical bear was a favourite and had a lovely enclosure.

The staff were friendly and the talks were fun and educational especially the tiger and penguin talk.

Great day out.

Will visit again.