Koalas and pygmy hippos
The headliners since the pandas left; the koala house keeps restricted hours, so ask at admissions.
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There have been no pandas here since December 2023, and that is the first thing to know before you buy a ticket. The pair that made Edinburgh Zoo the talk of Britain for twelve years went back to China, yet the zoo remains a family half-day that earns its price. It spreads across roughly 82 acres of the wooded slopes of Corstorphine Hill, three miles west of the centre, and has been run by the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland since it opened in 1913. Today's headliners are the koalas, pygmy hippos, giraffes, sloths, chimpanzees and rhinos, plus a large penguin colony you look down on from a raised walkway. What the photos do not tell you: the zoo is a genuine hill. From the gate to the top it is a steady climb, and the side paths have steps and steep gradients. With a pushchair, plan to go up first thing and drift down after lunch, or use the free mobility vehicle that carries one pushchair or wheelchair and four passengers up and back; ask for it at admissions, because demand is heavy in the summer holidays. One detail that matters to Arab families: there is a dedicated quiet building next to the flamingos with a multi-faith room suitable for prayer and a baby care room with a small kitchen for warming milk, which is rare at a British attraction. Three honest caveats. The famous old penguin parade is gone for good; its replacement, the Wee Waddle, in which the birds leave their enclosure on weekend afternoons, is itself postponed indefinitely under avian flu precautions, and the lemur walkthrough was closed at the time of writing, so do not come for either. The third is parking: spaces are limited, cost £5 and fill early in school holidays. Lothian buses 12, 26 and 31 stop right outside the gate and take about twenty minutes from Haymarket. An online adult ticket is £30, a child aged 3 to 15 is £22.50 and under-threes are free (but still need a free ticket); booking ahead saves roughly 10% against the gate. You pick an arrival slot when you book, but you may turn up any time after it and stay until closing; last entry is an hour before closing. The zoo opens every day of the year except Christmas Day: 10:00 to 18:00 from April to September, until 17:00 in March and October, and only until 16:00 from November to February, when Scottish daylight is gone before four, so arrive at opening. Allow three to four hours and expect rain; most of the walking is outdoors, though the indoor animal houses rescue you from the showers.
The headliners since the pandas left; the koala house keeps restricted hours, so ask at admissions.
A vast pool watched from a raised walkway, though the old parade is gone and its successor, the Wee Waddle, is postponed under avian flu rules.
A quiet building by the flamingos with a multi-faith room and a small kitchen for warming milk, rare at a British sight.
134 Corstorphine Road, Edinburgh EH12 6TS
Honestly, no. The castle, the Royal Mile and the climb up Arthur's Seat deserve that time first; the zoo is essentially a family half-day. With children under ten, though, it is the best thing in the city for them.
No on both counts: the pandas returned to China in December 2023, the old parade has been retired for good, and its replacement, the Wee Waddle, is postponed indefinitely under avian flu precautions. The penguins themselves are still there and easy to watch from the raised walkway.