Next week, on the 25th of October, I will be going to Prague. Either by car or by train (not completely sure yet). I plan to visit Prague Zoo on either the 26th or 27th (or both?) and I also plan to visit Plzen Zoo on either the 28th or 29th (or both?) (and I could possibly also visit on the 30th, but not all three days in a row). I intend to write my thoughts on both zoos in this thread, but I wanted to post it early to ask for any advice on either collection. Is there anything that I should be aware of to get the most out of either place? Particularly rare species that are easily missed, how long I need to see either zoo etc. Worth mentioning that this will be my first visit to either place. Thanks for any help
I've never been to either city but apparently both have terrariums in seperate locations to the zoos. The one in Prague is quite well documented by Maguari in the gallery! And to quote TLD, "You lucky bastard!"
Two great zoos, which could easily take up at least two days each. Advice? Beyond the obvious, I'd suggest making contact with Pilsen before going, so as to be able to get behind-the-scenes to see some of the vast rodent (etc) collection, and lots of breeding birds. The Pilsen terrarium is very pleasant, but very small - and I wouldn't sacrifice time in the zoo to see it. Finally, I'd say that these are two zoos which even the non-zooish would enjoy, so try to lure your family along as well.....
If I understand correctly, it still exists - it is merely not open to the public at present, with no word as to whether or not it will re-open for this purpose at some point in the future.
Please be aware that 28th October is national holiday here. On that day, schedule of public transport is different, with far less connections! I think 1 day for each zoo is enough. Enjoy your zoo visits.
Thanks everyone for the speedy replies. And thank you for the warning about public transport on the 28th. In regards to making contact with Pilsen, I'm not sure how easy that will be as a 15 year old who doesn't speak any Czech, but I will think on it/look into it.
If you go by car, you might maybe make a stop at town Lysa nad Labem (30 km northeast from Prague). They have an exhibiton called Exotika Lysá (address is Masarykova 1727, 289 22 Lysá nad Labem) open between 28.10. and 1.11. A large fair presenting exotic animals and plants. Organised by club of local private bird breeders. With parrots, hornbills, pheasants, pigeons, softbills, astrilds, flamingos, ducks and many more. Also snakes, reptiles, fish, rare small mammals, insects, domestic animals. Terarium Praha will be there too, exhibiting many of their animals. You can start smalltalk there with the owner or keepers. Exotika 2015 fair
Very jealous! Will you be providing the usual excellent walkthough with integrated pictures? One day I hope to make a trip to the Czech Republic and visit Prague, Plzen, Zlin and Dvur Kralove. Not anytime soon though!
If it is open from 28.10. to 1.11 it won't be open tomorrow then will it? I think I would struggle to persuade my family to make the stop anyway, but thank you for the suggestion.
That's my plan. Prague and Plzen with be my third and fourth Czech Zoos after Dvur Kralove and Ostrava earlier this year.
Looking forward to your reports, LD. In Prague Zoo there will be a number of areas which will probably need return visits in order to see all of the rarer animals; I can think of the African house, nocturnal area in the Indonesian jungle and some of the bird aviaries (the friarbirds and those catbirds can be very elusive). Fortunately the map is brilliant, so if you get there early one day should be enough. Whilst in Prague you might want to visit Morsky Svet (the larger aquarium, which houses some interesting fish). Perhaps an easier stop would be the small freshwater aquarium with a few tanks in the old town square by the National gallery. Although it's open reasonably late I didn't manage to visit, but if the rest of your group insist on you sightseeing with them, this might be a bit easier to pass through. Plzen is wonderful. If you can make it behind the scenes then it needs a day and a half. Although the main off-show area in the African house would be a priority, you should also try to arrange to see the amphibians in the cave complex (glass windows peer into the breeding room so all is not lost if you don't manage to get inside). I can't think of anything which is particularly well-hidden, but the zoo is so vast that it might be easy to miss an enclosure if you don't walk all the paths. If you do go behind the scenes, make sure you have a good idea of what you'd like to see - if staff are pushed for time they might only be able to offer you a brief, select tour. I find that building to be one of the most exciting in Europe, so I do hope you manage to make the most of it. If you have free time in Plzen then definitely try to go to Akva Terra (their terrarium). It houses a large proportion of the zoo's invertebrate and cold-blooded collections. It is a small building but with a lot of pet shop-style enclosures so there's quite a lot on site. As you can only expect, there are a lot of rarities here too. If you're travelling with parents, it might be best to drop them off at the wonderful Pilsener Urquell brewery (if they're interested) and then spend about an hour at the terrarium.
Looking forward to the reviews LaughingDove, Prague and Pilsen are both amazing zoos, two of the best I've ever explored. You'll ahve a great time. The only exhibits that I thought were kind of hard to find were at Pilsen, in the Australian section (near the entrance, to the right). There were some (maybe two?) indoor exhibits for pademelons and cuscus on one side of a corridor to the bathrooms, which weren't obvious unless you were going to the bathroom, if I'm remmebering correctly. Basically, make sure you go down every path, including around the dinosaurs.
@zooboy28, thanks for the advice. I spent the day in Prague Zoo today (and I plan to go back to the zoo for half a day tomorrow as well), it was really a fantastic zoo. One of the best that I have ever been to in fact. I will write a review and post some pictures when I get back to Warsaw.
I had a great day yesterday seeing the last few bits of Prague Zoo and then visiting the Morsky Svet aquarium. Today, I drove to Pilsen, and after stopping by at my accommodation, I had the afternoon to visit the zoo. I also had a tour of the off show areas which lasted almost two and a half hours (!) and saw many really cool birds, rodents, herps and small mammals held off show. Thanks to those who suggested I contact Plzen Zoo to arrange a behind the scenes tour. It was well worth it. Tomorrow, I will have a second day visiting Plzen Zoo and I will try and fit in a visit to the terrarium but I'm not sure I'll have enough time. The zoo is definitely my priority. Reviews and pictures upon my return to Warsaw.
