Edinburgh Zoo - what's at the top of the steepest hill EVER?

🐅🐆🐒🐧🐨🐼

First of all, I should mention that the weather was freakishly warm on the day we visited.  We travelled by car (me and the kids in one car; my mum, sis & bro in another) and when we got there the carpark (normally £4) was free...fab! Or so we thought!  The car park was heaving and as it's a one way system, we ended up in a queue of harassed drivers, while an equally harassed woman tried to successfully execute a reverse park 😒...35 minutes later and said woman finally makes it into the space - you can practically hear the collective sigh of relief!  We decided to leave the car park of doom and easily found a spot at a business park across the street (see map). 

We joined the small queue and were in within 5 mins.  The zoo is a great family day out - there's loads of animals to see:  lions, tigers, koalas, and giraffes to name a few.  Unfortunately the big cats were nowhere to be seen on the day of our visit (probably due to the 30°C heat) but there was still loads to see.  My kids adored the Giant Pandas and the flamingos but for me, the penguins were by far the best - if you don't believe me, check out their live-cam on the link below:

Live Penguin Cam | RZSS Edinburgh Zoo | Edinburgh Zoo

The zoo is very hilly so be warned!  The last time we visited there were lots of dinosaurs at the top of - what feels like - the world's steepest hill; so despite moans of tired legs from the kids, we decided we would take it on 👌  And after a trek that felt worthy of an Olympic gold, we eventually made it to the summit...only to be greeted by a bench and a portaloo - not an animal in sight!!! 😂

Speaking of benches, there's plenty of seating areas and food kiosks dotted throughout; although I'd advise bringing a picnic as there's lots of space!  There are also a couple of parks, which are great for younger children.  Overall, it was a great day out enjoyed by all!

Family rating:  

⭐⭐⭐

Check out some essential info below:

Is there anything else you'd like to know or have you had a recent visit and have any tips? If so drop me a comment and let me know your thoughts 😘  

Useful links:

Online booking:  Book your zoo tickets here

Zoo Map:  Edinburgh Zoo Map

If you like what you see, give it a share and remember to check out my other blogs for more useful tips on your favourite days out:

M&Ds Scotland's Theme Park

Troon Beach

Blair Drummond Safari Park