Barcelona Zoo

A large hunk of the Parc de la Ciutadella is taken up with the city's zoo. Until recently, the main attraction was Copito de Nieve (Snowflake), the only albino gorilla in captivity in the world. He died of skin cancer in 2003, but left behind a large family of children and grandchildren, none of whom fortunately (or unfortunately for the scientific world) inherited his condition. Despite losing its star attraction, there are still plenty of other reasons to visit Barcelona's Zoo, and one is the pleasant (at least for humans) leafy garden setting itself. Many of the enclosures are barless and the animals kept in place via a moat. This seems humane until you realize how much running space the creatures actually have at their disposal on their "islands." To be fair, Barcelona's Zoo is probably a lot more progressive than many other zoos on the continent and unless you are of the firm belief that there is no such thing as a "good" zoo, you, and especially children, will delight at the mountain goats, llamas, lions, bears, hippos, huge primate community, and dozens of other species. There are also a dolphin show and sizable reptile enclosure and an exhibition on the extinction of gorillas in Snowflake's memory; from the time he was captured in Equatorial Guinea in 1966 through his rise to celebrity status and the city's mascot.

Open Hours

10a-5p M-Su (Oct-Feb), 10a-6p M-Su (Mar), 10a-7p M-Su (Apr & Sep), 9a-8p M-Su (May-Aug)

Prices Admission

13€ ($15) adults, 8.20€ ($9.40) students and children 3-12

Location

Parc de la Ciutadella, La Ribera

Transportation

Metro: Ciutadella or Arc de Triomf

URL: http://www.zoobarcelona.com/ZOO_Barcelona/English...

E-mail: zooclub@bsmsa.es

Address: Parc de la Ciutadella, s/n Barcelona, CT 08003 Spain, 08003
Telephone: 34 932 256 780
Fax: 34 932 213 853