Is Helsinki Zoo Worth Visiting?

Yes, if you want cold-climate wildlife rather than an African savanna, and you plan around Helsinki's short winter days. Korkeasaari Zoo keeps 177 species across 22 hectares on its own island. Treat it as a half-day out in winter, when it closes at 4pm, and a longer one in summer, when it stays open until 8pm.

What not to miss

Korkeasaari holds the European studbook, coordinating the continent's breeding programme, for markhors, European forest reindeer and snowy owls. For warmth, its two tropical buildings, Amazonia and Africasia, hold small mammals, amphibians, snakes, birds and fish from the tropics.

Featured location Korkeasaari Zoo Helsinki, Finland WAZA-WP The zoo stands on an island, reached by the Crown Bridges from two mainland districts and by a further bridge from Mustikkamaa.

For something completely different and indoors, Tropicario, on Sturenkatu in Helsinki, calls itself the Nordic region's largest tropical animal facility. It keeps Mikael, a black water monitor lizard born in 2020 through parthenogenesis, a virgin birth that is the only known case of its kind recorded in any zoo worldwide. It also works as an aquarium, with reptiles including spectacled caimans alongside its snake collection.

Best time to visit

Korkeasaari is open every day of the year, but the hours swing a lot by season: 10am-4pm through the winter months, stretching to 10am-8pm in June, July and August. Free entry comes once a month on a Monday from October to March, with the zoo open 10am-4pm and last entry at 3pm on those days. Tropicario keeps flatter hours year-round, 10am-6pm daily, which is worth knowing if Korkeasaari's winter 4pm closing doesn't fit your day.

Tickets and saving money

At Korkeasaari, a day ticket bought at the gate costs about €24 for an adult and €17 for a child aged 4-17, as of September 2026. Buying online in advance, valid for 30 days, is a little cheaper: about €22 for an adult and €15 for a child. If you'll visit more than a couple of times, an annual pass runs about €65 for an adult and €30 for a child, valid for a full year from activation. A Helsinki Card takes a further €2 off an adult ticket and €1 off a child's. Tropicario is simpler: about €17 for an adult, €12 for a child aged 4-14, and €14 for students, pensioners, the unemployed or conscripts.

Getting there

Korkeasaari's transport is mid-change. HSL discontinued the direct bus, line 16, in August 2026, so for now the practical routes are tram line 13 to the Nihti stop, about a 500-metre walk from the entrance, or the Kalasatama metro station, roughly 1.2km away. From 7 November 2026, two new tram lines stop right at the zoo's own stop: line 11 (Pasila-Kalasatama-Korkeasaari-Kruunuvuorenranta) and line 12 (Rautatientori-Hakaniemi-Korkeasaari-Yliskylä). There's no regular ferry to the island, and you can't dock your own boat there either. If you're driving, the zoo has no car park of its own: use the roughly 2,000-space Redi shopping-centre garage, or a small, limited city-run lot at Mustikkamaa.

With kids and accessibility

Korkeasaari's name literally means "high island", and its own accessibility page is upfront that this brings naturally steep ascents, making some central hills hard going in a wheelchair, although every animal can be seen without using stairs. The two tropical houses, Amazonia and Africasia, have automatic doors and are described as mainly accessible, and there are three to five accessible toilets open all year with childcare facilities. Guide dogs aren't allowed, since the zoo counts as a quarantine area, and it doesn't rent out wheelchairs, so bring your own if you need one. There are restaurants, picnic sites and a souvenir shop on the island for a full day out.

a non-profit foundation that aims to conserve endangered species and biodiversity