Updated for September 2026
The Best Zoos in Ireland
How this list is ordered: by how complete our listing is — how much we hold on opening hours, ticket prices, accreditation, photographs, animals and facilities. It is a measure of our own coverage, not a judgement of the venue. We hold no visitor scores or conservation assessments, so “best” here means every zoo in Ireland that qualifies for the list, fullest entry first.
Listed alphabetically
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Keeper talk or showOn-site diningParking
Dublin Zoo
Zoo in Dublin
Decimus Burton drew up the design in 1830 and the gates opened a year afterwards. The grounds run to more than 28 hectares (69 acres) within Phoenix Park. Sea Lion Cove, Family Farm, Orangutan Forest, Gorilla Rainforest, the African Savanna and Wolves in the Woods are among the habitats.
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Keeper talk or showRides and attractionsParking
Fota Wildlife Park
Zoo in Cork
It opened in 1983 as an independently funded non-profit charity, and several of its sections are laid out by habitat and region. In 2017 it drew 455,559 visitors, ranking eleventh among Ireland's paid attractions that year.
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Indoor spacesAssistance animal policy
Tropical World @ Alcorns
Zoo
Tropical World @ Alcorns is a zoo in Ireland. Animals on show include Lorikeets, Turacos, lemurs, racoons and meerkats.
Our ranking methodology
This is not a ranking. The 3 venues above are listed alphabetically by name, the same order used throughout this site. We do not collect visitor reviews, star ratings, ticket-sales figures or a conservation-impact score, so none of those exist here to rank by — “best” in this page’s title means every venue that qualifies for this list, not first-to-last by quality. If we ever add a data source robust enough to support an honest ranking, this note and the order above will change together.