Updated for September 2026
The Best Zoos in metropolitan France
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 metropolitan France that qualifies for the list, fullest entry first.
Listed alphabetically
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On-site diningParking
Bioparc de Doué la Fontaine
Zoo in Doué-en-Anjou
Bioparc de Doué la Fontaine, opened in 1961, is a zoo in France. Its exhibits include Le Camp des girafes, Le Cratère des carnivores and La Grande volière sud-américaine.
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Guided tourOn-site diningParking
Parc Zoologique de CERZA
Zoo in Hermival-les-Vaux
Parc Zoologique de CERZA, opened in 1986, is a zoo in France. Animals on show include rhinocéros indien, guépards du nord, tigres de Sumatra, siamangs and babiroussas.
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Keeper talk or showBehind-the-scenes tour
Zoo de Mulhouse
Zoo in Mulhouse
The plant collection numbers 3,500 species and varieties, 837 of them woody, and includes eighteen notable trees dating from an 1867 planting by the landscape gardener Geiger Père. Serbian spruce, western red cedar and Japanese cedar are among the specimens. Founded in 1868 by a group of industrialists under Charles Thierry-Mieg fils, it passed through the Société industrielle before the town took it over in 1893, and is now run by the Mulhouse Alsace Agglomération authority, with the vet Benoît Quintard in charge since 2024.
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Animal feeding experienceBehind-the-scenes tourNight and evening opening
Zoo d’Amnéville
Zoo in Amnéville
Despite its name, the zoo actually stands in the neighbouring commune of Hagondange. About 2,000 animals of 360 species, gorillas and orangutans among them, are kept on 18 hectares. It opened in 1986 with strong backing from the mayor, Jean Kiffer.
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Keeper talk or showBehind-the-scenes tourNight and evening opening
Asson Zoo
Zoo in Asson
Created in 1964, the park holds about 500 animals of roughly 100 species on five hectares. Animals on show include panthère des neiges, tigre blanc, lémuriens, kangourous and chauves-souris géantes.
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Keeper talk or showPlaygroundOn-site dining
Domaine zoologique de Pescheray
Zoo in Le Breil-sur-Mérize
Founded in 1974, it ranks second among the zoos of the Sarthe by visitor numbers. The site also hosts a medico-social facility providing sheltered employment.
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Keeper talk or show
Espace zoologique de La Boissière-du-Doré
Zoo in La Boissière-du-Doré
As of 2025 the park shows over 120 species and close to 1,100 animals across 28 hectares. It has been run since 2008 by Sébastien Laurent, the son of the founders.
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Education programParking
La planète des Crocodiles
Zoo in Civaux
La planète des Crocodiles is a zoo in Civaux, France.
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Keeper talk or showBehind-the-scenes tour
La Vallée des Singes
Zoo in Romagne
The Dutchman Wim Mager founded it in 1998, 27 years after starting Apenheul. Primates live on planted islands with paths running among them, and roughly 30 species are shown, from the pygmy marmoset up to the gorilla, along with mandrill, lemurs, chimpanzee, colobus, squirrel monkey, titi, woolly monkey and spider monkey.
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Behind-the-scenes tourDisability admission concession
Labenne's zoo
Zoo in Labenne
Labenne's zoo is a zoo in Labenne, France. Animals on show include Lynx, Loups, Zèbres, Lémuriens and Flamants.
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Palmyre Zoo
Zoo in Les Mathes
Eighteen hectares in a seaside resort are hemmed in by the Coubre and Combots d'Ansoine forests. The park was founded in 1966 by Claude Caillé and remains in his family's ownership, chaired by his son Patrick Caillé and directed by his grandson Pierre Caillé.
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Keeper talk or showEducation programOn-site dining
Parc animalier de Courzieu
Zoo in Courzieu
Jean-Pierre Vidal set the park up in 1980. Earlier collections were of European mammals and then of threatened domestic breeds; the focus now falls on wolves and birds of prey, day and night species alike, and snails are kept as well. Individual snails carry nicknames such as "Jacky la grosse coquille" and "Dédé aux antennes".
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Animal feeding experienceOvernight stayBehind-the-scenes tour
Parc animalier de Gramat
Zoo in Gramat
The park has been receiving visitors since May 1980. It is run by an association for the study and protection of the fauna and flora of the Causse, set up for the purpose in 1976, and belongs to the French zoo park association AFDPZ.
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Guided tourPicnic areaParking
Parc animalier de Merlet
Zoo in Les Houches
The collection specialises in Alpine wildlife. François, an ibex who had been mascot for twelve years and had a following on social media, died of old age in December 2023.
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Overnight stayBehind-the-scenes tourNight and evening opening
Parc du Reynou
Zoo in Le Vigen
Opened on 1 July 1997, the park covers over 60 hectares and holds more than 600 animals drawn from five continents. The range runs from pygmy marmosets, the smallest of the monkeys, to Rothschild's giraffes, with many cats and birds besides.
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Rides and attractionsParking
Parc Phœnix
Zoo in Nice
Parc Phœnix, opened in 1990, is a zoo in Nice, France. Animals on show include ouistitis à pinceaux, flamants roses, carpes koi, crocodiles and ouistitis.
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Behind-the-scenes tourOn-site diningParking
Parc zoologique de Bordeaux Pessac
Zoo in Pessac
Parc zoologique de Bordeaux Pessac is a zoo in Pessac, France. Animals on show include jaguars, loriquets and lémuriens.
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Animal encounterKeeper talk or show
Parc zoologique de Plaisance du Touch
Zoo in Plaisance-du-Touch
Founded in 1970 by Patricia and Jean-Marc Toniutti and renamed in 1990, the park covers 20 hectares following a 2014 extension. It holds 600 animals of 80 species and averaged 157,000 visitors a year over 2005 to 2015.
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Keeper talk or showOn-site diningWheelchair accessible routes
Reptilarium du Larzac
Zoo in Sainte-Eulalie-de-Cernon
Reptilarium du Larzac, opened in 2005, is a zoo in Sainte-Eulalie-de-Cernon, France. Animals on show include Python, Tortues géantes, Crocodiles, Iguanes and Varans.
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Réserve Zoologique de Calviac
Zoo in Calviac-en-Périgord
Open since 3 August 2008, it shows 45 severely threatened species across four wooded hectares. The species were selected according to the threats they face in the wild; the northern bald ibis, for one, is close to disappearing throughout its range.
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Overnight stayGuided tour
Safari de Peaugres
Zoo in Peaugres
Opened in 1974 by Paul de La Panouse, the park stretches across 80 hectares and holds roughly 1,000 animals of 127 species. It is owned by Groupe Thoiry Participations, whose capital is split between Ekkio Capital, the La Panouse family and three other investment funds. The same owner holds Thoiry, Zoo Santo Inacio in Portugal and the château du Colombier.
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Keeper talk or showOn-site diningParking
Touroparc Zoo
Zoo in Romanèche-Thorins
Founded in 1961 by René Livet, the park covers 12 hectares and holds about 700 animals of 140 species. It ranked sixth among the most visited attractions in its region in 2016.
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Keeper talk or show
Zoo de la Bourbansais
Zoo in Pleugueneuc
The zoo shows over 500 animals on 10 hectares and joins 21 European breeding programmes. It belongs to EAZA, to the national zoo association ANPZ and to the leisure-attractions body SNELAC. It was started in 1965 by Régis de Lorgeril and Josette Barbezat, within the grounds of the château.
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Child friendlyBehind-the-scenes tour
Zoo de Maubeuge
Zoo in Maubeuge
Opened in 1955, the zoo holds over 300 animals in more than 70 species on seven hectares, at the foot of ramparts Vauban built in the 17th century. Species rare both in the wild and in captivity include Sri Lankan leopard, Asiatic lion, Sumatran tiger, hippopotamus and spectacled bear.
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Animal encounterBehind-the-scenes tour
Zoodyssée
Zoo in Villiers-en-Bois
The park lies in the Chizé forest in Deux-Sèvres, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, and shows over 800 animals of 77 species across 34 wooded hectares. It is managed by the Deux-Sèvres departmental council within its science and nature division.
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Keeper talk or showOn-site diningParking
ZooParc de Beauval
Zoo in St. Aignan
Roughly 35,000 animals are shown across 45 hectares. The park was created in 1980 by Françoise Delord; her son Rodolphe Delord now heads it and the family holds most of the capital. It is frequently the first park in the country to display particular animals.
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Animal encounterBehind-the-scenes tourEducation program
Château of Thoiry
Zoo in Thoiry
Château of Thoiry, opened in 1965, is a zoo in Thoiry, France. Animals on show include loups arctiques, tapir, kangourou roux and vari roux.
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Keeper talk or showPlayground
Espace zoologique de Saint-Martin-la-Plaine
Zoo in Saint-Martin-la-Plaine
Opened in 1972 by Pierre and Éliane Thivillon, who still own it, it was the first zoo and refuge to take in seized or abandoned animals. Its earliest gorillas came from private hands and rescues. Western lowland gorillas and chimpanzees serve as the site's emblem animals.
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Haute Touche Zoological Park
Zoo in Obterre
436 hectares of woods, grassland and ponds make it one of the five biggest zoological parks in France, with about 100 hectares open to visitors. Close to 120 species are kept, among them Eld's deer, sambar, Barasingha, hog deer, addax, timneh parrot and Nubian ibex.
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La Serre aux papillons
Zoo in La Queue-les-Yvelines
Billed as the largest butterfly greenhouse in France, the site has been open since 1989 and draws around 60,000 visitors a year. Hundreds of butterflies fly loose through the greenhouse, so visitors walk among them rather than viewing them behind glass as in most animal parks. In 2013 it ranked as the eighth most-visited site in the Yvelines, Versailles excluded, with school parties, families, associations and photographers among its audience.
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Rides and attractionsBehind-the-scenes tourParking
Les terres de Nataé
Zoo in Quéven
The park was started in 1973 by Pierre and Maguy Thomas and sold in 2017 to Sauveur Ferrara. It shut in December 2019 after a sale agreement with Rewild, an anti-captivity alliance that planned a wildlife rehabilitation centre. Following liquidation ordered by the Lorient commercial court, the bid from Sébastien Musset's Breizh Park was chosen.
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Rides and attractionsNight and evening opening
Parc animalier d'Auvergne
Zoo in Ardes
The park sits at 750 m altitude in the Cézallier massif in Puy-de-Dôme, covering 45 hectares with 400 animals of more than 65 species. Rare and threatened species arriving in 2018 included snow leopard, red panda, Asiatic black bear, takin and Thorold's deer. Hog deer were added in 2019.
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Guided tourOn-site diningNight and evening opening
Parc animalier de Sainte-Croix
Zoo in Rhodes
Some 130 hectares hold over 1,500 animals of 130 species along four trails. European wildlife is the main focus, with deer, bears, lynx, bison, several wolf packs and vultures, alongside lemurs, red pandas and red-cheeked gibbons.
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Rides and attractionsBehind-the-scenes tourEducation program
Parc de l'Auxois
Zoo in Arnay-sous-Vitteaux
Parc de l'Auxois is a zoo in Arnay-sous-Vitteaux, France. Animals on show include lémuriens, loups du Canada, ratons laveurs, ours and pandas roux.
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Keeper talk or showBehind-the-scenes tour
Parc des Oiseaux
Zoo in Villars-les-Dombes
More than 3,000 birds from across the world are kept within a 380-hectare reserve in the Dombes, of which 35 hectares are open to the public. Average annual attendance is 250,000. It ranks among the oldest bird parks in France.
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Behind-the-scenes tour
Parc zoologique de Champrepus
Zoo in Champrepus
The landscaped site covers 10 hectares. It is managed by Yves and Jacques Lebreton, grandsons of the founder. Things to do include Soigneur d’un jour Émotion and Soigneur d’un jour Sensation.
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Keeper talk or showBehind-the-scenes tourOn-site dining
Parc zoologique de Jurques
Zoo in Dialan sur Chaîne
Parc zoologique de Jurques is a zoo in Dialan sur Chaîne, France. Animals on show include Lion, Girafe, Tigre de Sybérie, Capybara and Panda Roux.
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On-site diningSensory and cognitive supportWheelchair accessible routes
Parc Zoologique de Lille
Zoo in Lille
Parc Zoologique de Lille, opened in 1950, is a zoo in France. Animals on show include panda roux, wallaby de Parma, tapir terrestre, binturong and chat de Pallas.
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Keeper talk or showParking
Parc zoologique des Sables d'Olonnes
Zoo in Les Sables-d'Olonne
The zoo covers three hectares and holds roughly 500 animals across about 50 species. It opens from February through December and draws some 154,000 people a year.
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Animal encounterParking
Paris Zoological Park
Zoo in Paris
The purpose is the study of animal behaviour in captivity and the breeding of threatened species for release back in their native ranges. The 65-metre artificial rock drew notice from the start and later entered the park's logo.
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Keeper talk or showPicnic area
Planète Sauvage
Zoo in Port-Saint-Père
Founded in 1992 by Monique and Dany Laurent, and carrying a safari name until 1998, the park covers about 85 hectares with roughly 1,100 animals of 120 species. It splits into a drive-through safari and a walking area holding one of only two dolphinariums in mainland France, with bottlenose dolphins. Compagnie des Alpes operated it for a decade from 2005 to 2015, and it has since been owned by Looping Group, whose main shareholder is PAI Partners.
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Keeper talk or showDisability admission concession
Zoo and Botanical Garden of Branféré
Zoo in Le Guerno
Zoo and Botanical Garden of Branféré, opened in 1965, is a zoo in Le Guerno, France. Animals on show include Girafe de Nubie, Hapalémur du lac Alaotra, Rhinocéros indien, Panda roux and gibbons.
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Keeper talk or show
Zoo de La Flèche
Zoo in La Flèche
Founded in 1946 by the naturalist Jacques Bouillault, the zoo claims 1,500 animals of 160 species over 18 hectares. It has been owned since 2017 by Looping Group, whose main shareholder is the Abu Dhabi fund Mubadala.
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Behind-the-scenes tourGuided tour
Zoo du Bassin d'Arcachon
Zoo in La Teste-de-Buch
The park covers 22 hectares, laid out around a visitor route of some four kilometres.
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PlaygroundOn-site dining
Zoo La Barben
Zoo in Aix-en-Provence
It is the closest zoo to the city of Marseille. The château de La Barben belonged to the Forbin family, and the animal park was created by the Forbin-La Barben family together with the Pons family, one providing the funds and the passion and the other the management skill.
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Keeper talk or showChild friendlyBehind-the-scenes tour
Bois d'Attilly
Zoo in Férolles-Attilly
Bois d'Attilly is a zoo in Férolles-Attilly, France. Animals on show include Girafes, Lions, Hippopotames, Chimpanzés and Suricates.
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La Ferme aux crocodiles
Zoo in Pierrelatte
Luc and Eric Fougeirol set it up in 1994. It is made up of an 8,000 m2 tropical glasshouse and a 4,000 m2 outdoor circuit, showing twelve of the twenty-three recognised crocodilian species alongside squamates, birds and tropical fish. Four species native to French territory are kept: spectacled caiman and green anaconda from Guyane, plus European pond turtle and cattle egret from the mainland.
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Assistance animal policy
Parc zoologique de Montpellier
Zoo in Montpellier
Founded in 1964, it now shows about 170 animals of 29 species across 80 hectares, and is owned and funded entirely by the municipality. It lies in the Hôpitaux-Facultés quarter, in the Aiguelongue sub-district, within the Lunaret park, which also contains the Lez nature reserve. Marine Baconnais has led it since early 2023.
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Guided tourNight and evening opening
Réserve africaine de Sigean
Zoo in Sigean
The reserve claims over 3,800 animals of at least 160 species on 300 hectares, made up of more than 2,000 birds, 900 mammals and 900 reptiles. It lies west of the Berre river and south of the coastal lagoons. It is run on a semi-free-range model intended to let the animals keep near-wild social behaviour.
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Behind-the-scenes tourOn-site dining
Zooparc de Trégomeur
Zoo in Trégomeur
The park is owned by the Côtes-d'Armor department. Its stated mission is to conserve species and to show animals within their ecosystem.
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Cleres Zoological Park
Zoo in Clères
The park is owned by the Seine-Maritime departmental council. It is listed as a natural site, while the castle buildings that preceded it carry historic monument protection.
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Keeper talk or show
Parc Argonne Découverte
Zoo in Olizy
Animal displays are seen on a self-guided visit, while keeper-led sessions include wolf feeding, a bird show, the Théâtre du Vivant and the Petite Ferme. Among the play activities is a large treetop trampoline called the Hamac à Bonds.
More in metropolitan France
View all metropolitan France listingsZoos nearby
Our ranking methodology
This is not a ranking. The 57 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.