Updated for September 2026
The Best Zoos in Netherlands
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 Netherlands that qualifies for the list, fullest entry first.
Listed alphabetically
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Artis Zoo
Zoo & Aquarium in Amsterdam
Artis Zoo is a zoo in Amsterdam, North Holland, Kingdom of the Netherlands.
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On-site diningWheelchair accessible routes
Berkenhof 's Tropical Zoo & Vlindertuin
Zoo in Kwadendamme
It opened to visitors in 1994 as an ornamental and fuchsia garden, and was renamed in 1997 as a butterfly garden once a plant and butterfly house had been built. It now offers a tropical garden with about fifty tropical species, a fossil mine, a dinosaur display, a covered play jungle and an outdoor water playground.
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Parking
DierenPark Amersfoort
Zoo in Amersfoort
DierenPark Amersfoort, opened in 1948, is a zoo in Amersfoort. The first carnivore came some while after the opening, and the elephants Indra and Rani arrived in 1956.
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Animal encounterPlayground
Dolfinarium Harderwijk
Zoo & Aquarium in Harderwijk
Across Europe no marine mammal park is larger. Between 2005 and 2011 attendance stayed in a band of 700,000 to 800,000 a year. Takings fell by roughly €2.4 million to €12 million in 2012, a year in which the orca Morgan left and part of the site shut for building work.
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Petting zooRides and attractionsGuided tour
GaiaZOO
Zoo in Kerkrade
The zoo opened in 2005 under the name GaiaPark with about 80 species, and now holds roughly 100.
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Parking
Kasteelpark Born
Zoo in Born
Native deer, sheep and goats are kept alongside rheas, alpacas, porcupines, carnivores and monkeys, and there is a walk-through aviary for parrot species. The park has held a zoo licence since 29 July 2003.
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Playground
Mondo Verde, Landgraaf
Zoo in Landgraaf
The park is laid out on an old slag hill in the Strijthagerbeek valley, within Park Gravenrode.
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Parking
Vogelpark Avifauna
Zoo in Alphen aan den Rijn
The grounds hold planting, ponds, a restaurant and a playground, and the associated hotel stands at their edge.
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PlaygroundOn-site dining
ZooParc Overloon
Zoo in Overloon
The park belongs to the Libéma leisure group and to the Dutch zoo association, and has been licensed as a zoo since 2003. Animals on show include fossa's, leeuwen, luiaards, giraffen and dril.
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Education program
Aquazoo Leerdam
Zoo & Aquarium in Leerdam
Upkeep and management rest with the members of the local aquarium society. Animals on show include haaien, piranha’s, zeesterren, anemoonvissen and discusvissen.
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Petting zooPlaygroundOn-site dining
BestZoo
Zoo in Best
A privately owned zoo holding around 70 species, four of which are covered by European breeding programmes run under EAZA.
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Animal encounter
Dierenpark De Oliemeulen
Zoo in Tilburg
The park opened in 1987 inside an old farmhouse and began as a reptile house alone. It was widened in 1992 to take in mammals such as monkeys and raccoons, along with parrots and raptors.
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Dierenpark Emmen
Zoo in Emmen
Thirteen elephants were on site in 2011, others having been sent elsewhere. The elephants had a large moated island for cows and calves, a smaller one for the bull, and underground indoor quarters.
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PlaygroundOn-site diningRides and attractions
Hof van Eckberge
Zoo in Eibergen
Hof van Eckberge is a zoo in Eibergen. Its exhibits include Reptielenhuis, Novo Mundo, capibaraverblijf and Kinderboerderij.
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Landgoed Hoenderdaell
Zoo in Anna Paulowna
The 64-hectare park lies on a spit between the Lage Oude Veer and the N249, and combines housing, the zoo and large grazers, with 32 of the hectares open to the public. Stichting Leeuw and SOS Dolfijn are based on site.
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Rides and attractionsOn-site diningNight and evening opening
Oceanium
Zoo & Aquarium in Rotterdam
It stands in the zoo's extension zone alongside a new entrance and car park, and was the zoo's largest project up to that point. The surrounding grounds carry displays themed on the Americas, and scientific work on coral conservation is hosted here.
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ParkingAssistance animal policy
Royal Burgers' Zoo
Zoo & Aquarium in Arnhem
Founded in 1913 by Johan Burgers, it houses many of its animals in large recreated habitats under cover. It draws roughly a million visitors a year, from Germany as well as the Netherlands.
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Guided tour
Safaripark Beekse Bergen
Zoo in Hilvarenbeek
The park sits between Tilburg and Hilvarenbeek, with zebras and giraffes on wide savannah areas. Four safari formats are on offer, on foot, by car, by bus and by boat, and visitors may drive their own vehicle through with no barrier between them and the animals.
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Keeper talk or showBehind-the-scenes tourIndoor spaces
Sea Life Scheveningen
Zoo & Aquarium in Scheveningen
The aquarium is part of the Sea Life chain, the world's biggest aquarium operator, with sites in Belgium, Denmark, Germany, England, France, Ireland, Italy and Spain, and further branches in the United States, Asia and Oceania. Sea Life itself sits under Merlin Entertainments Group. The building stands on the seafront boulevard, where a wave pool used to be.
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Van Blanckendaell Park
Zoo in Tuitjenhorn
The park lies between Alkmaar and Schagen and keeps roughly 120 species from around the world. Also on the grounds are a windmill, a restaurant with two playgrounds, a shop at the ticket building, and a museum with a standing display on Dutch history.
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Wildlands
Zoo in Emmen
It replaced the Emmen Zoo when it opened in March 2016, at a construction cost of 200 million euros. The reorganisation brought larger grounds but a smaller collection, down from 300 species to about 100; a 2018 count put the number of animal types at 80 or more. Four zones make up the park: Jungola, Serenga, Nortica and Animazia.
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Artisklas Haarlem
Zoo in Haarlem
The smallest zoo in the Netherlands, it is run by volunteers and keeps non-native species for teaching purposes.
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Rides and attractions
DoeZoo Insektenwereld
Zoo in Leens
The focus is on insects, later widened to insect-eating plants and animals. It operates as a care zoo, where disabled people carry out day activities and supported work.
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Education programOn-site diningParking
Faunapark Flakkee
Zoo in Nieuwe-Tonge
The surrounding Duivenwaardsepolder was farmland growing beet, onions and potatoes. Enclosures ring the grounds, and the work is done by volunteers.
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Child friendlyMobility equipment loanWheelchair accessible routes
Zoo Veldhoven
Zoo in Veldhoven
Many of the animals may be hand-fed, and guided visits are offered.
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Dierenpark Sanjeszoo
Zoo in De Westereen
The Bruinenberg nature museum occupies the first floor of the main building. Since 2020 the zoo has formed a single unit with the neighbouring play park and amusement park.
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ReptielenZOO "SERPO"
Zoo in Delft
It holds the largest collection of snakes in the Netherlands, venomous species included, and the largest of crocodiles. Its work covers teaching, taking in unwanted reptiles and captive breeding.
Our ranking methodology
This is not a ranking. The 29 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.