I'm going to preface this review by first saying how crazy cheap the admission is. I'm from the UK and admission to Sofia Zoo is the equivalent to around £1.70 for an adult. Now compare that to a UK zoo like Edinburgh Zoo where one adult admission costs about £20. It's unbelievable, especially considering that Sofia Zoo is huge, and has some amazing animals. There are a lot of animals here, and the zoo itself is big. There isn't a clear route to take, so perhaps there could be better marked out routes and directions, but the animals are sectioned to specific areas of the zoo according to their type, so that's good. Some enclosures are empty which is what you would expect at any time of the year, so that was fine, there was still a lot to look at. Instead of one big gift shop at the exit of the zoo, there were several smaller gift and food shops scattered around the zoo. The animals were pretty good. They looked quite bored but when you call for them verbally, they get all excited. My partner made a llama do a little dance with a song, and I was able to get the warthogs bouncing around too. The bear was also very responsive to verbal commands. For the insane admission price of 4 Lev per adult, it's almost as if you're getting so much for free. Definitely recommend.

The worst and saddest zoo I ever seen.. Aquarium was great, but that's it.. They haven't money, animals.. You get for what you pay.. We were here walking like zombies.. This zoo took our souls from us.. No animals, no people, no buffets.. We were sad after visiting.. I absolutely don't recommend to go here.. Sorry, but this zoo need more cash.. But not from people who will leave sad and without soul..

The zoo is quite old, but the staff is doing as much as possible to take care of the animals. The ticket is really cheap and is only 4lv for an adult. The animals are also quite close to you, which is not usually the case in most of the European zoos. It’s peaceful and really nice to walk around, visit whenever you have the chance and you wouldn’t regret it. In the afternoon they usually feed the animals, so it’s amazing to see them eating and getting hyped about it.

After visiting the zoo, I am very divided, the zoo is very old and I think it isnt meet the standards of what a zoo in Europe should look like. It is very post-Soviet era style, but I have to say that the staff is trying to improve the situation and some of the areas are being repaired. But it was very sad to see the conditions in which bears, hippo or lions live. I recommend management to raise the ticket price and use the funds to repair the zoo. But if you in the Sofia and you want to see the animals I still recommend the zoo. Also if you want to help you can buy more tickets that you are need.

Great location with a lot of rest areas and very interesting animals. Animals from around the world but also a few cages that are empty and neglected and dirty. A big minus is the fact that the zoo is not accepting electronic payment(credit card, debit card), only cash. I had to leave the zoo to find a place to withdraw cash so that I can pay to visit the place. Prepare to walk long distances if to want to visit every exhibit in the area.

The biggest zoo on the Balkans, so prepare to have a blast. Exquisite variety of animals, treated well and the staff is nice. The tickets are criminally cheap, and the grounds of the zoo are massive. On its own it's a nice park and the location is OK, as it's connected with the I believe 120 bus and is near Borisova Gradina.

Only local bank cards are accepted. EU citizens, even with their Euro-cards, will not be able to pay here. 22 years have passed already as the 21st century, and here only cash or cards of local banks.

Wonderful park, wonderful day. Entrance is cheap (4 leva / 2 euro), transport is good with multiple buses stopping there. I was positively surprised about the maintenance that was done since last visit, some years ago. Hope this is an ongoing trend. Recommending it to everyone.

Absolutely worth the money! Spent about 3 hours here for a little day trip. I love animals and this was great experience. Such a variety of animals and they had such good enclosures for them. Would recommend for anyone in Sofia - I got there by the number 88 bus which stops right outside the entrance.

Would have given more stars, but i visited the Belgrade zoo and it kinda looks better despite being smaller. There were some animals that were not on display because they are making renovations. I liked it that the cages are approximately big but it still feels kinda sad that the animals are in captivity. The rhino looked kinda skiny. I hope they are threating it well. The ostriches are more curious than ppl. They came to look at us xd

The place is cool and greeny and, supposedly, great for children. As a park, it's very nice. That said, as a zoo, I was very disappointed. I felt like the zoo was empty, and the animals were very unhappy. I had more fun visiting and walking by, as opposed to watching and discovering animals. If you ever want to go to a zoo, I do not think that this is the place you should go to.

Nice place for a walk with, or without your kids. It was not too crowded today, but maybe because it was Friday. There are renewed cages with more space for the animals and it looks a lot better, then it was before.

The zoo is very nice, big and clean. Nature is absolutely beautiful. I went alone and enjoyed my time so much to the point where I was relaxed! Which doesn't happen often :) just be careful, when you buy the ticket to enter directly, don't buy a ticket for someone if they need time to arrive because it will be expired for entry. Also, make sure you are comfortable because you will walk 10 000 steps easely and happily!

A place you must visit! I was shocked at the low price of 4 lev per adult (around 2 euro per person). I expected a small zoo at that price but I this zoo was large and had a wide range of animals. I gladly appreciated that the animals had large cages and appeared to be well looked after. We enjoyed laughing with monkeys who were chasing after each other, saw huge adorable bears, tigers, and a beautiful lion. There was almost all of the animals that one could think of and it was an experience that is definitely worth it. This zoo even has picnic areas in the shade and many small shops for food or small souvenirs. I suggest to visit!

A very nice and big zoo. Cheap entry price. They are constantly doing renovations and every time it is better and nicer. I don't know why, but it's forbidden for bicycles. There are plenty of benches and a place to eat and have a picnic.

Makes for a really fun day out but the facilities aren’t the best. Some of the animals didnt look very clean and energetic and some of the confinements were quite small. Also, you can’t really pay with card in most places, so bring cash! On the whole though its a nice park, plenty big and with a large variety in animals.

Very well maintained, animal enclosures had great improvements in the past couple of years, food and beverage kiosks are not bad, but have more space for improvements. Big disadvantage during weekends and holidays is the limited parking space - consider going with a bus or a taxi since parking is almost not possible after 11 o'clock.

Nicely surprised! Very good option to spend around 3 hours! Parking available, cheap entry fee, snacks available inside! A lot of animals, birds, fish, reptiles!

Sofia is very beautiful winter and in the summer. Many places to visit and got the full experience of food and culture

Cute Snow Leopard Micky!<3

This is the perfect place to spend a day with the family (no matter the age). There are constant improvements in the infrastructure and the animal cages. I strongly suggest that you bring your own food. They sell food there but it is not very good.

Sofia Zoo is an example of how it should not look a contemporary and modern zoo… Sofia Zoo is sad, gray, very depressing and neglected place. In opposite of other zoos around the world, this one in Sofia is absolutely absurd. The animals in it evoke pity and sadness instead of joy and happiness in the visitors. It creates in kids a misconception about the animals themselves and about what their life is like in their natural habitat. And what about the entrance from Simeonovsko shose road? You can't assume that there is a zoo here unless you know about it in advance. Narrow ugly street with warehouses and sites for building materials. It looks more like an industrial area, than a place for recreation and entertainment.

The zoo is huge! A lot of different animals including a Bengal tiger( wow). One can easily spend half a day and more there. There are plenty of food options, snacks, non-alcoholic drinks and beer. The entrance is 4lv for adults and 1lv for retired, kids under 3 are free. If you don’t drive, taxi from downtown is about 10 lv and there is public transportation ( would not recommend). Place is very kid friendly with two big playgrounds and lots of benches and shaded areas to sit and enjoy a drink or a bite to eat. One thing I felt worth mentioning- If you are animal lover , you are not going to like some of the ways the zoo uses to keep animals from escaping. Iron 2 feet Spikes on the wall in bear habitats or electrified walls ... Have not seen this in other zoos. Zoo should consider charging more for entrance and use the money for much needed improvements. Otherwise would definitely recommend.

The place is very good for the enjoyment of children. The price of the accessible entrance. From the vicinity of the Mall Paradise it is very easy to get there as there are several bus routes that go there

The zoo is ongoing some renovations, which is great. There's some good variety of animals to be seen and they seem healthy and well fed. The entrance fee is probably too low. The older habitats can definitely use some renovations for the comfort of the animals.

Very poor zoo ,doesn't worth visit. I had visited first on 1999 and this time after 23 years.it became worse despite they renovated . Less animals and many empty cages and areas. You may consider it as nice green area only but not a zoo. Entrance fee 6 leva

Big zoo, organized as a park with a lot of benches and kids playgrounds. It’s nice for spending some 3h on a nice day with the kids there. The building are okd and not maintained, the whole zoo needs a big facelift, but the kids don’t care about that :)

Great place for a walk with kids or friends.

Loved this zoo really much! Very clean, many different animals, big area. We saw how fresh food, prepared for animals, was, even meat was of really good quality. Absolutely worth visiting with kids!

Great zoo!! Not so big, and although it was cold we saw a lot of animals. The big cats house was the best.

Good location within the city of Sofia, quite big zoo, also good for a walk with small children. There is no big diversity of exotic animals but it's enough to spend a nice day. There are food corners on the alleys but don't rely too much on them.

There were lots of animals and the zoo itself was quite big. The price is pretty much just a small contribution for the animals. It is worth it to visit it but some animals are not kept in the best conditions

After the renovations the animals seem to have some more space and freedom. Glass walls were a good idea. The park is great for a walk, and the price is so cheap, it's almost sad. Great for mothers with children and for a whole-day slow paced walk. There are toilets and food inside.

Big Zoo, lots of animals, various species. Loved the reptiles house with HUGE snakes, and the big cats, the Jaguars were extra special. 4leva adult entry. Great price for an afternoon out. Would go again just for the cats!

We had the chance to observe a lot of different animals(mammals, herps, fish, birds etc). The place is nice, surrounded by trees and vegetation so I believe that particularly in spring and summer it would be delightful to visit the zoo. Sad thing was that people, especially non behaved children were extremely loud and not respectful towards animals. One lady took a picture with flash (which is forbidden)of a stressed jaguar(the cage was so small and for some reason it wasn't allowed to go outside to the open enclosure). Some enclosures were adequate (clean spaces with trees and rocks for this animals to climb) but especially regarding birds they were very limiting. I would like them to be way larger so that the animals could have more space to move, fly and rest. Overall, I feel like the people working in the zoo care about the wellbeing of the animals and do their best to make them feel happy but some things need to be changed: make enclosures bigger, make stricter rules about respect and behavior of the visitors, the building with the monkeys needs more cleaning employees.

It is a huge Zoo, well maintained and they have a lot of animals. It is easy to spend 3-4 hours there. There are multiple small coffee shops with cheap coffee, for around 2 leva you can get an expresso. I think I was able to pay only with cash for the admission, I don't remember exactly, however best to have some cash with yourself. We arrived by car, there is free parking option, however there where absolutely no traffic signs/ads that you are about to get to the Zoo, however Google shows the path properly so no need to be worried. I would say that it is an awesome place to visit in Sofia!

Lovely zoo spread over a decent area. Went there during an afternoon and hence a lot of animals were napping. Very cheap entry tickets (EUR 4 per adult), but they have problem in accepting cards (credit or debit). I had to go to the nearest ATM (~1 km away) to withdraw local currency to pay. A few food kiosks inside the zoo, but they mostly sell chips, juices, and hotdogs etc. If you are planning to go there via public transport, be prepared to walk a bit. Because the public transport stops are not very near to the zoo

Very good place, without crowds of people. Animals looks good and have a good condition

Sofia Zoo is the oldest and largest zoo in Southeast Europe. It is home to over 4,800 animals representing 840 species. However, a lot of exhibits are closed or under construction due to a major renovation project that is expected to be completed in 2025.

All kinds of animals and fun stuff, Perfect place to bring your kids and friends or just educate yourself about the many things connected with the animals 😊 nice place to walk and be able to get out there.

Great zoo, a lot of animals and pretty well maintained. It is slowly getting better, but for a ticket this cheap, they're doing the best they can.

Sofia Zoo is a great place to take your family, because it has a big selection of really interesting animals like the black jaguar and it's also quite big so kids will get a work out 👍😁

Sofia zoo is both a happy and a sad place. The infrastructure is old and outdated. Most of the animals can’t be seen. The variety is not so big and the whole vibe of the zoo is very communistic. On the positive side, it’s a nice place to spend some time on the weekend, the entrance is only 4 BGN and the Japanese zen garden is very beautiful. Also, there are some very funny animals, like the meerkats. Overall, I would go there again, albeit not as often as I would like.

Cool large zoo with a lot of animals Just need to pay with local cash It's incredibly cheap, i wish it was more expensive so they would hire more cleaning staff

Really nice zoo with modern enclosures and friendly staff. There are lots of different animals to see. There are very beautiful jaguars and bengal tigers. It's a fun day for kids and adults, and the entrance fee is only 4 leva/ 2 eur.

the lion did not look healthy, he was limping. not clean everywhere, smells bad. Not accepting payments by card.

Nice attractions. Weak point: not always English signs, personal not always nice with foreigners. Some mice live happy inside empty spaces !

Not a main attraction but if you have time, nice time to spend. Just go by bus from metro because walking distance is not far from metro but is kinda stuck in the 80's :) hard to believe that walking path to the zoo could be so poorly. Zoo is big and they have a lots of animals but not well maintained. Could be better.

The parking is way too small to accommodate all cars on the weekend

A nice place to send some hours, lots of trees. Great organized picnic places. Aquarium, terrarium... Unfortunately , some animals like the hippo, crocodiles live in very poor condition. Just such a pity to see their sad eyes. The entrance fee should be a bit higher to make the life of the animals better. Now it's really cheap, 2 leva per person under 18, 4 leva per adult.

Lovely experience, the primates section is brand new and it is super engaging. You can spend up to 3 hours if you are from the curious crowd. The entry fee is 4BGN, about 2EUR.

the turtle cannot enter the island at low water level. Please put an element in the terrarium that will make it easier for him

Most of the animals were in their home and i do not recommend you to visit during winter time. Credit card not from Bulgaria is not acceptable and you need only cache with bulgarian money

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(Translated by Google) Great (Original) Чудесно

Повечето животни ги няма

(Translated by Google) On Public Holidays it is free. (Original) На Официални празници е с безплатен вход.

Много приятно за прекарване на хубав слънчев ден.

(Translated by Google) Most animals are gone! And the others look sad and very weak. The monkeys are cute and playful. (Original) Повечето животни ги няма! А другите изглеждат тъжни и много слаби. Маймунките са сладки и игриви.

Прекрасно място за разходка и забавление за децата.

(Translated by Google) Pleasant place for a walk (Original) Приятно място за разходка

Любимо място. Единствената ми забележка е за чистотата на клетките

Wonderful place to have a good rest and walk, while gaining knowledge of animals next to you!!

Уникално красиво място е зоопарка за отдих и развлечение 💖💖🙂🙂

Great place for adult and toddlers

За съжаление в този сезон почти нямаше животни навън, а е забранено влизането вътре като противоепидемична мярка. Направили са нови симпатични разширения за маймуните.

Похвални са старанието и грижата, който полагат всички работещи в зоопарка. Надявам се и животните да се чувстват добре. Много хубава е страницата ви в фейсбук, с клипчета за любими животни на децата. Желая много повече придобивки и сбъднати проекти! А и щях да забравя, обновения сектор с маймуните е чудесен

Добре, особено когато е свободен вход!

I love the park, the alley. The animals are closed in tiny spaces but most of the facilities are being renewed. It's great for a walk in the centre of the city.

With the recent renovations the Sofia zoo has become a much more inviting place. The new enclosures are very modern and the animals seem more comfortable. Tickets are very affordable.

I nice place to just take a walk. The entrance fee is very low and unlike the public parks there are no bikes or scooters to worry about. The range of animals is also good.

It is good to see that the new management is doing their best to improve the conditions for animals. There is a lot more than needs to be done and things changes too slow but at least they are trying to do something. For example, cages for some of the big cats and also for monkeys have been expanded. For foreigners planning to visit the place- yes, it is far away from what you used to see in West European countries but still- the ridiculously low entrance fee of 2 EUR and the fact that years and years nothing was impoved, I have to assure you that the current management is at least trying to do the things right. In general, the zoo is worth a visit.

A big variety of animals, very well kept, I wish I saw th aquarium but due to covid it was closed. Overall, it was a nice experience.

For the first time I saw some positive change in this place. We had the luck to see how they were feeding the animals. Some reconstructions are done and some are on their way. Glad to see that Nasimo is renovating the vision of one of the cages (small bear).

Spacious and green, definitely a different experience for families in the big city. Hard to parking though and well, not much to see. Half the animals were missing, some cages were being renovated and some areas closed because of covid. There are enough toilets on reasonable distance and boots for drinks / snacks. All in all, for the ticket price of four leva per adult, it's worth it to spend couple of hours.

reasonable price and good place with family. quite many animals more than as you expected.

A lot of space and variety of animals, especially the white tiger is amazing new animal at the zoo, but also the pelicans and a lot of other species. Great place to visit with children, there are also playgrounds for them. My advice is to bring food for the family in the winter, because the food shops inside the zoo have mainly junk food. Also the toilets got closed around 45 min before the closing time, which was not very pleasant.

A very good place, whole day fun and learning for kids; also interesting for adults. All family members can enjoy; many and very different animals, playgrounds, food, coffee, souvenirs; we really appreciate the opportunity to show so cool animals to our baby girl! And yes, animals are in cages, but much bigger and better than all other Bulgarian zoos and parks

I like the place,it is nice for a long walk with the kids. There are many different kind of animals, birds,it is pleasure to visit the Sofia Zoo. The tickets are cheap and affordable. I recommend the place. Of course it could look better and I hope the manegment will continue to upgrade the place.

Needs maintenance, but you can see some new enclosures.

It is a good place to bring the whole family. Sizeable walk, with shops dotted here and there and plenty of animal to see. Having said that there something else to be desired. Little ones playground need updating. The toilets need improving as well. This tickets are very reasonable, from memory we paid 4 lev a person (adults).

There are a lot of improvements that can be made, but from my last visit, you could see the changes slowly taking shape. I look forward to seeing what the zoo looks like in 2 - 5 years. ***No turtles were harmed in the picture I posted. Little dude was tired, but ok after his adventure upside down.

This place needs renewal. Also many advertised animals can't be seen.

I haven't been there after the repair works. Now animals have much more space outdoor and it looks good. There is a neat Japanese garden too.

It was very nice. Perfect for a day trip!

Nice park for a full day with the kids

Needs maintenance, missing some animals. In general is a pleasant place to be, picnic tables. Missing money to keep it

It is super! Sadly even the harmless animals are too far to be touched but you can really see everything. The owls, the alpacas and the big cats area are definitely worth to be seen. For 4 Leva you can spend a very pleasant day and even a bit more to be paid would be more than acceptable considering the amount of animals and the amount of time you will spend inside to see totally everything.

Nice place to go with a kid. The monkeys are back ;) The parking is not well organized.

It's always great to have a day out with the kids, playing in the sun, learning new and interesting things about animals. Too bad the small monkeys, large cats, fish and reptiles exhibits were closed last time as they are in enclosed spaces.

2 euro entance fee . This is the cheapest zoo ever. Great enclosures and animals as well. Go visit it.

Nice for kids and toddlers. The Zoo has improved in recent years, so it is quite nice. The animals are taken care of, as far as one can tell. You can still see however the soviet style of construction across the park, which could be improved upon.

(Translated by Google) It's great (Original) Супер е

(Translated by Google) Great place to relax and walk. (Original) Чудесно място за отдих и разходката.

(Translated by Google) Great Walk for the Children. Plus the renovated monkey corner Good Zoo (Original) Чудесна Разходка за Децата.плюс обновения кът при маймуните Добър Зоопарк

(Translated by Google) It is very good . (Original) Много е добър .