Basel Zoo

Opened in 1874, Basel Zoo is the oldest in Switzerland and holds a place in the city's identity that is unusual for a zoo - it is universally called the Zolli, it was funded substantially by public subscription, and generations have treated it as civic property rather than an attraction. Its scientific record is significant: the first Indian rhinoceros born in a zoo anywhere arrived here in 1956, and the Basel breeding line became central to the international programme for the species; it also had early successes with gorillas and flamingos. The Vivarium covers reptiles, amphibians and fish, and the Etoscha house houses African species. A large aquarium project, Ozeanium, was rejected by Basel voters in 2019.

What you actually see

• Switzerland's oldest zoo - open since 1874 and civic property in spirit.
• The first zoo-born Indian rhino - 1956, and the breeding line that followed.
• The Vivarium - reptiles, amphibians and fish in a dedicated house.
• A rejected aquarium - the Ozeanium voted down by the city in 2019.

When to go

All year. Half a day.

Honest expectations

It is a nineteenth-century zoo in a constrained city site, so some enclosures are older and smaller than modern practice prefers - the zoo publishes its renovation plans. It is busy at weekends. Entry is not cheap.

Nearby

Basel's old town and the Kunstmuseum are a short walk; the Tinguely is by the Rhine.