Antwerp is the second-largest city in Belgium, full of diamond shops, design museums and great coffee places. Or so I’ve heard because all this we can experience this some other time. This day trip from Brussels to Antwerp was planned with only one thing in mind: visiting Antwerp Zoo.
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Antwerp Zoo Ticket Price
Antwerp Zoo entrance fee is 28 euro for an adult, 20 euro for children of 3-12 years old and 24 euro for children between 12 and 17 years.
If you purchase your ticket online, and not from the ticket office, you will get the Antwerp Zoo discount of 1.5 euro per ticket and beat the queue, so this is definitely recommended. You can just have the ticket on your mobile, no need to print it out.
I find Antwerp Zoo prices rather high for what you get, but oh well, so are the prices for everything else in the region.
Antwerp Zoo: How much time you should spend there?
Google told me that most people spend two to three hours in Antwerp Zoo. Apparently, we are not most people. After our visit to Jerusalem Zoo, where we spent almost all day and only saw two thirds, I was checking the Google recommended time and doubling it. It was pretty much about right. With two kids, who need snacks, toilet breaks and really need to find and count all the Nemos and Dorys in the aquarium, I would say you definitely need to plan at least 4 hours.
Antwerp Zoo Map
Antwerp Zoo Animals
Antwerp Zoo houses over 7,000 animals of about 950 species. Remember to check the following:
- A reptile house with many species of snakes, lizards, frogs and turtles.
- Am absolutely beautiful and peaceful butterfly house.
- Egyptian temple with elephants, giraffes and zebras.
- Tigers, lions and leopards.
- Bears
- Gorillas and chimpanzees
- Birds of prey.
- Kangaroos and koalas.
- Aquarium with saltwater and freshwater fish – an absolute hit for both of our kids.
Getting to Antwerp Zoo from Brussels
By train:
The train ride from Brussels to Antwerp is just over 30 minutes, and I definitely recommend taking a train to get to Antwerp Zoo. The train station in Antwerp is quite a sight in itself, and it was probably the prettiest train station I have ever seen in my life. The building is old and spacious, beautifully decorated and – very importantly – clean and well-maintained, which is not always the case with the train stations.
The Zoo is located just outside Antwerp Station, so it will take you no time to get there from your train, and this way you will not need to worry about the parking.
By car:
Please note, that Antwerp Zoo is located in a low emission zone, meaning you have to double-check whether your car is actually allowed to enter the city and possibly demand a temporary permit or day pass.
Antwerp Zoo Address to put in your GPS:
Antwerp ZOO
Koningin Astridplein 26
2018 Antwerp
Antwerp Zoo Parking:
Antwerp Zoo visitors will pay a discount fee of 4 euro until 19 o’clock. To get your discount, you have to ask the zoo gate attendants to validate your parking ticket.
Other Antwerp Zoo Parking areas:
- Parking Roosevelt
- Parking Astridplein
- Parking De Keyser
- Parking Diamant
Where to eat after your visit to Antwerp Zoo, Belgium?
Of course, there are several food options right in the Zoo. There are several mobile waffles and ice-cream stands, a very large cafe near the Egyptian Pavillion and another cafe near the flamingoes. But for the best experience, you can get on this trip, I would recommend leaving the Zoo and heading back to the train station. There you have to find the elevator and go up to the first floor to Royal Cafe | Brasserie Royal.
Royal Cafe | Brasserie Royal in Antwerp train station is a beautiful old school cafe/brasserie, where you can get everything, starting from a coffee with some delicious pastries to a glass of local Antwerp beer and a burger. We have checked it out – it is perfect. The menus are in Dutch, so ask for some help to decipher them.
