ZSL London Zoo
Experiences & Reviews
ZSL London Zoo is a public zoological collection in London operated by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL). It combines visitor exhibitions with conservation, research and education programmes and offers day tickets, memberships and special experiences. The site includes a range of animal habitats and timed talks or guided experiences; visitors should check ticketing and access details in advance.
Overview & Key Metrics
Our Analysis
Service quality
Staff are frequently praised for friendliness and knowledge, though a minority of reviewers describe disengaged or inattentive employees.
Value for money
Many reviewers call entry, food and special experiences overpriced; only a few guests describe overnight packages or guided walks as good value.
User experience
Visitor experience is often affected by crowding, queuing, closures and hard‑to‑follow maps; some visitors highlight enjoyable talks and night events.
Product quality
Frequent complaints about missing animals, empty or rundown enclosures and animals being hard to see; a minority report clear, engaging animal encounters.
Communication
Several reviews cite ticketing and insurance refund problems and poor signage; some mention good exhibit information and knowledgeable guides.
Overall experience
Overall impressions skew negative from these reviews: many would not return due to animal visibility and cost, while a few recommend specific experiences.
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Data Collection
We analyse public reviews from verified platforms like Google, Trustpilot, and Facebook.
AI Analysis
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Featured Customer Experiences
Representative examples from 21 verified reviews (October 2022 – September 2025).
Worth Every Penny
"We enjoyed a magical overnight stay in one of the lodges and can’t rate the experience and the staff highly enough. The lodges are very comfortable, a..."
Don’t waste your hard earned money
"Don’t waste your hard earned money , it’s so dissapointing, animals not seen I’m serious we hardly saw anything , the cheetahs were far away laying do..."
Don’t bother with the ticket insurance
"Don’t bother with the ticket insurance. Total waste of money. We bought tickets on the morning of our intended visit. I’m disabled and have various he..."
A shadow of what it was. Could be done better.
"When I was young a visit to London Zoo was always looked forward to and delivered excitement and interest. After a gap of 55+ years(!) I was attracted..."
All Customer Reviews
Filtered, experience-based customer reviews from public sources; vague and duplicate submissions removed.
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All Customer Reviews
Sources: Trustpilot (20) · Collected.reviews (1) · Quotes shortened · As of: September 2025
Positive experience with Ally at the membership desk
Great space, lovely customer service and the icing on the cake is Ally's customer service at the membership desk!....Ally is an absolute delight, poli...
Staff not very engaging most happy to…
Staff not very engaging most happy to sit down and chat to each other. I was shocked by how little they had of animals, very poor and expensive. The r...
Absolute crap
Absolute crap. Not worth the money, the animals we did manage...
A shadow of what it was. Could be done better.
When I was young a visit to London Zoo was always looked forward to and delivered excitement and interest. After a gap of 55+ years(!) I was attracted...
Didn’t see many animals bit disappointed
We didn’t see many animals… went for sons birthday he enjoyed running around but most exhibits we went to had nothing to see… we went back to the encl...
Worth Every Penny
We enjoyed a magical overnight stay in one of the lodges and can’t rate the experience and the staff highly enough. The lodges are very comfortable, a...
Disappointing
I have mixed feelings about my visit to Whipsnade today. GOOD POINTS: Every single staff member I spoke to was extremely friendly and helpful. The caf...
I visited London zoo 2 June no…
I visited London zoo 2 June no Elephants, lions tigers rhin...
Don’t bother with the ticket insurance
Don’t bother with the ticket insurance. Total waste of money. We bought tickets on the morning of our intended visit. I’m disabled and have various he...
Don’t waste your hard earned money
Don’t waste your hard earned money , it’s so dissapointing, animals not seen I’m serious we hardly saw anything , the cheetahs were far away laying do...
Waste of time and money
I visited the zoo as a child about 45yrs ago I remember standing next to john Alderton and Pauline Collins at the giant tortoise enclosure.. 🐢 it was...
Great talks
My partner and I had a great time at the zoo, and the staff were friendly and we loved the talks by Olivia, Ralph, Lucy and Jodie. Edith was also very...
I bought 5 tickets online along with…
I bought 5 tickets online along with insurance, but can't go to visit at that day, now I'm tryin...
Sparsely populated with animals
Sparsely populated with animals. Mostly 0, 1 or 2 of each animals. Lots of no shows (e.g....
I went to Whipsnade Zoo over the…
I went to Whipsnade Zoo over the weekend. Even though it was a rainy day, the experience was enjoyable. It's a pity there were no tigers, and I hope t...
Very disappointed would not go again.
Was very disappointed with the number of empty cages and closed areas. For example not a single penguin in huge penguin pool. One sleeping lion who lo...
deep disappointment
Wanted to express my deep disappointment after my recent visit to the zoo. The overall state of the zoo was significantly down, with evident issues su...
Sad Experience
It was just so run down. Heart breaking to see the Zebra and Giraffe enclosures - since when did these beautiful creatures walk on concrete in the wil...
My visit a few days ago.
I visited about 20 years ago with my family. It has gone down hill significantly I am sad to say. Barriers everywhere, work materials all over the pla...
Why not to visit London Zoo and Penguin Experience
I just wish I had read these reviews before visiting London Zoo. I decided to buy 2 tickets for the penguin experience but you also have to purchase 2...
Conclusion
Reviews in this sample repeatedly mention missing animals, hard‑to‑navigate maps and concerns about value for money, including expensive food and ticketed extras. Several guests report problems with ticket insurance or refunds and poor signage around moved enclosures. At the same time, staff and guided/overnight experiences receive consistent praise from visitors who had positive encounters. If you plan a visit, check current opening areas, ticketing and special‑event details in advance and consider guided or evening options where reviewers report better animal visibility.