Nuremberg Zoo is one of the city's main attractions. In addition to the classic exhibitions, it boasts a unique dolphinarium in Central Europe, which is built to resemble the marine world as much as possible.

You can look forward to regular shows with dolphins, as well as sea lions and manatees.

Dolphinarium Nuremberg

In 2011, Nuremberg Zoo's largest ever project opened: a dolphin lagoon with a total of 6 tanks and 5.5 million litres of salt water. The number of dolphins ranges between 5 and 8, and the number of sea lions between 6 and 10.

The entire dolphinarium complex was built to resemble the natural environment as much as possible. For example, no concrete was used in the construction at all, but in the vast majority of cases only natural materials, especially stone, wood and sand.

The dolphin lagoon has outdoor stands for visitors and an underground walkway where you can observe life underwater through thick glass.

The Dolphin Show

The main attraction of the dolphinarium is, of course, the dolphin shows. These take place twice a day on all days of the week at 11:00 and 15:30.

Official information can be found on the website tiergarten.nuernberg.de/show-times-at-the-dolphinlagoon.

Nuremberg Zoo

But the Tiergarten, as the zoo is called in German, is far from just a dolphinarium.

On 67 hectares you can enjoy more than 300 species of animals with a total of several thousand individuals.

Nuremberg Zoo is one of the largest zoos in Europe in terms of size and average in terms of species composition (there are about half as many animals here as in the popular Prague Zoo, for example).

The zoo's great asset is the size of its exhibitions and the most natural environment.

Entrance fees and opening hours

Opening hours vary according to the seasons. It is usually open from 8:00 or 9:30 am, then closes at 7:30 pm in summer or 4:30 pm in winter. The last possible entry is always an hour to an hour and a half before closing time.

The current opening times can be found clearly on the zoo's website: tiergarten.nuernberg.de/opening-times

The ticket is always valid for the entire zoo grounds. There is no special charge for the dolphinarium or the dolphin show.

The prices are as follows:

Family admission (2 adults with their own children - no matter how many) - - 45 eur
family admission with only 1 adult - 25 eur
adult over 18 years of age - 20 eur
minors 14-17 years old - 15 eur (discount 1,70 eur on presentation of a full day public transport ticket)
children 4-13 years old - 9,40 eur (discount 2,20 eur upon presentation of a full day public transport ticket)
students with ISIC card, disabled persons and adults on entry after 3pm - 18 eur
children under 4 years - free of charge

The current price list of Nuremberg Zoo can be found on the official website: tiergarten.nuernberg.de/admission-fees.

How to get to the zoo?

Nuremberg Zoo can be found on the edge of a large forest in the east of the city.

By car

Parking is free on the entire street "Am Tiergarten" leading up to the entrance and also in the large central car park north of the entrance (see map).

Public transport

The zoo can also be reached by public transport from the centre of Nuremberg. Tram line 5, which runs from the main train station, terminates directly at the entrance (about 20 minutes) with an interval of 7-10 minutes, including weekends. The final stop is called "Tiergarten".

Bus line number 45 also goes to the zoo once every 20 minutes, which you can use for example from Frankenstr. underground station or the S-Bahn stations Mögeldorf and Dutzendteich.

Detailed information on ticket prices or timetables can be found in the Transport chapter.

Hotels in the area

If the zoo is your main destination in Nuremberg, consider staying nearby.

Around 1.5 km from the zoo is the cheap, clean Hotel Jägerheim **.

Alternatively, stay near the main train station, where the number 5 tram runs to the zoo - the cheapest popular hotels include the InterCity Nürnberg ***.