Bus 33 serves the Fasanerie; use “WI Tierpark Fasanerie” in the RMV journey planner. The address is Wilfried-Ries-Straße 22, 65195 Wiesbaden. Parking is free but fills quickly on fine days. Bicycle parking is available outside.

Can we bring our dog?

Dogs and other pets are not admitted. The park makes an exception for identified assistance dogs; contact it beforehand if you need to confirm how this applies to your visit.

What can we do if it showers?

Use the shelters along the paths for a pause and choose fewer stops. Bring waterproof layers and shoes with grip. If heavy rain is forecast, a shorter visit on another day will usually be more comfortable.

Are there organised activities?

The Naturpädagogisches Zentrum offers nature-learning activities and group programmes. Check the current programme for a suitable age range, any booking requirement and fees before building your day around one.

Illustration

ZooHessen, Germany

Tier- & Pflanzenpark Fasanerie Wiesbaden

Come to the Fasanerie for unhurried animal watching among old trees, with a garden and playground to give the day a different pace.

Official website

About

Come to the Fasanerie for unhurried animal watching among old trees, with a garden and playground to give the day a different pace. The 25-hectare park on Wiesbaden’s northwestern edge feels like a woodland walk punctuated by animal enclosures. Admission is free. Start at the entrance board, where the day’s keeper talk identifies the animal being fed, then choose how much walking your group wants to do.

Brown bears, wolves and lynx are obvious draws, but the smaller stops deserve time too. An otter slipping into the water offers a very different view of a predator from a lynx resting in its enclosure. The European bison bring another scale altogether: these are Europe’s largest land mammals. All are animals in the park’s care; the enclosures give them places to retreat, so a patient second look can be more rewarding than rushing to the next sign.

The Fasanerie is also an Arche-Park, helping preserve rare domestic breeds. Shaggy Poitou donkeys, patterned Tauernschecken goats and Pomeranian geese make that work easy to understand. Beyond the enclosures, the arboretum’s labels invite you to look up into the trees. Its collection includes planted eastern white pines, Douglas firs and sequoias, continuing an interest in trees from other countries that began here in the nineteenth century. Take the ultimate field guide with you: use the Snappit app to identify birds, plants, and animals on your trip.

The name recalls the eighteenth-century pheasant breeding and hunting grounds. During the nineteenth century, the formal park became an English-style landscape garden, with curving paths, ponds and views through the trees. The entrance area and pond still show that design. The public animal park opened in 1956. Its later development has worked animal enclosures into the historic landscape, while the arboretum’s older tree trail received new planting and signs from 2007.

What to do here

Use the main 1.5 km circuit as the basis for a fuller visit, allowing plenty of stops. It has gradients up to 10%, so keep enough energy for the return. For a shorter outing, explore the entrance-area community garden and playground, then choose a few animal stops using the park signs. Extra connecting paths allow you to shorten your walk; follow visitor signs rather than assuming every service path is a shortcut.

At the wolves, watch how the animals respond to one another. At the lynx, look for ear tufts, a short tail and a spotted coat. Then compare the bison’s stocky outline with the deer. A simple family challenge is to choose three animals and sketch only their silhouettes: which features let everyone else recognise them? You do not need a close-up photograph of every animal to come away with a good memory.

Make a separate stop at the Poitou donkeys. Their long, shaggy coats are a useful starting point for talking about domestic breeds; these French donkeys were once used in mule breeding. Ask children what looks different from the donkey they might draw from memory. The European mink offers another conservation story, with the park involved in work to conserve this threatened waterside mammal.

Save time for plants and smaller creatures. Follow the arboretum labels and compare the shape of a conifer with a broad-leaved tree. On the insect trail, pause beside the flowering meadow and watch visitors to one patch of flowers without stepping into it. In the community garden near the entrance, look at the raised beds and composting area. The quiet margins are deliberately left for nature, a useful contrast with the tended beds. Finish with play rather than squeezing the playground into the final few minutes.

Seasonal info

The park opens daily at 09: 00, closing at 18:00 in April–September, 17:00 in February–March and October–November, and 16:00 in December–January. Leave 15 minutes before closing. Check current notices before travelling, particularly during extreme weather. This is largely an outdoor outing: in persistent rain, shorten the walk rather than relying on a full indoor alternative.

Accessibility

The main circuit is designed for pushchairs, but its slopes reach 10%. That can be demanding with a manual wheelchair or when pushing a heavy buggy. Shelters along the paths provide places to pause. For wheelchair access, the easiest current route and accessible-toilet arrangements, contact the park before travelling on 0611 40907725. Shorter connecting paths should not be assumed to have gentler gradients.

Plan your visit

Suggested duration: Allow about 2–3 hours for the main circuit, several patient animal stops and a playground break. With younger children, 60–90 minutes around the entrance area and selected enclosures can be enough. A half-day gives you time for the arboretum, garden and a keeper talk without hurrying.
Best time to visit: A morning arrival leaves room for the circuit and a longer play break. Spring and summer suit flower-and-insect watching; autumn brings a different tree canopy to the walk. If a keeper talk matters to your family, check the weekday-specific time on the official page before leaving and the animal on the entrance board when you arrive.
Location: Hessen, Germany
Species in this guide: 9

Best for

Families Wanting A Flexible, Free Outdoor VisitWatching European Animals And Discovering Rare Domestic BreedsCombining Animal Stops With Trees, Gardening And Insect Life

Official website

Don't miss

Woodland animal watching

Give the bears, wolves and lynx time, then compare the otters and European bison.

Rare domestic breeds

Meet the shaggy Poitou donkeys and discover why an Arche-Park preserves old farm breeds.

Trees with a history

Explore the labelled arboretum, whose tree trail began in 1935.

Garden and insect stops

Look at raised beds and composting, then watch flower visitors beside the insect trail.

Walks and routes

Main park circuit

Designed to accommodate pushchairs. Wheelchair users should ask the park about a route suited to their needs.

Main park circuit

Wildlife and habitats

Watch the bear’s head and paws while it explores. Brown bears are omnivores, eating roots, berries and insects as well as animal food.

Watch the whole group before choosing one animal to follow. Wolves live in family groups, so the interaction between individuals is part of the interest.

Scan quietly for the short tail and tufted ears. A resting lynx can blend into the enclosure, so give your eyes time rather than trying to attract its attention.

Watch the water and the land together. If an otter swims, follow its streamlined outline; its dense, water-repellent coat helps keep it warm.

Look at the heavy shoulders and compare the animal’s outline with the deer. The wisent is Europe’s largest land mammal and a conservation-breeding success story.

In summer, look for the spotted coat; in an antlered male, notice the broad, palm-like antlers. Watch from the visitor area without pressing close.

Look for orange eyes and the feather tufts above them. These owls are mainly active around dusk, so a quiet daytime portrait may be the view you get.

Look for the Poitou donkeys’ long, shaggy coats. Their unusual appearance belongs to a domestic breed with a history in French mule breeding.

Use the arboretum label “Weymouth-Kiefer” to identify this planted tree. Compare its crown and needles with other conifers without removing any plant material.

Sources and useful links

Wildlife you might spot

Each card links to a full Explore page with photos, traits, and fun facts.

Brown Bear

Gray Wolf

European Lynx

Eurasian Otter

European Bison

Fallow Deer

Eurasian Eagle Owl

Donkey

Eastern White Pine

Snap map for this place

Start with the big picture, then zoom in to explore individual wildlife observations around this place.

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Good to know before you go

Animal food

Never bring food for the animals. The park’s own feed is permitted only for sheep, goats and deer. Do not feed the other animals.

Water play

Pack a change of clothes if your children are likely to use the water-play area. Bring drinking water and a snack for your walking breaks.

Quiet observation

Leave resting animals undisturbed. Look from the public viewing places and return later if an enclosure seems empty.

Bikes and scooters

Bicycles, scooters and similar vehicles must stay outside the park. The grounds are also smoke-free.

Frequently asked questions

: Bus 33 serves the Fasanerie; use “WI Tierpark Fasanerie” in the RMV journey planner. The address is Wilfried-Ries-Straße 22, 65195 Wiesbaden. Parking is free but fills quickly on fine days. Bicycle parking is available outside.
: Dogs and other pets are not admitted. The park makes an exception for identified assistance dogs; contact it beforehand if you need to confirm how this applies to your visit.
: Use the shelters along the paths for a pause and choose fewer stops. Bring waterproof layers and shoes with grip. If heavy rain is forecast, a shorter visit on another day will usually be more comfortable.
: The Naturpädagogisches Zentrum offers nature-learning activities and group programmes. Check the current programme for a suitable age range, any booking requirement and fees before building your day around one.