Come to Hellabrunn for a day of animal watching that moves between an Isar riverside landscape and the habitats of other continents.
Come to Hellabrunn for a day of animal watching that moves between an Isar riverside landscape and the habitats of other continents. Watercourses and trees give the 40-hectare zoo its shape, while its geographical layout helps children connect an animal with the part of the world it comes from. Before setting off, choose three favourites on the zoo map. There is plenty here to fill a day, and a little selectiveness leaves time to actually watch.
Arriving through the Isar entrance gives you an easy first destination: the giraffe savanna and meerkats. Pause for the small animals as well as the tall ones. One meerkat may be keeping watch while others dig or explore. Farther into the zoo, the domed elephant house and the reopened Dschungelwelt make a rewarding combination. In the tropical house, a planted island, birds and views into watery enclosures invite a slower look. Binturongs and Asian small-clawed otters are among its residents.
Save some attention for the Mühlendorf. Its domestic breeds and learning stations bring the story closer to home, showing how wild animals became farm animals and why less familiar breeds matter. The zoo animals described here live in human care; the surrounding floodplain setting does not make these wild sightings. Tropical planting is cultivated, too. Keep the distinction in mind when children record their discoveries. Unlock an interactive field guide for this spot: get the Snappit app to identify nature on the go.
Hellabrunn opened in 1911, using the Auer Mühlbach and the Isar floodplain as part of its landscape. After a financial closure, it reopened in 1928 with animals arranged by geographical origin, the basis of its Geozoo identity. The elephant house dates to 1914; its restoration, completed in 2016, lets you see an early piece of zoo architecture still in use.
Make your first animal stop a five-minute observation challenge: what does it eat, how does it move, and what is it doing right now? At the elephants, watch how the trunk picks things up. At the South American enclosure, check the water as well as the bank for capybaras. In the Polarwelt, compare a penguin’s movement on land with its movement underwater when it swims. A resting animal can still provide plenty to notice.
For a manageable first visit from the Isar entrance, start with giraffes and meerkats, choose the elephant house and Dschungelwelt as your main indoor stops, then decide whether energy allows a longer outing towards the Polarwelt and Mühlendorf. From the Flamingo entrance, the Urwaldhaus and neighbouring ape exhibits make a convenient beginning. These are flexible suggestions for choosing sights; use the current zoo map and signs to link them.
Build in a proper play break. The adventure playground beside the Tierparkrestaurant has climbing equipment and a large elephant-trunk slide; the Café Rhino playground is aimed at younger children and includes water play. The goat contact areas at the Isar entrance and Mühlendorf are another option, followed by handwashing. Choose one keeper meeting from the day’s programme rather than rushing between talks: local signs announce cancellations, and the elephant meeting does not run reliably every day.
The Dschungelwelt reopened in June 2026 and is a useful rainy-day stop. In winter, some cafés, toilets and changing facilities close, and parts of the keeper programme become seasonal. Check the available facilities before setting out across the park.
Giant-panda construction is changing some paths and enclosure use: llamas and alpacas have moved beside the Bactrian camels, and viewing at the Mhorr gazelles may be restricted from 12 October 2026. The bat grotto is permanently closed. Read the official construction notices before travelling, especially if one particular animal is the reason for your visit.
Most zoo paths are suitable for wheelchairs and walking aids, but parts of the Mühlendorf are cobbled. Some viewpoints at the lions and polar bears, and the giraffe tower, are not step-free. A short outing should still be planned around these differences.
Crucially, the basement aquarium needs a stairlift for step-free access, operated with your own Eurokey; the zoo cannot provide one. Eurokey-operated access equipment also serves the elephant house and venomous-snake/aquarium area. Accessible toilets are marked on the map; the Mühlendorf has an adult-capable changing facility. Reserve a loan wheelchair or rollator at least two days ahead and confirm the collection entrance and service-centre hours.
A spacious first stop beside the Isar entrance, with meerkats nearby.
Tropical planting, binturongs, otters and birds in a house reopened in 2026.
Watch polar bears and compare the king penguins with their smaller rockhopper neighbours.
Domestic breeds, hands-on learning stations and a goat contact area.
Give giraffes and meerkats a proper first stop, choose one major animal house, and keep time for play before returning. Allow about 2–3 hours. Use the map to choose your paths and shorten the outing whenever children need a break.
Start with your most-wanted animals, connect the elephant house and Dschungelwelt with a meal and play break, and make room for the Polarwelt and Mühlendorf. Allow about 4–6 hours and change the order for your entrance or a keeper meeting.
Compare an elephant’s trunk with the binturong’s tail. Can you see either being used to hold something? Draw the shape or describe the movement without asking the animal to perform.
At a Mühlendorf learning station, let each child choose one difference between a wild animal and a domestic breed. Ask what people might have selected that feature for.
A wet day can work well with fewer outdoor stops. The Dschungelwelt and elephant house are a useful pair; from the Flamingo entrance, start at the Urwaldhaus instead. Keep waterproofs for the paths between buildings.
Watch the whole group before taking a close-up. Try to spot a lookout, then compare its upright posture with the animals digging below. Their front claws are tools for excavating burrows.
Follow the trunk tip as an elephant feeds: the Asian elephant has a single finger-like projection there. A photograph of what the trunk is doing can tell more of a story than a head-on portrait.
Check both the land enclosure and the underwater viewing area. Swimming is a possibility, never a promise; if a bear is resting, look at the dense coat that helps insulate it in its Arctic habitat.
Scan the waterline for a nose, eyes and ears before deciding the capybaras are out of sight. These large rodents are capable swimmers; compare their waterside behaviour with that of the other animals sharing the enclosure.
Use the enclosure sign to find the red panda, then give it time rather than calling for a reaction. Its wild habitat includes Himalayan forests; even the soles of its feet are furred against the cold.
Look for the yellow-orange neck markings and compare body size with the rockhopper penguins. King penguins carry their egg on their feet beneath a fold of skin; you do not need a nesting-season sighting to explore that idea together.
Look among the branches and resting places as well as near the ground. Binturongs are mainly active around dusk and at night. If one is moving, watch its gripping tail, which helps it hold onto branches.
Search for white plumage and a bright blue patch around the eye among the foliage. Wait for a clear view from the public path. This Indonesian bird is a good starting point for discussing the effects of the cage-bird trade.
Each card links to a full Explore page with photos, traits, and fun facts.
Start with the big picture, then zoom in to explore individual wildlife observations around this place.
Choose your entrance
U3 station Thalkirchen (Tierpark) is about five minutes’ walk from the Isar entrance. Bus 52 serves Tierpark (Alemannenstraße), beside the Flamingo entrance.
U3 disruption
From 5 October to 27 November 2026, use replacement transport between Sendlinger Tor and Implerstraße. Check MVG’s journey planner; bus 52 is another approach from Sendlinger Tor.
Car or tram
Parking is limited. If using tram 25 to Tiroler Platz, allow about 15 minutes to walk to the Flamingo entrance.
Keep the map handy
Download the official plan, then follow on-site signs when construction changes access or an animal has moved.
Photos and animal care
No flash or other photographic lighting inside animal houses, and no feeding anywhere. Stay on visitor paths and keep children away from the Auer Mühlbach.
Borrowing a wagon
Availability is limited and reservations are not possible. Bring photo ID as a deposit and return the wagon to the same entrance at least 15 minutes before closing.
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North Carolina, US
You might spot American Robin and Eastern Gray Squirrel.
View guide →
Florida, US
You might spot Anhinga, American Alligator, and Wood Duck.
View guide →
New Mexico, US
You might spot Wood Duck, Duck, and Canada Goose.
View guide →
Michigan, US
You might spot African Lion, Komodo Dragon, and Brown Bear.
View guide →
Take the discovery with you
Identify the wildlife you spot, learn as you go, and keep a collection of the adventure.
