What should we know about tickets?

This is a paid-entry zoo; children under five enter free. Compare the current family combination tickets before buying. Ask the ticket office before leaving if you hope to return, rather than assuming that a day ticket permits re-entry.

Dogs are allowed on a short lead, but must stay out of the Exotarium, Dannerhaus and big-cat house. Keep them back from viewing windows. Those restrictions can make an indoor-heavy visit awkward for a family with one adult.

Are there daily feeding shows?

Do not build your visit around an assumed public timetable. A keeper feeding can be requested as part of a booked guided tour and may still be cancelled. Tours need advance arrangement, normally at least ten days ahead.

Can we take and share animal photographs?

Private photography is allowed. Commercial photography and use by third parties require written permission from zoo management. Check permission before putting images to those uses, including through a third-party service; do not assume an admission ticket covers reuse.

Illustration

ZooBayern, Germany

Tiergarten Straubing

Visit Tiergarten Straubing for a family day that brings red pandas and big cats together with a closer look at life in and around the Danube.

Official website

About

Visit Tiergarten Straubing for a family day that brings red pandas and big cats together with a closer look at life in and around the Danube. Mature trees, ponds and animal houses give the zoo the feel of a park with plenty of reasons to stop. Pick up the zoo plan first and let everyone choose one animal they particularly want to find; it is easy to spend your time watching rather than rushing through the whole collection.

The Danubium and Donau-Aquarium give this zoo a strong local character. Outside, you can look for otters, beavers and waterbirds; indoors, freshwater fish introduce different parts of the Danube system, from its headwaters towards the Black Sea. A very different stop is the reconstructed Neolithic longhouse, where timber, reeds and earth show how people once built homes in this area.

The animals described in this guide live here in human care, including the European species such as beavers and lynx. Unlock an interactive field guide for this spot: get the Snappit app to identify nature on the go.

The zoo developed in 1937–38 from a small animal collection beside the Mooshäusl in Straubing’s municipal park. Its later development put a particular emphasis on education, domestic animal breeds and the region’s wildlife. The Donau-Aquarium and Danubium grew from that local focus. The longhouse adds an even older connection: archaeological finds show that buildings of this kind stood in the Lerchenhaid area around 7,000 years ago.

What to do here

For a full visit, start with the entrance-side Exotarium and Dannerhaus, then follow the plan towards the bears, European bison and hoofed animals. Continue to the camels and Africa enclosure before spending time around the big cats and meerkats. Pause at Kiosk Löwenhunger by the large pond, then give the flamingos, penguins and Danubium their own unhurried stretch. Fit the red pandas and gibbons into your return towards the exit. This is a suggested order of sights, with scope to skip or revisit stops.

With younger children or less time, concentrate on the red pandas, penguins and Danube animals, with a pond-side break. Give each stop a small question: is an otter swimming or resting, is a meerkat watching while others forage, and how does a flamingo use its bill? A few patient minutes at one enclosure can be more rewarding than another ten ticked boxes.

When open, the 36-metre-long Steinzeithaus adds an absorbing change of subject: its exhibition connects prehistoric crafts with the origins of domestic animal breeds. Craft demonstrations happen on selected event days, so check the programme rather than expecting one every day. In showers, use the Donau-Aquarium and the entrance-side animal houses as indoor breaks, checking any temporary restrictions when you arrive; you will still walk outdoors between them.

Seasonal info

The zoo opens daily, including public holidays. March–October hours are 09:00–18:45, with the ticket office closing at 17:30 and animal houses at 18:00. November–February hours are 09:00–16:45, with tickets until 16:00 and houses until 16:30; check the official website before travelling. Winter brings real changes: bears rest more, some animals move behind the scenes, and the Steinzeithaus and Waldhaus close. The kiosk takes a winter break after the Bavarian autumn holidays, so bring your own food plan.

Accessibility

The zoo describes all visitor paths as wheelchair-passable. Accessible toilets are at the entrance, beside the zoo school and by the kiosk; the site plan also marks baby-changing facilities. There is a camel hill, so do not assume an entirely level circuit. If slopes affect your visit, ask the entrance team to help choose your route. An inclusive carousel is part of the play area.

Don't miss

Danube animals

Follow the river theme through the aquarium and the outdoor Danubium, with beavers, otters and waterbirds.

Red pandas

Make time for a quiet second look if your first visit catches them asleep.

A prehistoric house

Explore a full-size Neolithic reconstruction and its exhibition when the Steinzeithaus is open.

A pond-side pause

Flamingos, the kiosk and nearby play areas make a natural break in the animal-watching.

Walks and routes

A flexible zoo visit

All visitor paths are described by the zoo as wheelchair-passable; allow for your own needs on the hill.

Things to try

Three animals, three ways of moving

Choose a meerkat, flamingo and penguin. Ask everyone to remember one movement, then compare at your break: walking, balancing, feeding or swimming. Watching is enough if an animal is resting.

A shorter day with indoor pauses

Put the Donau-Aquarium and entrance-side animal houses ahead of a long outdoor circuit. The Dannerhaus also hosts changing exhibitions; check what is on. Bring rainwear for the paths between buildings.

Wildlife and habitats

Scan the branches as well as the ground at enclosure 24, and try again later if the panda is asleep. Early or later visits may bring movement; keep a respectful distance and avoid trying to wake it.

At enclosure 9, look for the bison’s high shoulders and solid outline alongside the much slimmer fallow deer. Their recovery through zoo breeding and reintroduction makes this a good stop for a hopeful conservation conversation.

Pause by enclosure 28 and watch both the water and the bank. If an otter appears, follow its movement for a moment before taking a picture; its dense fur helps keep it warm while swimming.

Give enclosure 27 a patient look, but expect that a mainly nocturnal beaver may be out of sight. Talk about how beavers reshape waterways; a hidden animal is a reason to return later, rather than make noise.

At enclosure 18, search slowly for the compact outline and tufted ears instead of expecting a cat to approach. Lynx are mainly active around dusk and at night, so daytime rest is entirely normal.

Watch the whole group at enclosure 17 before choosing a subject. You may catch the contrast between a lookout and animals searching for food; try a wider picture that shows what several individuals are doing.

At pond stop 21, watch how a flamingo works its bill in the water. Its filtering bill and food-derived pink colour offer two easy talking points; photograph from the visitor path without trying to attract a bird closer.

At enclosure 26, compare how the same kind of bird moves on land and in the water. These are African penguins from southern Africa, so this is a useful moment to challenge the idea that every penguin lives in Antarctica.

Stories and discoveries

Small animals, local conservation

Straubing’s conservation work includes breeding yellow-bellied toads for release into suitable habitats in Lower Bavaria. It is a useful story to ask about at the zoo: helping wildlife can start with an easily overlooked amphibian close to home.

Sources and useful links

Wildlife you might spot

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

Red Panda

European Bison

Eurasian Otter

European Lynx

Meerkat

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

Playground closure

The large climbing frame beside the kiosk is temporarily closed for repairs. Check the zoo’s current notices before making it the promised highlight of your day.

Arriving by car

Use Am Tiergarten 3, 94315 Straubing, and follow the Tiergarten signs from the B8. Visitor parking is free.

Coming by train

The walk from Straubing station takes about 45 minutes. Check bus connections for your date; Taxi-Bus 10 from Ludwigsplatz needs telephone booking at least 30 minutes before departure on 09421 51651. Get off at Tiergarten, Frauenbrünnl, about five minutes’ walk from the gate.

Little legs

Handcarts can be hired at the entrance, subject to availability, and must return before the ticket office closes. Leave balance bikes, bicycles and scooters at home.

Food and breaks

Check the kiosk’s seasonal opening times; hot meals finish an hour before it closes. In winter, the Dannerhaus has a machine for hot drinks and soup.

Animal space

Stay on visitor paths, respect barriers and leave animals undisturbed. Keep snacks for your family; do not bring food to offer the animals.

Frequently asked questions

: This is a paid-entry zoo; children under five enter free. Compare the current family combination tickets before buying. Ask the ticket office before leaving if you hope to return, rather than assuming that a day ticket permits re-entry.
: Dogs are allowed on a short lead, but must stay out of the Exotarium, Dannerhaus and big-cat house. Keep them back from viewing windows. Those restrictions can make an indoor-heavy visit awkward for a family with one adult.
: Do not build your visit around an assumed public timetable. A keeper feeding can be requested as part of a booked guided tour and may still be cancelled. Tours need advance arrangement, normally at least ten days ahead.
: Private photography is allowed. Commercial photography and use by third parties require written permission from zoo management. Check permission before putting images to those uses, including through a third-party service; do not assume an admission ticket covers reuse.