Basel Zoo: admission, highlights and tips for a family visit
The "Zolli" is right in the city and open every day. What admission costs in 2026 and what it includes, how to plan the visit by your children's ages, what is left when it rains and why you should not come by car.
Basel Zoo, known locally as the "Zolli", is right in the middle of Basel, a few minutes' walk from SBB station, and open every day of the year. In 2026 an adult pays 22 CHF, and a family with two children aged 6 to 15 pays 64 CHF.
This page explains what the price includes, how to tailor the visit to your children's ages, what the official pages leave open and what has disappointed visitors. It is based on the zoo's pages from autumn 2026, and we flag visitor impressions as such.
How much is admission to Basel Zoo?
| Category | Price 2026 |
|---|---|
| Adults aged 20 and over | 22 CHF |
| Seniors, women from 64, men from 65 | 20 CHF |
| Young people aged 16 to 19 | 16 CHF |
| Children aged 6 to 15, first and second child | 10 CHF each |
| Each additional child aged 6 to 15 | 5.50 CHF |
| Annual pass, family | 170 CHF |
| Annual pass, adult | 95 CHF |
| Annual pass, senior | 75 CHF |
| Annual pass, young person | 50 CHF |
Every individual ticket includes a voluntary conservation contribution of 1 CHF. If you would rather not pay it, ask at the desk for a ticket without it; for a family of four that is 4 francs less.
The price page gives no rate for children under 6. Free entry is likely but not confirmed on the page, so ask before your visit. What is certain is that children under 8 may only enter accompanied by a responsible person.
Are online tickets, annual passes or the BaselCard worth it?
There is an online shop, but the sources confirm no fixed saving compared with the ticket desk. Check your basket before counting on a discount.
The family pass at 170 CHF only pays off for a family of four from the third visit in a year, since two visits cost 128 francs. The extract we had does not state exactly which family make-ups it covers.
The sources do not confirm whether, or how much, the BaselCard saves at the zoo. It is still worth having for the tram ride there, as explained in BaselCard and Mobility Ticket.
What does each family pay?
| Group | Make-up 2026 | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Two adults, two children aged 6 to 15 | 2 × 22 and 2 × 10 francs | 64 CHF |
| Two adults, three children | plus a third child at 5.50 francs | 69.50 CHF |
| One adult, one child | 22 and 10 francs | 32 CHF |
| Two seniors, two grandchildren | 2 × 20 and 2 × 10 francs | 60 CHF |
| Two adults, one teenager, one child | 2 × 22, 16 and 10 francs | 70 CHF |
All totals include the one-franc conservation contribution per ticket. For an adult, the annual pass at 95 CHF pays off from the fifth visit, because four visits cost 88 francs and five already 110.
Photo: Traumrune, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
When is the zoo open?
| Months | Opening hours 2026 |
|---|---|
| January, February, November, December | 8am to 5:30pm |
| March, April, September, October | 8am to 6pm |
| May to August | 8am to 6:30pm |
Opening hours do not mean every enclosure, restaurant and activity is open all day. Feedings and demonstrations depend on the season, the animals, the weather and staffing.
With children it pays to arrive between 8am and 9:30am: the children are fresher, many animals are more active and it is quieter. That is experience, not a count by the zoo.
What works for which age?
Under 3, the zoo is mainly a walk full of impressions: big animals, movement, sounds and plenty of breaks. A full circuit brings little at this age; the aquarium, the elephants and the goats to stroke, under close supervision, are enough.
From 3 to 5, the visit becomes a treasure hunt: spotting animals, copying their calls, counting the young. A 2 to 3-hour round is more realistic than a whole day.
The children's zoo (Kinderzoo) gives the visit a focus, with activity times in 2026 of 8:05am to 11:45am and 1:30pm to 4:45pm. Some animal activities are only for children aged 6 and over and should not be confused with a free offer for the little ones.
From 6 to 9, habitats, behaviour and signs become interesting. The zoo offers guided tours from age 6, with a children's rate of 10 CHF for these formats, and it pays to pick a few highlights rather than promise "the whole zoo".
From 10 to 15, conservation, enclosures and behaviour matter, and a half day of about four hours is easier to sustain than with a nursery-age child. Teenagers like the zoo if they take photos or are interested in biology; those expecting attractions find it slow.
Walk to the Zolli with the children: stay near SBB station or in Gundeldingen and you can walk to the zoo in a few minutes, with no tram or parking hunt in the morning. For families, the holiday flats in Basel with a kitchen are often more practical than two hotel rooms, and the visitor tax brings the BaselCard for trams and buses.
See holiday flats in Basel →Partner link: booking through this link supports our editorial team at no extra cost to you.Which animals and enclosures are the highlights?
- Elephants: the little ones' favourite, when the animals are outside.
- Great apes: for schoolchildren who like watching behaviour.
- Lions and other big cats: often more active in the morning.
- Giraffes, rhinos, penguins: the classic photos.
- Aquarium: quiet and under cover, the refuge when tired or in rain.
- Children's zoo: farm animals and hands-on activities, at set times.
The sources give no fixed feeding times by species and day, and we will not invent any. The day's programme is posted at the entrance and on the zoo's website, and a feeding may be moved or cancelled.
Photo: Badener, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
What applies with a pushchair?
Pushchairs are allowed, as are wheelchairs, walking frames and other mobility aids. Bicycles, scooters, roller skates and other vehicles are not allowed in the zoo.
The zoo does not publish a map of slopes, lifts and step-free routes, so "pushchairs allowed" does not yet mean "comfortable everywhere". A manoeuvrable pushchair with a brake helps, as does a baby carrier for narrow spots or a tired child.
Families will expect baby-changing tables, nursing rooms and lockers, but the sources do not confirm them. Nor does the zoo give the length of the circuit in kilometres, but it is big enough that a three or four-year-old will want to end up in the pushchair.
What should you do if it rains?
In light rain, arrive early, see the main outdoor enclosures first and move into the aquarium before lunch. Then allow two to three hours rather than a whole day, with rain gear and your own snacks.
In heavy rain, the aquarium and the animal houses remain, and they fill up fast. The zoo as a whole is not a rainy-day programme; museums and pools for children are listed in Basel in the rain.
In winter the problem is not only the cold but also that some animals are indoors or not very active. Visitors report empty enclosures, which cannot be generalised but explains why a winter visit can disappoint.
Photo: Traumrune, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
How do you get there, and where do you park?
By tram or on foot. The zoo is in the city centre, a few minutes from SBB station, and the tram is more predictable than hunting for a parking space; lines and tickets are in getting around Basel.
Parking is the weak point: the zoo publishes no capacity, and visitors complain of few spaces and poor signage. One visitor mentions 1 franc an hour, which is not confirmed.
If you come by car, plan on a car park near SBB station; free spaces are shown on Basel parking live. Rates and zones are explained in parking in Basel.
Where do you eat at the zoo?
The zoo has restaurants, but we found no complete overview with 2026 prices, children's menus and opening hours. Expect to spend more than on a picnic once drinks, desserts and hot meals for several children are involved.
Check on site whether baby food can be warmed, where picnics are allowed and how long the queue is at noon. On busy days the restaurants and indoor areas are fuller than the paths outside.
What might disappoint?
- Building work and closed paths: visitors reported noise, blocked paths and empty enclosures in 2026.
- Dark paths in October: one visitor found paths unlit while the zoo was open until 6pm. Visit the far sections before the last hour.
- Busy days: rainy days, weekends, holidays and feeding times concentrate visitors.
- Parking: scarce, with no guarantee.
- The feeding you came for: it may be moved or cancelled. The day's programme at the entrance is more reliable than any list online.
- The aquarium in the rain: it is the best refuge and therefore the busiest part of the zoo on wet days.
Zoo in the morning, city in the afternoon: with children, one zoo a day is enough, and the rest of the city can wait for day two. The well-rated places to stay in Basel can be filtered by location, and for the next day there are activities and tours in Basel, from city walks to trips on the Rhine.
Compare places to stay in Basel →Partner link: booking through this link supports our editorial team at no extra cost to you.What else can you do with children in Basel?
Museum Tinguely, with its moving machines, is one of the most child-friendly museums in the city; see Museum Tinguely in Basel. Many Basel museums are free for children, and the age limits are compared in museums in Basel.
In summer the riverbank and the ferries beckon, and in autumn the rides of the Basel Herbstmesse. A two-day plan that can be adapted for families is in a weekend in Basel.
Sources: Basel Zoo (admission prices and single tickets, annual passes, zoo regulations, visiting and opening hours, guided tours, children's zoo, September and October 2026), visitor reviews on Tripadvisor (German, English and Indian sites, 2026, flagged as personal accounts).
Frequently asked questions
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Samuel Tschudin
Samuel spent eight years guiding groups through the Old Town, from Münsterplatz to the Rhine promenade. He builds his routes on foot, watch in hand, and cuts whatever does not fit into a real day. He would rather write that a visit is not worth the ticket than pad out a list.