Zoos & Wildlife in Greater London

The list splits fairly cleanly. London Zoo in Regent's Park is the full-day option, and reviewers regularly spend six hours or more there; one guide calls it the world's oldest scientific zoo, and another notes several restaurants and cafes on site, though our reviewers found the food variety sparse and suggest packing snacks. Penguin Beach sits inside it, with fish packets sold by the enclosure so school-age children can join a feeding. Further out, Chessington Zoo pairs animals with rides and a SEA LIFE centre, but height restrictions catch younger children out and many areas close in winter.

Most of the rest are free city farms where the point is contact rather than variety. Mudchute Park and Farm covers 32 acres with goats to feed and donkeys to pet. Stepney City Farm is larger than it looks from the gate and adds a Saturday farmers market. Hackney City Farm lets toddlers stroke goats and piglets without barriers and backs onto Victoria Park. Surrey Docks Farm, Spitalfields City Farm, Vauxhall City Farm and Kentish Town City Farm run on donations, with feed bags or bookable encounter sessions for closer time.

Smaller zoos fill the middle. Battersea Park Children's Zoo suits under-sevens, with keeper talks worth planning a route around. Hanwell Zoo keeps animals indoors in cold weather, so summer gives the fuller visit. Golders Hill Park Zoo is free, hilly and a ten-minute walk from Golders Green station. Outside the centre, Foal Farm Animal Rescue Centre at Biggin Hill puts rescued animals and a tearoom ahead of spectacle, Hounslow Urban Farm in Feltham charges entry but runs an exotic animal handling session, and Coda Falconry Ltd is for children who can follow a safety briefing and want to fly birds themselves.