Beauval Zoo, France

ZooParc de Beauval is one of the largest zoos in Europe and is regularly ranked among the most beautiful zoos in the world. It lies in Saint-Aignan in the Loir-et-Cher department of Centre-Val de Loire, about 2.5 hours by car from Paris and close to Loire Valley châteaux such as Chambord and Chenonceau. Founded in 1980 as a small bird park, it now also runs seven hotels next to the zoo.

Animals and Territories

More than 10,000 animals of about 800 species live on 46 hectares, divided into 24 themed territories. Highlights include:

• The Heights of China, with giant pandas, snow leopards and red pandas
• The Equatorial Dome, a huge tropical greenhouse with manatees, pygmy hippos and Komodo dragons
• The Elephant Plains with elephants and okapis, and the African Savannah with giraffes and zebras
• Gorillas, chimpanzees and orangutans in their own greenhouses, and koalas in the Koala Greenhouse
• Le Nuage de Beauval, a cable car that carries you over the park
• The bird show Les Maîtres des Airs and the sea lion show L’Odyssée des Lions de Mer
• New in 2026: the Bucolia heritage farm and Les Terres Rouges, with wombats and red kangaroos

Tickets and Opening Hours

The ZooParc is open all year. A one-day ticket bought online for a chosen date costs from €39 for adults (11 and over) and from €32 for children aged 3–10, compared with €43 and €36 at the gate, and children under 3 enter free. A two-day ticket costs from €63 online, and the Zen Pass for skip-the-line entry and reserved seats at the shows costs €15 extra.