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In many ways, zoos present much better value for your money than adventure theme parks, given their lower entry costs and educational value. Better still, there are heaps of cheap zoo tickets available to help save you even more money, as well as great zoo deals and travel offers to get you on your way.

Here’s a look at some of the UK’s most popular zoos and the cheapest ways to enjoy them with your family.

Chester Zoo
London Zoo
Whipsnade Zoo
Colchester Zoo
Drusillas Zoo Park
Edinburgh Zoo
Bristol Zoo Gardens
Twycross Zoo
Family Getaways

Chester Zoo

Chester Zoo is home to 400 different species of animals, which means every zoo-goer is sure to get up close and personal with their favourites. There aren't any Chester Zoo vouchers available at present, but there's still some great discounts on offer!

Standard on-the-door ticket prices

Adult: £20 
Child: £15.50
Children under 3 years are free
Family (2 Adults+ 2 Children):  £65

Cheap zoo tickets for Chester Zoo

• Buy direct from the Chester Zoo website: You can avoid the queues on the day by booking your tickets direct from Chester Zoo's website. You'll also benefit from the zoo's Fast Track entry on the day.
• Chester Zoo group discounts: By going as part of a group, you can save a hefty 30% on entry to Chester Zoo. The offer is available when making an online booking for a group of 15 or more.
• Chester Zoo bike voucher: If you live close to the zoo, why not leave the car at home and jump on your bike with the kids. Not only will you save money on fuel, by doing your bit for the environment the zoo will give a 15% discount to everyone who arrives by bike. To claim the discount, you will need to show the Chester Zoo bike voucher at the gate.
• Merseyrail ‘All In’ ticket offer: Getting to Chester Zoo is easy with the Merseyrail All In ticket offer, which includes train travel to Bache station from anywhere on the Merseyrail network. Remember to always check for the cheapest fare at a ticket aggregator website like Trainline.
• National Rail add-on fares: From further afield, National Rail offers a bus and admission ticket as an add-on to train tickets.

London Zoo

London Zoo is arguably the UK’s most popular zoo, set right in the heart of London at Regent’s Park.

Standard on-the-door ticket prices

Adult: £23.50
Child: £17
Children under 3 years are free

Cheap zoo tickets for London Zoo

• Use your London Pass: You can use your London Pass to get FREE access to London Zoo, as well as 54 other top London attractions. The London Pass can be great value: a six-day adult London Pass normally costs £99 and entitles you to £480 worth of attraction entry. One, two and three day passes are also available.
• London Zoo Online Family Offer: You can avoid the hassle and simply buy your tickets direct from the zoo and still claim a discount! London Zoo offers family tickets online for a 10% discount (excl the voluntary donation included in the ticket price) for a family of two adults and two children, or one adult and three children. Additional kids will also get 10% (up to 10 people). Booking online also gets you fast track entry at the gate, so you can avoid the queues and get straight to the action. If you're taking a large group of 10 or more, you can get a 20% discount by booking online.
• Save 7.5% with Buyagift: Buy your London Zoo tickets via the Buyagift website and you can currently save over 7.5% on door prices.
• National Express 2 for 1 London Zoo offer:Book coach tickets to get to London with National Express and you’ll get 2 for 1 entry to London Zoo. You’ll need to buy two coach tickets, valid on the same day as your visit to the zoo.
• South West trains 2 for 1 London Zoo offer: If coach isn’t your thing, jump on the train. You’ll need to buy two train tickets to London, valid on the same day as your London Zoo visit, and fill out the voucher.

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Whipsnade Zoo

The Bedfordshire sister of London Zoo, Whipsnade Zoo boasts being the largest zoo in the UK.

Standard on-the-door ticket prices

Adult:  £21
Child: £16
Children under 3 years are free

Cheap zoo tickets for Whipsnade Zoo

• Whipsnade Zoo online tickets: Just like London Zoo, Whipsnade Zoo offers a special 10% discounted Online Family Offer. The offer (excluding the voluntary donation) is valid for two adults and two kids, or one adult and three kids.
• Whipsnade Zoo group bookings: Group discounts of 20% are available for groups of 10 or more if you book online in advance. Alternatively, if your group turns up on the day, you can still get a 15% discount at the gate.
• National Rail 2 for 1 offer: Travel by bus with Intalink or train through National Rail and you can get 2 for 1 entry into Whipsnade Zoo. You will need to show your completed voucher and your valid bus or train ticket from that day at the gate to claim your discounted entry.
• Use your Tesco Clubcard: Get exclusive Days Out tokens using your Tesco Clubcard vouchers. Every £5 worth of Clubcard vouchers gets you £20 worth of tokens, so you’re getting great value on cheap days out with the kids.

Colchester Zoo

A number of new attractions are open for business in 2013 at Colchester Zoo, including Lost Madagascar – a walk-through enclosure where you can see the lemurs in their home environment.

Standard on-the-door ticket prices

Adult: £19.99
Child: £13.50
Children under 3 years are free

Cheap zoo tickets for Colchester Zoo

• Trainline discount tickets: If you’re planning to go by train, book your train tickets in advance through Trainline and you can make huge savings of up to 80%.
• Colchester Zoo group discounts: Like many zoos, Colchester Zoo offers generous discounts for group visits, which equate to nearly 25% off per person when you go with a group of 15 or more people. To obtain the discount, bookings must be made at least 48 hours in advance. If you book and pay well in advance of your day out, you will receive an extra special offer of one free adult ticket for every eight paying children.
• Tesco Clubcard vouchers: Cash in your Tesco Clubcard vouchers for cheap zoo tickets. Every £5 worth of Clubcard vouchers will get you £20 worth of Days Out tokens to use toward your visit.

Drusillas Zoo Park

Family is at the heart of Drusillas, owned and operated by just two families in its 90 year history. The park comprises an animal zoo as well as a range of theme park rides and adventure activities.

Standard on-the-door ticket prices

Adults and Children: £16.99 peak days 
Children under 2 years are free
Family of four: £63.99 peak days

Cheap zoo tickets for Drusillas Zoo Park

• Drusillas discount days: In addition to its standard peak and off-peak days, Drusillas has selected discount days and super saver days during the cooler months. Check the calendar on the zoo’s website to see which days are earmarked as discount and super saver days and plan your day out accordingly. And remember to dress warm!
• Drusillas online discount: Save 10% on your Drusillas tickets when you buy online.
• Tesco Clubcard vouchers: Exchange your Tesco Clubcard vouchers for Drusillas Park tokens. Just £6 in Clubcard vouchers get you one ‘Buy in Full’ token to the park. This is a saving of £10.50 on every adult ticket.

Edinburgh Zoo

Scotland’s most prominent zoo is home to the Giant Pandas, who draw plenty of crowds as they eat and play.

Standard on-the-door ticket prices

Adult: £16
Child: £11.50
Children under 3 years are free
Car parking: £4

Cheap zoo tickets for Edinburgh Zoo

• Edinburgh Zoo group tickets: Groups of 10 or more can save you around 20% per person. Alternatively, you can purchase one of the zoo’s family tickets, which offer a saving of around 10%. There are four types of family tickets available, which cover families with one or two adults and multiple kids.
• Scotrail’s Kids Go Free offer: Edinburgh Zoo is participating in Scotrail’s Kids Go Free offer. Simply show your Kids Go Free Scotrail train ticket at the zoo gate and one child will get free entry with each paying adult.
• Panda Express: Stagecoach operates the Panda Express bus service to the zoo from western Scotland and Aberdeen. When taking the Panda Express, one child gets to travel for free with each paying adult. Cheap zoo tickets are also available on weekdays outside of school holidays, excluding bank holidays.

Bristol Zoo Gardens

Bristol Zoo Gardens is a popular choice for animal lovers from near and far. But until August, your family can also see first-hand animals of a different kind with the zoo’s 12 animatronics dinosaurs.

Standard on-the-door ticket prices

Adult: £14.95
Child: £10.45
Children under 3 years are free

Cheap zoo tickets for Bristol Zoo Gardens

• Bristol Zoo Gardens online offer: Bristol Zoo Gardens offers a 10% discount on tickets simply by booking online. You will need to show the supplied barcode at the gate to take advantage of the discounted entry.
• First Great Western 2 for 1 offer: First Great Western has a 2 for 1 Bristol Zoo Gardens offer when you travel by train. Simply print off the voucher and show it and your train ticket at the gate to redeem the 2 for 1 offer.
• First Attractions Zoo Safari offer: Travel by bus and you can take up a special offer with First Attractions. The offer includes return bus travel to the zoo from within Bristol Zones 1 and 2 and entry to the zoo, both of which are discounted by 15%.
• Bristol Zoo Family Escape packages: From just £76, your family can take up one of Bristol Zoo’s family escape packages. All packages include day entry to the zoo, one night’s accommodation at a local hotel and breakfast. Some of the packages also include family dinner.

Twycross Zoo

Based in Atherstone, Warwickshire, Twycross Zoo promotes itself as the World Primate Centre, although it is home to a diverse range of animals in spaces that closely resemble their natural habitats.

Standard on-the-door ticket prices

Adult: £14.50
Child: £10
Children under 3 years: £1
Family (2 adults, 2 children): £48.00

Cheap zoo tickets for Twycross Zoo

• Twycross Zoo online discount: Book your tickets online through the zoo’s website to receive a 5% discount.

Family Getaways

If you’re planning on visiting a zoo as part of a family weekend away, there are some great deals available that will ensure you get the most out of your trip to the zoo without breaking the bank.

• Premier Inn Short Breaks offer: Premier Inn has a Family Short Breaks special offer, where kids under 16 stay and eat breakfast for free. The offer is valid across Premier Inn’s network of hotels. Room rates vary according to location.
• Lastminute.com Top Secret Hotels deals: You can save up to 45% off hotel rooms when you book using Lastminute.com’s Top Secret Hotels deals. These special discounts allow you to secure a quality hotel at close to half price, although you won’t know which hotel you’re booked into until your room has been secured. There are a range of hotels available at various prices, including many four and five star hotels at heavily discounted rates.

Voluntary donations in ticket prices

It is worth remembering that many zoos and wildlife parks in the UK operate as charities, relying on not just ticket prices but also donations and tax breaks to fund their conservations works. And in many cases, the advertised ticket price includes a voluntary donation of around 10% per ticket – so you can save money simply by opting out of this charge.

Make sure you check out these other great ideas for family days out with the kids and gain access all the latest special offers and discounts for UK theme parks, days out in London with the kids, free family events at National Parks plus loads of great vouchers.