The most accessible zoos in the UK

The UK has many first-class attractions, including a range of must-visit zoos. These fantastic wildlife attractions are consistently among the UK’s top things to do for people of all ages.

But how accessible are the UK’s top zoos for people with limited mobility? Are they welcoming to stairlift or wheelchair users? We have analysed 10 of the UK’s most popular zoos to determine their accessibility.

Read on to discover a range of fantastic UK zoos.

What are the most accessible zoos in the UK?

Chester Zoo

Accessible Toilets: Yes
Full Wheelchair Access: Yes
Wheelchairs Available: Yes
On-site Disabled Parking: Yes
Carer Tickets or Free Entrance: Yes

Chester Zoo, one of the UK’s largest and most popular zoos, offers an immersive wildlife experience with over 20,000 animals across 500 species. Visitors can explore diverse habitats, conservation initiatives, and beautiful gardens. Ideal for families and wildlife enthusiasts, it’s a must-visit destination for unforgettable animal encounters.

Kelly from the blog North East Family Adventures loved her visit to Chester Zoo and has shared some tips: “We loved the selection of animals to see at Chester Zoo. My top tips for visiting would be:

Arrive early
Take drinks (they can be pricey)
Wear comfortable shoes (lots of walking)
Make a plan before you go about the animals you really want to see, see those animals first because it is so big you could end up missing something.”

Chester Zoo ticks all the boxes in terms of facilities on offer, including providing full wheelchair access. There are free tickets for carers, accessible toilets, and the zoo has wheelchairs available to hire.

Learn more about Chester Zoo’s accessibility.

Yorkshire Wildlife Park

Accessible Toilets: Yes
Full Wheelchair Access: Yes
Wheelchairs Available: Yes
On-site Disabled Parking: Yes
Carer Tickets or Free Entrance: Yes

Based on the outskirts of Doncaster, the Yorkshire Wildlife Park is widely regarded as the UK’s number one walkthrough wildlife adventure. The wildlife park has many rare and endangered animals, including Amur Leopards and Tigers, Black Rhinos and Polar Bears!

The walk-through areas mean you will get up close with some of the park’s residents in the Wallaby Walkabout, Lemur Woods, and Amazonas Interactive Reserve! There are also indoor and outdoor play areas, cafes and shops.

Kelly from the North East Family Adventures Blog has also visited the Yorkshire Wildlife Park, and she thought the park was very accessible: “The park is very accessible with flat terrain and wide pathways. You can easily get around in a wheelchair or using a pushchair. There are pushchairs and mobility equipment available to hire at the main entrance.”

Yorkshire Wildlife Park offers lots of accessible facilities. This includes being fully wheelchair accessible to visitors, offering free carer tickets and accessible toilet facilities.

Learn more about Yorkshire Wildlife Park accessibility .

Whipsnade Zoo

Accessible Toilets: Yes
Full Wheelchair Access: Yes
Wheelchairs Available: Yes
On-site Disabled Parking: Yes
Carer Tickets or Free Entrance: Yes

Whipsnade Zoo, the UK’s largest zoo, offers vast, safari-like enclosures where animals roam freely across 600 acres. Home to over 3,800 species, it provides unique experiences like drive-through exhibits and spectacular views of the Chiltern Hills. Whipsnade Zoo is ideal for animal lovers seeking a more natural wildlife experience.

Regarding accessibility, Whipsnade Zoo is one of the best in the UK. Visitors with limited mobility can enjoy full wheelchair access, accessible toilets and on-site disabled parking. The zoo is also trialling an internal electric bus service to help visitors explore the grounds more easily.

Learn more about Whipsnade Zoo’s accessibility.

London Zoo

Accessible Toilets: Yes
Full Wheelchair Access: No
Wheelchairs Available: Yes
On-site Disabled Parking: Yes
Carer Tickets or Free Entrance: Yes

London Zoo, the world’s oldest scientific zoo, blends history with modern conservation. Located in Regent's Park, it houses over 750 species, from penguins to tigers. Unique experiences include the walk-through ‘Land of the Lions’ and immersive rainforest exhibits, offering an educational and thrilling wildlife adventure.

London Zoo is also very accessible, providing important facilities for visitors with limited mobility. There are accessible toilets, wheelchairs to borrow, on-site disabled parking, and carer tickets. However, because the zoo is 200 years old and features some old buildings, full wheelchair access isn’t available. That being said, most of the zoo is accessible to wheelchair users, and there is level or ramped access to most buildings.

Learn more about London Zoo’s accessibility.

Paignton Zoo

Accessible Toilets: Yes
Full Wheelchair Access: No
Wheelchairs Available: Yes
On-site Disabled Parking: Yes
Carer Tickets or Free Entrance: Yes

Paignton Zoo, nestled in Devon, offers a unique blend of wildlife and botanical gardens. With over 2,500 animals and 1,600 plant species across 80 acres, visitors can explore tropical forests, savannah habitats, and a nature trail. Its diverse landscape and rare species make it a fascinating destination for nature and animal enthusiasts.

Claire, from the family travel blog Devon with Kids, shared with us her experience of visiting Paignton Zoo: “My family loves visiting Paignton Zoo and has had annual membership in the past. It's a full day out with enclosures set within a beautiful valley landscape. Even though there are hills around the zoo, you can pick up an accessible route map at reception. Our favourite area to visit is Lemur Wood, where you can walk through the enclosure.”

Those with limited mobility will find Paignton Zoo has a lot to offer. While not every inch of the zoo is accessible to wheelchair users due to steep hills and some difficult paths, the zoo as a whole is reasonably wheelchair friendly. There’s plenty of seating available, on-site disabled parking, accessible toilets, and free entry for carers.

Learn more about Paignton Zoo’s accessibility.

Blackpool Zoo

Accessible Toilets: Yes
Full Wheelchair Access: Yes
Wheelchairs Available: Yes
On-site Disabled Parking: Yes
Carer Tickets or Free Entrance: Yes

Blackpool Zoo is one of the most visited animal parks in the UK and has been open for over 50 years. More than 1,000 animals live at the zoo, ranging from Asian elephants, gorillas, orangutans, lions, and tigers to penguins, giraffes and sea lions.

The zoo is highly accessible, and it offers a variety of accessible facilities, including on-site disabled parking, wheelchair hire for visitors with limited mobility and accessible toilets. The zoo also provides free carer tickets for those accompanying visitors with disabilities.

Learn more about Blackpool Zoo’s accessibility.

Marwell Zoo

Accessible Toilets: Yes
Full Wheelchair Access: Yes
Wheelchairs Available: Yes
On-site Disabled Parking: Yes
Carer Tickets or Free Entrance: Yes

Marwell Zoo’s 140-acre park has hundreds of animals, from giraffes, tigers and rhinos to meerkats, penguins and lemurs. For people visiting with children, the five adventure play areas, cafes and gift shops mean that there is plenty to keep the younger generation occupied. The zoo isn’t just regarded as one of the best days out in Hampshire but as one of the best in the whole UK.

On her blog, Laura Summers spoke about her experience at Marwell Zoo: “We had a lovely day visiting Marwell Zoo; it was a great family day out. The park was well-laid out and designed to let you see as many of the animals as is possible. Which let’s face it is probably the most important thing when visiting a zoo, no one wants to visit the zoo and then not see any animals. With multiple viewing points and perspex screens where it was safe to do so. You could get pretty close to the animals which was fantastic.”

Marwell Zoo is very accessible as it offers all the facilities disabled visitors would expect. It is fully wheelchair-accessible, there is on-site disabled parking, and wheelchairs are available to hire.

Learn more about Marwell Zoo’s accessibility.

Edinburgh Zoo

Accessible Toilets: Yes
Full Wheelchair Access: No
Wheelchairs Available: Yes
On-site Disabled Parking: Yes
Carer Tickets or Free Entrance: Yes

Edinburgh Zoo, set on 82 acres of hillside, is renowned for being home to the UK's only Queensland Koalas. It offers immersive exhibits, including the impressive Wee Waddle (where visitors can get close to Penguins as they wander around) and Scottish wildlife conservation programs. Its stunning city views and unique species make it a must-visit for animal lovers and families.

While many of the paths around Edinburgh Zoo are accessible by wheelchair, some routes are unsuitable for wheelchairs due to the zoo’s hilly nature. The zoo offers accessible toilets, on-site disabled parking, mobility aid hire, and a free mobility vehicle service which runs year-round for visitors with accessibility requirements.

Learn more about Edinburgh Zoo’s accessibility.

West Midlands Safari Park

Accessible Toilets: Yes
Full Wheelchair Access: No
Wheelchairs Available: Yes
On-site Disabled Parking: Yes
Carer Tickets or Free Entrance: Yes

West Midlands Safari Park is an award-winning attraction home to various all-weather attractions, including four miles of drive-through safari, a dinosaur exhibit and a theme park. There are over 100 different species that call the safari park home, and if you want to get up close to the animals, there are walk-through exhibits.

The attraction even offers visitors the chance to stay at the safari park as they have lodges overlooking elephants, cheetahs, giraffes, rhinos, tigers, lions and red pandas.

Even though virtually all of the safari park is accessible, there are areas where you cannot take a wheelchair. There are free tickets for carers and companions accompanying visitors with a disability, and there are plenty of on-site car parking spaces for wheelchair users.

Learn more about West Midlands Safari Park’s accessibility.

Colchester Zoo

Accessible Toilets: Yes
Full Wheelchair Access: No
Wheelchairs Available: Yes
On-site Disabled Parking: Yes
Carer Tickets or Free Entrance: Yes

From the African plains to jungles, Colchester Zoo will transport you to all corners of the world. The zoo is home to over 155 species in 60 acres of parkland and lakes! Some of the animals that you can see include the iconic Komodo dragons, White rhinos, giraffes, ostrich, zebra and kudu.

Pinar, who is the writer behind her own lifestyle blog, enjoyed her visit to Colchester Zoo, and she spoke about her experience: “Walking around the Zoo, there is so much to see as well as read about. With lots of loudspeaker information for visitors, you can really learn all about the species, what the zoo does to help them and also their back story from where they came from and their history.”

Colchester Zoo is very accessible, although some zoo areas are not fully accessible to visitors with limited mobility. Facilities available include on-site disabled parking, wheelchairs available to hire and accessible toilets.

Learn more about Colchester Zoo’s accessibility.

In this guide, we have explored the accessibility of the UK’s most popular zoos, revealing the available and unavailable facilities to those with limited mobility.

Would you benefit from mobility aids such as straight stairlifts, curved stair lifts or standing stairlifts? Please book a free home assessment.