Four kilometres north of the city centre, this zoo covering 60 hectares, has an enormous population of wild animals. It’s laid out like a safari park, with most of the animals roaming free in open enclosures: be prepared to walk a lot. As part of the zoo there is an Amazon Greenhouse which houses nearly 3,500 tropical plants, recreating a natural Amazonian environment. The zoo itself has free entry but to enter the greenhouse you need to pay.
Recommended by:
Wendy Johnson
Contact Details:
50 Avenue Agropolis, 34090 Montpellier /+33 4 67 54 45 23 / http://zoo.montpellier.fr/
Be prepared for a good walk on paths through garrigue close to the centre of Montpellier. There are lots of picnic places in the shade. Can be pretty hot in the Summer. The Amazon Forest is fascinating and educational and even fun when they stage their ‘storm’ in the rain forest and you get a bit wet! Lots of fishes, snakes, other animals and plants. (Wendy Johnson)