Edinburgh Zoo
The first zoo in the world to house and breed penguins, sitting on a hillside with views across the whole city.
Coming soon on iOS — be first to walk Edinburgh offline.
Founded in 1913 on the open-habitat model of Hamburg's Tierpark Hagenbeck — wide slopes instead of Victorian cages — this 82-acre park is the only zoo in Britain with Queensland koalas. The south-facing slopes of Corstorphine Hill give you Edinburgh's skyline as a backdrop, and the tree collection is one of the most diverse in the Lothians.
What to look for
- Penguins — Edinburgh Zoo was the first zoo in the world to house and breed them
- Queensland koalas, found in no other British zoo
- The panoramic city views from the south-facing slopes of Corstorphine Hill
One of Scotland's most popular paid-for attractions with over 600,000 visitors a year — arrive early to beat crowds at the penguin and koala enclosures.
Edinburgh Zoo is one of 28 sights worth the detour in Edinburgh, all bundled offline in Voyage GO — download the Edinburgh pack and it sits on your map with no signal, filling your travel passport the moment you walk past.
More to see in Edinburgh
- Edinburgh CastleAttacked 26 times over 1,100 years — research calls it the most besieged place in Great Britain.
- Holyrood PalaceScotland's working royal residence since the 1500s — the actual rooms where Mary, Queen of Scots lived are open to walk through.
- The National (Scottish National Gallery)Since 1912, two near-identical neoclassical buildings have stood side by side on The Mound — visitors have been walking into the wrong one ever since.
- National Museum of ScotlandDolly the sheep, one of Elton John's extravagant suits, and a Victorian cast-iron hall — all under one free roof on Chambers Street.
- Murrayfield StadiumScotland's largest stadium opened in 1925 with a Grand Slam win — 70,000 people watched it happen.
- St Giles' CathedralA prayer book read here in 1637 caused a riot that sparked a rebellion pulling three kingdoms into war.