A couple of weeks ago, M had to take a trip to Hamburg for work. He was going to have to drive a transporter pulling a trailer in order to pick up the item he needed. He thought it would be a great idea for us all to go despite the 7 hour road trip with a 15 month old. We decided to take the chance as we were excited at the possibility of taking Monster to the Hagenbeck Tierpark.
Hagnebeck Tierpark is a zoo in Stellingen, now a quarter in Hamburg, Germany. The collection began in 1863 with animals that belonged to Carl Hagenbeck Sr. (1810–87), a fishmonger who became an amateur animal collector. The park itself was founded by Carl Hagenbeck Jr. in 1907. It is known for being the first zoo to use open enclosures surrounded by moats, rather than barred cages, to better approximate animals’ natural environments. - Wikipedia
We didn’t know really what to expect by the park, only knowing we read online, that there was both the animal park and an aquarium. We left early, but the trip took longer than expected and after picking up the equipment and checking in to the hotel, we rushed to the park worried it was already closed. Luckily we arrived at 5pm and the park stays open until 7pm. The woman behind the desk explained the options: only the animal park (20 euro), only the aquarium (14 euro) or both (30 euro). Children under 4 are free so we would just be paying the adult ticket price for each of us. We chose both but she then explained it could take 4 hours just to get through the entire animal park and around 3 hours for the aquarium; basically we should pick one. We chose the animal park and were not disappointed! The animals are in such an open environment and some even roam the park on their own! The collection is amazing and my only regret is not having enough time.
In addition to the animals, the park had little cafes, wine/beer stations, candy shops, gifts shops and huge playgrounds for the kids with large and fun equipment. (I meant to get a picture!) You could spend the entire day there, especially if you have older children. The ticket prices for children ages 4-16 are slightly less than the adult prices and they also have family group prices.
Not sure you can see it, but she is feeding a baby deer behind the bench.
I love this picture! I was trying to get the little baby, but instead I got all their backs facing me! Cute!
I ended with my personal favorite picture, of course. 
I hope you enjoyed the “mini” tour of this amazing animal park in Hamburg, Germany.
*This post was also featured as part of Travel Germany on the Young Germany website.
Wildlife pictures are always fascinating and nice to look at — thanks for sharing them.
Thanks for stopping by and the follow. Glad you enjoyed the pictures!
Looks fun!
It was! Thanks for stopping by and commenting!
It looks fabulous! Aww, giant tortoises. I love them!
It was really great! I hope to go back when he’s a little older and can enjoy it more.
And yes the tortoises were so big!! Very cool!
Fun! I I love the lady feeding the deer, that is too cute!
Oh I’m glad you could see it! I kept waiting and waiting and that sweet little deer just stayed safe and hidden back there!
What a cool place to visit! Those tortoises are incredible-so massive! And I love that photo of the monkeys with their backs to you
It was so fun! Haha I really love that photo! But I still wish I could’ve captured the baby….he was so tiny!
Hey, I got this rather interesting email the other day - maybe you guys would be interested??? I told her I didn’t think there was anything exotic about Latvia
Hi Linda,
I am casting producer for an American television show about people buying homes abroad. I came across your blog and wanted to reach out to see if you might be interested in participating in an episode of our show.
House Hunters International tells the story of people who have picked up and moved to an exotic foreign location to pursue a new life abroad. Being on our show is a lot of fun for our participants and is a great way for them to document their search for a new home.
We are casting people who have already bought/rented a home or are currently looking for a home in a new country. If you or anyone you know meets these qualifications please don’t hesitate to contact me.
I look forward to hearing from you!
Best,
Rebecca Kurland
[email protected]
I LOVE that show. I wish I could watch it here!
Hmmm….maybe I should email her?
Get in quick! I’m about to publish a post on it! I thought of you first, though!
Haha no that’s ok. Go ahead and publish! I’m not really the on TV kind of girl.
No, me either!!
What an awesome looking park! And you caught such cute pictures!
I don’t know how long it is to get to Cologne, but there’s a great zoo there that might be a good option in the future, too. =)
Thank you!!! So glad you enjoyed the pictures.
Cologne is only 2 hours away. I have been to that zoo and loved it!! I do plan on taking my boy there someday.
What a beautiful zoo. How did your littlest man like it? We used to have a zoo here in Doha, but it was in a poor state, and they shut it down last year …. I think they’re planning on re-opening next year with upgraded facilities. I hope so, because it’s so nice for the kids. Your pictures are great!
Thanks! He is pretty uninterested still. He likes walking around and he checked out the animals some but I think it may have been more fun for us.
I hope they reopen your zoo!
Nice pictures! I love going to the Zoo. I have been a couple times since moving here already. My wife was telling me about this Zoo somewhere in Germany that you drive through with your car, like a safari park or serengeti adventure. I think it is more towards the South. That would be cool!
Thanks! Oh really??? I’ve never heard of it. I’ll have to ask my husband and see if he knows!
Yeah, I googled it and it popped up a couple of places but I will have to find out which one she was specifically talking about. I mean, we don’t have a car at the moment but whenever we eventually do get one, that would be something I would like to do. She said the animals come right up to your car like they would in a safari trip to Africa. She went there with her parents when she was younger. That would be exciting!
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Oh love going to the zoo! I love the monkeys. Thank you for linking up with me for Travel Tuesdays!
Bonnie Rose | A Compass Rose an expat lifestyle blog
I love the zoo too! I was 33 when I went to my first one! Thanks for stopping by!
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