There are five major zoos in and around London – the ZSL London Zoo, Whipsnade Zoo, Marwell Zoo, Howletts Wild Animal Park, and Battersea Park Children’s Zoo.
While the London Zoo and Battersea Park Children’s Zoo are within the city, the others require a bit of a drive.
Whipsnade Zoo is 56 km (35 miles), Howletts Wild Animal Park is 104 km (65 miles), and Marwell Zoo is 120 km (74 miles) from Central London.
London Zoo is the most popular, with 1.1 million visitors annually, while Whipsnade gets around 700,000 footfalls yearly.
Since Whipsnade Zoo is only an hour’s drive from the city, locals and tourists end up comparing it to London Zoo.
Which one should they visit – Whipsnade Zoo or London Zoo? They wonder.
In this article, we compare them on eleven parameters and help you decide.
Before you visit the wildlife attraction, read up everything about entry tickets at London Zoo.
Top London Zoo & Whipsnade Zoo Tickets
Table of Contents
Whipsnade Zoo and London Zoo
Whipsnade Zoo is outside of London and is an experience that’s different from an inner-city zoo.
For instance, the Whipsnade Zoo has a bright-green colored safari bus, which offers an experience that London Zoo doesn’t offer.
If you are a local, we suggest you visit both the zoos and maybe add a few weeks between the visits.
Visual Story: 13 must-know tips before visiting Whipsnade Zoo
Visual Story: 12 must-know tips before visiting London Zoo
London Zoo vs Whipsnade Zoo
In this section, we compare Whipsnade Zoo to London Zoo on eleven different parameters.
Ownership
The Zoological Society of London (ZSL), an international conservation charity, manages Whipsnade Zoo in Dunstable and London Zoo.
They are often called ZSL Whipsnade Zoo and ZSL London Zoo.
However, both the Zoos offer unique experiences.
Location
ZSL London Zoo is at the Northern edge of Regent’s Park, because of which many locals also call it the Regent Zoo.
It is right in the middle of three underground stations – Camden Town, Regent’s Park, and Baker Street, which makes it very convenient to reach.
ZSL Whipsnade Zoo is in Dunstable, Bedfordshire, 56 km (35 miles) north of London.
Luton and Hemel Hempstead are the two train stations closest to ZSL Whipsnade Zoo.
Thameslink train service can get you from St. Pancras to Luton station, and London NorthWestern Railways can get you from London Easton to Hemel Hempstead.
Size
Whipsnade is more of a Wildlife Park, while the wildlife attraction in the middle of London is a Zoo in the traditional sense.
London Zoo is 14 ha (36 acres) big, while the much bigger Whipsnade Zoo is spread over 243 ha (600 acres).
Whipsnade Zoo, Dunstable, is almost 17 times bigger than the London Zoo – making it the biggest zoo in the UK.
In fact, visitors can take along their cars inside the ZSL Whipsnade Zoo for an additional cost.
Tripadvisor rating
Both London Zoo and Whipsnade Zoo are rated 4/5 on Tripadvisor.
London Zoo has twice the number of reviews as the zoo in Dunstable because it gets double the number of visitors annually.
In 2020, Whipsnade Zoo won Tripadvisor’s Certificate of Excellence.
Animals and their enclosures
When it comes to the number of animals, London Zoo wins hands down.
London Zoo hosts a total of 19,000+ animals belonging to more than 650 species.
Meanwhile, Whipsnade Zoo at Dunstable, England, only houses 3,600+ animals from 200+ species.
However, the animals at Whipsnade Zoo are kept in big enclosures and paddocks, while the London Zoo animals are confined in smaller pens.
Recommended Reading
– Getting to London Zoo
– Family tickets at London Zoo
– Wildlife to see at London Zoo
– Places to eat at London Zoo
– Overnight stay at London Zoo
Bus safari experience
Whipsnade Zoo at Dunstable offers a safari-like experience, while the London Zoo doesn’t.
The first Safari bus of the day starts from the Whipsnade Zoo’s main gate at 10.15 am and continues every half hour till the day’s closure.
The Safari Bus trip from the boarding point to the last enclosure (Hullabazoo) takes 24 minutes and allows you to explore the attraction for free.
Train safari
Whipsnade Zoo has two old but impressive steam engines, Excelsior and Superior, which take visitors through the animal enclosures.
These trains are from the Great Whipsnade Railway and are a visitor favorite.
During the train safari adventure, you hear exciting commentary and spot animals such as elephants, rhinos, camels, deer, etc.
For £30 per person, visitors 18 years or older can ride the train on the footplate while steaming past exotic animals such as Asian elephants, camels, one-horned rhinos, etc.
Cost of tickets
Tickets at London Zoo tend to be costlier than Whipsnade Zoo tickets.
The cost of London Zoo tickets depends on the day of your visit and the guest’s age.
Depending on the crowd expected, days are labeled as Peak days and Off-Peak days.
On peak days, the tickets for adults between 16 and 64 years cost £33. Children between three and 15 years old get a discount of £10 and pay only £23.
Students (with a valid ID), senior citizens above 65 years, and disabled visitors get a concession ticket at a discount of £2 and pay only £31.
On off-peak days, tickets for adults between 16 and 64 cost £31, and children between three and 15 get a discount of £9 and pay only £22.
Students (with a valid ID), senior citizens above 65 years, and disabled visitors get a concession ticket at a discount of £2 and pay only £29.
Kids up to two years old and one essential carer per paying disabled visitor can go for free any day.
Whipsnade Zoo tickets also vary depending on the crowd of the day.
On peak days, visitors between 16 and 64 years pay £30. Children between three and 15 years old get a discount of £9 and pay only £21.
Students (with a valid ID), senior citizens above 65 years, and disabled visitors get a concession ticket at a discount of £2 and pay only £28 for their entry.
On off-peak days, visitors between 16 and 64 years pay £29. Children between three and 15 years old get a discount of £9 and pay only £20.
Students (with a valid ID), senior citizens above 65 years, and disabled visitors get a discount of £2 and pay only £27 for their entry.
Kids up to 2 years old can get in for free any day.
Food options
Visitors who have been to both the Zoos found the food at London Zoo to be better.
Especially the restaurant named The Terrace Kitchen, where you get lip-smacking food tossed in fresh ingredients.
However, the pricing at both places is high.
That’s why we recommend you take along a blanket and food and have your picnic.
Both the Zoos provide picnic tables, including covered indoor space, should the weather go bad.
Time needed to explore
If you visit with kids and family, you will need two to three hours to explore the London Zoo.
However, if you want to explore Whipsnade Zoo to your satisfaction, you will need at least five to six hours.
Better zoo in bad weather
On a bad weather day, especially if it is raining, the London Zoo is a better option because it has plenty of indoor exhibits and sheltered spaces.
Indoor exhibits such as the Aquarium, Rainforest Life, Blackburn Pavilion (the walk-through bird exhibit), Butterfly Paradise, BUGS (the biodiversity and conservation exhibit), Reptile House, etc., come to the rescue even during winter.
At the London Zoo, even unsheltered animal enclosures have covered spaces for the visitors to stand and watch.
As far as Whipsnade Zoo is concerned, only their fantastic new Butterfly House is indoors.
So what will it be? Whipsnade Zoo or London Zoo?
Not sure how anyone can take your page seriously as you have a picture of a polar bear at the top for Whipsnade Zoo and the only place in England with polar bears is Yorkshire Wildlife Park.