Zoo, Butterflies and a Working Farm: 6 Places In and Around Prague to See Animals Up Close

Prague isn't just about cathedrals and beer — you can easily spend a whole day surrounded by animals here, from one of the world's best zoos to a farm raising old Czech livestock breeds, tropical butterflies in the city centre, and sharks in a former exhibition pavilion. This roundup will come in handy for families with children, nature lovers, and anyone who wants to add some living, breathing experiences to their trip — most of these spots are easy to combine into a single day, since several of them sit right next to each other in the Troja district.

Zoo Praha, Troja

The country's main zoo is located at U Trojského zámku 120/3, 171 00 Praha 7, in the Troja district, on a hilly stretch of the Vltava riverbank. It's open daily, including weekends and public holidays, from 9 a.m. The zoo covers 58 hectares, 50 of which are given over to animal exhibits; it first opened in 1931 with 200 animals and today is home to 708 species and more than 6,500 individual animals. Among the most popular exhibits are the Indonesian Jungle with its Komodo dragons, the sea lion enclosures, Monkey Island, the gorillas, and the zoo's celebrated Przewalski's horse breeding programme. The largest exhibit deserves special mention — the Elephant Valley, a 7,500-square-metre area with pools and varied terrain designed for Indian elephants. The easiest way to get there is bus 112 from the Nádraží Holešovice metro station (line C), or on foot through Stromovka Park, while fans of more unusual routes can take a boat along the Vltava.

Botanická zahrada hl. m. Prahy, Troja

The city's botanical garden sits right next to the zoo, at Trojská 800/196, 171 00 Praha 7 – Troja. Although it isn't technically a zoo, there's plenty of wildlife here too — above all in the tropical greenhouse. The nearly 30-hectare grounds include the historic Saint Clare's Vineyard, a meditative Japanese garden, and the unique 130-metre-long Fata Morgana tropical greenhouse, which transports visitors to the tropics at any time of year. Inside the greenhouse it's also worth checking out the tropical aquariums, where you can see plant communities ranging from subtropical to humid tropical environments. Seasonally — usually in spring — the greenhouse hosts an exhibition of live tropical butterflies that fly freely around visitors. The Fata Morgana greenhouse is open year-round from Tuesday to Sunday; it's closed on Mondays.

Mořský svět, Výstaviště Holešovice

The Czech Republic's largest aquarium is located on the grounds of Prague's exhibition centre — Výstaviště 422, 170 00 Praha 7 – Holešovice. It houses 50 tanks and around 360 species of marine and freshwater animals, and its largest tank holds 100,000 litres of water, home to whitetip and blacktip reef sharks. One fun detail: one of the tanks contains a sunken model of the ship "Bounty," and next to it there's a relaxing "space lagoon." Open daily from 10:00 to 19:00; the easiest way there is by tram 12, 17 or 24 from Nádraží Holešovice metro station to the Výstaviště Holešovice stop.

Toulcův dvůr, Praha 10 – Hostivař

This eco-farm and environmental education centre is located at Kubatova 1, 102 00 Praha 10 – Hostivař. It's a genuine slice of countryside in the middle of a residential district: a complex of protected heritage buildings (a Gothic barn, Baroque stables) and a 10-hectare natural area that includes a garden, a field, a meadow, floodplain forest and a bog. The main highlight is the farm's "Noah's Ark" project, where you can meet native Czech livestock breeds — the Prestice pig, Czech Red cattle, or Hutsul horses. The farm is open to visitors daily from 10:00, though it's worth knowing there's deliberately no petting zoo or animal feeding here — a conscious policy on the part of the organisers, who want to teach children to respect animals rather than turn the farm into an attraction.

Papilonia – Motýlí dům, Praha 1

The Butterfly House is tucked away in the basement of the largest toy store in the city centre — Na Příkopě 854/14, Prague, in the Old Town. On an area of 150 square metres, around 600 exotic butterflies from all over the world live here — from the rainforests of Mexico, South America, Southeast Asia, Africa and Australia — while the interior is styled like an abandoned temple resembling Cambodia's Angkor Wat, kept at a constant 26°C and 80% humidity. Open daily from 10:00 to 20:00. It's a fully immersive experience: visitors wander freely among the butterflies and can watch them emerge from their cocoons and take their first flight, though touching them is not allowed.

Farmapark Soběhrdy, Soběhrdy

If you're willing to drive about half an hour outside Prague, it's worth stopping by the petting farm park in the village of Soběhrdy. The trip takes roughly 30 minutes by car from Prague, and parking is free. This is the most hands-on option of all: there's no need to admire the animals from a distance here — many of them can be petted, fed or photographed up close. There's also an entertainment area for children — a train, a jeep, floating rings and a tubing track — plus a restaurant and café on site. Open daily from 10:00 to 18:00; animal feed is sold at the entrance.

If you only have one day, start with the Zoo and the Botanical Garden in Troja — they're right next to each other and combine easily into a single route. Fans of the exotic should add Mořský svět and Papilonia right in the city centre, while those who want to show their children real country life should head to Toulcův dvůr within Prague itself, or a bit further out to Farmapark Soběhrdy.

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Source: aroundprague.cz

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