Edinburgh Zoo

Edinburgh Zoo review Rate it

Edinburgh Zoo's greatest claim to kids' attention is the Penguin Parade. It's scheduled for 2.15pm daily (Apr-Aug) subject to the penguins' attitudes; given that one of them, Sir Nils Olav, has an honorary knighthood, attitudes have to be respected. The zoo has maintained a self-sustaining penguin colony for nearly a century; it's now the largest in Europe.

But if Nils and the gang won't play, there should be something else to take the eye. Wow-factor mammals include chimpanzees, rhinos and pygmy hippos; in 2008, the zoo pulled off a conservation coup by breeding a Grevy's zebra (called Flo), a species that's endangered in the wild. There are several play areas for children, plus two cafés and several kiosks.