Mac Rating: 5.00 | Votes: 1 | Date: 04/06/2026 18:12:00

Covering approximately twenty-six hectares on the central Sete Rios hilltop in the principal Sete Rios district of north-central Lisbon, the Jardim Zoologico de Lisboa is the principal zoological garden of the wider Portuguese capital and one of the principal continuing zoological collections of the wider Iberian peninsula. The current Sete Rios site has been the principal home of the wider Lisbon zoo continuously since the original opening at the current location in 1905, with the principal current collection housing approximately two thousand individual animals across around three hundred separate species. The original Lisbon Zoo was founded in 1884 by a group of private Lisbon businessmen led by the Portuguese veterinarian Pedro van der Laan. The original collection opened on 28 May 1884 at the substantial Palacio de Sao Sebastiao parkland in the western Lisbon Campo Grande district. The original collection consisted of around two hundred individual animals across approximately fifty individual species, primarily drawn from the various existing private animal collections of the wealthier Portuguese aristocratic and merchant families. The current Sete Rios site was developed in stages between 1903 and 1905 following the original decision to relocate the wider zoo from the original Campo Grande location. The new Sete Rios site was substantially more accessible to the wider central Lisbon residential population and provided substantially more space than the original Campo Grande location. The principal current zoo opened at the new Sete Rios site on 28 May 1905 with the various individual animal collections transferred across from the original Campo Grande site during the principal preceding several weeks. The principal current collection covers approximately two thousand individual animals across around three hundred separate species. The principal individual highlights of the current collection include the substantial African savanna section with the various individual elephants, giraffes, rhinoceros and zebras, the substantial Asian primate collection with the various gorillas, orangutans and chimpanzees, the principal reptile collection at the substantial Reptilario House and the substantial Aquario Vasco da Gama aquarium section that was substantially renovated during the early 2010s. The supplementary attractions across the wider zoo grounds include a substantial dolphin and sea lion show pool with continuous daily performances throughout the principal high tourist season, a continuous cable car system providing aerial views across most of the wider zoo grounds and a substantial Children Farm interactive section providing direct hands-on contact with the various standard farm animals including various individual goats, sheep, ponies and various supplementary smaller domestic animals. The zoo is open daily throughout the year from ten in the morning until six or seven in the evening depending on the principal seasonal operating hours.