Chester Zoo crowned UK’s best zoo by Tripadvisor

Chester Zoo has officially been crowned the best-rated zoo in the UK by Tripadvisor.

The world’s largest travel guidance platform has ranked the nationally renowned conservation zoo top on the list of the UK’s leading zoos and aquariums, based on consistently outstanding visitor reviews.

Home to around 30,000 animals and 500 species, the Cheshire-based zoo has accumulated 11,666 ‘excellent’ ratings from visitors – and its reputation extends well beyond UK shores, with the zoo also featuring among Europe’s top 10 zoos and aquariums for 2026.

The prestigious rankings are based on millions of traveller reviews and ratings submitted to the globally influential platform.

Jamie Christon, CEO of Chester Zoo, said:

“We’re over the moon to be named the UK’s top zoo by Tripadvisor. This recognition is built entirely on genuine reviews from our visitors – and that means the world to us. I’m very proud of everyone who makes our national conservation zoo such a special place.

“Every visit to Chester Zoo directly supports our vital conservation work, both here at home and around the world, and the past year alone is a reminder of just how much that work matters. We’ve developed the world’s first vaccine for a deadly virus that threatens Asian elephants globally, we’ve officially pulled a tiny species of snail back from the brink of extinction, and right here on our doorstep we’ve been planting thousands of new trees to create important new woodland habitat. None of that happens without the people who come through our gates – and we’re enormously grateful to every one of them.”

The Tripadvisor accolade comes off the back of one of the most ambitious expansions in UK zoo history. Last year, Chester Zoo opened Heart of Africa – the largest zoo habitat ever created in the UK. The vast new area spans more than 17 football pitches (2.5 acres) and is home to 57 iconic African species, recreating a variety of grassland habitats found across central Africa.

Last summer, the zoo also unveiled another landmark - The Reserve, its answer to a premium safari getaway right here in the UK. Featuring 51 luxury African-themed lodges, the new hotel offers guests the chance to stay overnight at the zoo in support of conservation for the very first time.