Hamburg zoo and aquarium

No trip to northern Germany is complete without a stop to the bustling harbor city of Hamburg. Home to a rich array of museums, a bustling fish market and intriguing historical landmarks, Hamburg attracts international visitors from far and wide.

While enjoying a stay in the cosmopolitan city, be sure to find some time to visit the Tierpark und Tropen-Aquarium Hagenbeck, Hamburg’s zoo and aquarium. Those with younger travelers in tow will especially appreciate the chance to interact with newborn animals ranging from penguins to lion cubs.

A short U-bahn ride away from the center of town by taking the U-2 to the Hagenbeck’s Tierpark station, delivers one to the entrances of both the zoo and aquarium. Several kilometers of paths lead visitors past a range of enclosures featuring more than 1,850 exotic animals. During the colder months when many of the animals such as the elephants prefer the indoors to the outdoors, zoo-goers are invited inside to view them from specially designed viewing platforms.

Among the highlights of Tierpark Hagenbeck are the Eismeer, the Polar landscape, that offers both underground and above ground views of animals including walruses, seals and polar bears; and the zoo’s assortment of critters that includes peacocks and other small rodents roaming freely through the park.

Tropen-Aquarium Hagenbeck is worth a visit in itself. The indoor tropical landscape and aquarium begins with a visit to a large open room where a range of critters including Lori parakeets, ring-tailed lemurs, girdle lizards and chameleons scamper freely among the tropical plants. Don’t be surprised if a brazen lemur parks himself on your shoulder for a photo before scampering off to chase a chameleon.

Paths through the tropical maze take visitors past enclosures full of colorful frogs, deadly snakes and spiders, stalactite-clinging bats and more. Deep in the bowels of the facility, one can gaze up into large water tanks where sharks, stingrays, jellyfish and other underwater creatures swim.

Feeding time is especially popular in the animal park —signs throughout the zoo area indicate when zoo personnel are scheduled to make their rounds.

The zoo was founded by Carl Hagenbeck Jr. in 1907 from a collection of animals begun in 1863 by his father, Carl Hagenbeck Sr. The elder Hagenbeck, a Hamburg fishmonger, was also an exotic animal enthusiast.

The zoo, like most of the city, was demolished in the bombing of Hamburg during World War II but was reconstructed after the war.

Admission to the zoo and aquarium is €30 for adults or €21 for children ages 4 to 16. A family ticket for two adults and two children costs €85. Tickets can also be purchased separately for just the zoo or aquarium.

For more information, visit www.hagenbeck.de/en/tierpark/start.html.