Is Twycross Zoo Worth It? Our Honest Review

Georgia Wright

If you’re wondering “is Twycross Zoo worth it?”, we recently spent the day there to find out.

We don’t visit a huge amount of zoos, mainly because we’re really picky about the animal attractions we choose to fund. If we get even a whiff that animal welfare isn’t a priority, we’d rather give it a miss.

Twycross Zoo is a conservation charity, so naturally this was something we paid close attention to throughout our visit.

We spent almost six hours exploring on a VERY busy Friday during the summer holidays and came away with plenty to say.

So, here’s everything we loved, what we’d change and whether we’d visit Twycross Zoo again.

Disclosure: This visit was hosted by Twycross Zoo after we approached them for media tickets. Our tickets and parking were complimentary, but Twycross Zoo has had no influence over this review and we’re under no obligation to provide positive coverage. As always, everything you read here is our genuine opinion.

Is Twycross Zoo Worth It? Let’s Talk Money

Okay, so as we said above, we aren’t obligated to give a positive review of Twycross Zoo, so let’s talk about whether it’s actually worth spending your hard-earned cash on.

At the time of writing, tickets start from:

  • Adults: £29.65
  • Children: £21.55
  • Ages 2 and under: FREE
  • NIMBUS/Access Card Holder Companion: FREE
  • Parking: £4 per car

We get it. Once you start adding up tickets for a bigger family, food and a couple of extras, it can become a pretty expensive day out. 

But, after seeing just how much there is to do, we actually think you get a lot for your money.

Alongside the animals, your admission includes Gruffalo Discovery Land, play areas, Wet ‘n’ Wild and animal talks. During our visit, there were also games where kids could have a go at winning prizes. There’s plenty to keep them occupied throughout the day without constantly having to reach for your wallet. 

  • Orange woodland sign at Twycross Zoo illustrated with a mouse and reading "All was quiet in the deep dark wood. BEGIN YOUR JOURNEY". The themed trail is one of the additional family activities visitors can consider when asking whether Twycross Zoo Worth It.
  • Busy childrens play area at Twycross Zoo with climbing equipment swings and families gathered around. A large sign reading "BORNEAN ORANGUTAN" is visible behind the playground.
  • : Colourful information board at Twycross Zoo headed "WHATS ON TODAY". The board lists daily animal experiences opening times food outlets and "MEET AND GREET THE GRUFFALO" times of "10.45 12.15 13.00" helping families plan their visit and decide whether Twycross Zoo Worth It.

The indoor soft play costs an additional £6 for children aged 1–12, which we didn’t think was too bad. For comparison, our local soft play costs £7 for just a one-hour session! There’s also a Ferris wheel outside the zoo, costing £6 for adults and £5 for children. Neither is extortionate, but they’re definitely worth factoring into your budget if you know the kids will want to do them.

Even the £4 parking felt reasonable to us. When you compare that with what you can end up paying to park at some of the UK’s bigger attractions, it didn’t feel like another huge expense being added onto the day.

And then there’s probably the biggest selling point: your standard ticket currently includes FREE return visits for 12 months.

  • Large white Ferris wheel at Twycross Zoo standing against a bright blue sky filled with white clouds. The extra attraction is one of the features families may consider when deciding whether Twycross Zoo Worth It.
  • Colourful outdoor family area at Twycross Zoo with log seating and strings of bright bunting overhead. Visitors sit and walk around the open space with the Ferris wheel visible in the background.
  • Soft play area at Twycross Zoo beside a sign reading "SOFT PLAY JUNGLE". The pricing sign reads "ON THE DAY £6 Ages 1.12 under 145cm £1 Under 1s ZOO PLUS CONSERVATION MEMBERSHIP FREE Ages 1.12 under 145cm Under 1s UPGRADE TODAY IN GUEST SERVICES".

If you live close enough to visit again, that makes the price much easier to justify. There’s also a Zoo Plus ticket, which includes extras such as FREE soft play for children and 50% off hot drinks.

Would we have been happy handing over £59.30 for the two of us after the day we had? Yep.

Add in the option to return for the next 12 months and, for us, Twycross Zoo offers pretty good value for money.

Animal Welfare at Twycross Zoo

As we mentioned earlier, we’re VERY picky when it comes to zoos, so animal welfare was a big one for us.

Twycross Zoo is a conservation charity, and you can see this throughout the park. Gibbon Forest was a particular favourite, with loads of information about their conservation work, huge enclosures and signs asking visitors to keep the noise down for the animals.

  • Small brown primate perched high on top of a wooden pole at Twycross Zoo. The animal sits silhouetted against a bright blue sky with trees below.
  • Adult pushes a stroller through a glass roofed viewing tunnel at Twycross Zoo with animal habitat areas visible on both sides. Close viewing spaces like this show part of the visitor experience for families asking whether Twycross Zoo Worth It.
  • Large outdoor primate habitat at Twycross Zoo filled with tall wooden poles ropes nets and climbing structures. Trees and shrubs surround the enclosure beneath a bright blue sky.

We noticed little touches elsewhere too, including viewing windows partially covered with peepholes to give the animals some privacy.

The Sumatran tiger and snow leopard enclosures were actually SO big that we didn’t manage to see either of them. But please don’t be that person who complains because an animal has chosen to keep out of sight!

We’d much rather miss an animal and know it has plenty of room to roam, indoor spaces and somewhere to escape the crowds. Plus, there’s so much else to do at Twycross that missing a couple of animals really didn’t affect our day. 

  • Conservation display at Twycross Zoo beneath a sign reading "Conservation Field Station". The bamboo lined space contains educational displays and equipment showing another side of the zoo for visitors wondering whether Twycross Zoo Worth It.
  • Educational conservation display at Twycross Zoo headed "Threats in the wild. ILLEGAL PET TRADE". Sections titled "RESPONSIBLE TOURISM" and "CHOOSING THE RIGHT PET" explain how wildlife products and the illegal pet trade can harm wild populations while a "SOCIAL MEDIA" section warns visitors to consider how animals in shared photos and videos are treated.

I feel strongly about this after visiting a zoo in Majorca when I was younger where I saw a lion visibly distressed in a tiny enclosure. It was heartbreaking, and I’ve regretted giving that place my money ever since. 

Twycross felt completely different. We also caught the gorilla talk, and the keeper was brilliant. She was so knowledgeable and enthusiastic, and you could tell how much she cared about the animals. 

We saw part of the capybara experience and loved that the visitors stayed put while the capybaras chose whether to come over. Again, a small detail, but one we really appreciated.

Is Twycross Zoo Accessible?

Good news if you’re visiting with a wheelchair, mobility scooter or pushchair: Twycross Zoo is really easy to get around.

The majority of the zoo is flat with nice, wide paths, with just the odd hill and a couple of narrower doorways to navigate. There are also plenty of benches dotted around, including covered seating, so you’re never too far away from somewhere to have a rest.

Getting lost shouldn’t be much of an issue either. There are maps throughout the zoo, everything is well signposted and there’s a Twycross Zoo app you can use to find your way around.

  • Green child buggies stacked beside a wooden bench in an indoor visitor area at Twycross Zoo. Large windows overlook the zoo grounds and provide plenty of natural light.
  • Green Guest Services building at Twycross Zoo decorated with colourful bunting beneath a bright blue sky. The words "Guest Services" appear above the central windows.
  • Stack of green child buggies beside a visitor feedback screen inside Twycross Zoo with a large orangutan photograph covering the wall behind them. The sign beside the screen reads "Tell us what you think".

If you need a little extra help getting around, Twycross also offers wheelchair, mobility scooter, single and double pushchair and wagon hire. I’d definitely look at booking these before your visit rather than relying on one being available when you arrive.

We visited after some VERY heavy rain and there were a few areas with huge muddy puddles. Not ideal when you’ve got wheels to manoeuvre through them, or children who will absolutely see a giant puddle as an invitation rather than an obstacle!

There are also a couple of walkthrough areas where you’ll need to leave pushchairs outside, including Butterfly Forest and Lorikeet Landing. We just scooped Rocky up and carried him through, so it didn’t cause us any problems.

  • Rows of cars and a white van parked in the outdoor car park at Twycross Zoo beneath a blue and cloudy sky.
  • Adult pushes a baby in a stroller along a wide outdoor path at Twycross Zoo. Bamboo plants line the route with animal buildings and other visitors ahead.
  • Busy open area at Twycross Zoo surrounded by leafy trees with families walking resting at picnic tables and pushing strollers. Large umbrellas provide shade around the seating areas on a sunny day.

Our only real pushchair battle of the day was actually the overflow car park. It’s gravel and our wheels were NOT playing ball. Once we made it through the entrance, though, getting around with the pram was a breeze.

You’ll also find accessible toilets and baby-changing facilities around the zoo, and the ones we used were lovely and clean.

Food & Drink at Twycross Zoo 

Callum and I are currently on a bit of a postpartum health kick, so we took our own lunch with us. Boring!

Because of that, we didn’t get a chance to try any of the main food options, but there’s plenty available if you want to buy lunch. We spotted paninis at Costa for around £7.50, there’s a fish and chip shop, plus several other food outlets and snack huts around the zoo.

However, it was HOT during our visit and apparently our health kick doesn’t extend to turning down an ice cream.

  • The Doughnut Den food kiosk at Twycross Zoo with a customer ordering at the serving window. A large red menu beside the window lists doughnuts along with hot drinks soft drinks and childrens drinks.
  • Carte D'Or ice cream kiosk at Twycross Zoo with a large illustrated menu showing ice creams and cold drinks. The clearly readable menu text includes "CARTE D'OR" and the prices "1 Scoop £3.25. 2 Scoops £3.95. Add a Waffle Cone 75p. Add a Flake 70p. Add a Topping 75p. Add a Sauce 50p. Ice Cream Tub £3.25. COLD DRINKS. Coca Cola £2.75. Coke Zero £2.35. Fanta Zero £2.35. Oasis Summer Fruit £2.75. Oasis Exotic Fruit £2.35. Water £2.00"

Between us, we bought an ice cream, canned water, a Fanta Zero and a doughnut and medium cappuccino from Doughnut Den. The coffee and doughnut came to £4.95, water was around £2, drinks around £3 and ice creams around £4.

Overall, the prices weren’t bad at all for a UK attraction.

If you do bring your own food like us, there are loads of picnic tables dotted around the zoo, including covered seating at The Outpost. Very handy considering you can never really trust the British weather!

Twycross Zoo FAQs

Is Twycross Zoo busy during the school holidays?

Yes, it was VERY busy when we visited during the summer holidays, with a queue for the car park when we arrived at 10:10am. We ended up near the beginning of the overflow car park, around a five-minute walk from the entrance, but the queue to actually enter the zoo moved really quickly. 

Can you take your own food into Twycross Zoo?

Yep! You can bring your own food and drink, and there are even lockers available for £2 per use if you don’t fancy carrying it around all day. 

Is Twycross Zoo good for children?

Absolutely! It’s really walkable, there’s plenty to see and you’ve also got play areas, Gruffalo Discovery Land, Wet ‘n’ Wild and soft play to break up the animal spotting.

Can you see Twycross Zoo in 4 hours?

Definitely. Four hours should give you enough time to see the zoo itself and catch a couple of talks, but I’d allow closer to 5–6 hours if the kids want to make the most of the extra activities available, or you plan to do an encounter experience. 

Can you get to Twycross Zoo without a car?

This is one downside: Twycross Zoo isn’t particularly easy to reach without a car. There is a seasonal bus service during the summer holidays, but outside of this you’ll need to look at taxis for at least part of the journey, which can quickly add to the cost of your day.

Would We Visit Twycross Zoo Again?

Yes, we absolutely would.

There’s loads to see, the zoo is incredibly clean and we loved how much focus there is on animal welfare and conservation.

We’d probably avoid the school holidays next time while we have the luxury of doing so, but even on a VERY busy day, we had a great time and would happily pay to visit again.

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