Bio Parco di Roma (Zoo)

Tickets for Bioparco cost €8.50/€6.50, with tickets to the reptile house costing an extra €2.50.

Opening hours are 9.30-17.00 from January to March and 9.30-18.00 from 25 March until 1 November, with last entrance an hour before closing time.

This used to be a Zoo, but has now become the Bioparco. With only a few cages, the goal is to create an environment that is as close as possible to the animals' natural habitat. Here children can learn about where and how animals really live.

Once you've spent some time wandering around the usual range of lions, tigers, camels, bears, zebras, giraffes, (etc...), it's worth taking a look at the reptile house.

Exhibition of endangered animals and animal products which have been confiscated in and around Rome over the years.
The most impressive of these is certainly Mario, a crocodile who was rescued from a Rome apartment where he was being kept in the bathtub as a pet.

There is also a farmyard area with piglets, goats, cows etc. In keeping with the 'Bioparco' name, each creature has a sign (in Italian and English) describing not just its name and characteristics, but the area populated by the species, now and in the past - a sad reminder of the dangers of extinction, and the preservation role of zoos like the Bioparco.

The zoo provides a nice alternative activity for tourists, and entertainment for children who may be bored of static sights. There are plenty of shady spots to sit and rest, complete with drinking water fountains and picnic benches. There's a small cafe by the zoo entrance, and up on the rooftop there is an expensive restaurant (open in the daytime and evenings) with a fine view over the giraffes.