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Spain
Cantabria
Santillana del Mar
Places to visit in Santillana del Mar
Zoo de Santillana
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Zoo de Santillana

See all things to do
See all things to do
Zoo de Santillana
4
#4 of 32 things to do in Santillana del Mar
Zoos
9:30 AM - 6:30 PM
Monday
9:30 AM - 6:30 PM
Tuesday
9:30 AM - 6:30 PM
Wednesday
9:30 AM - 6:30 PM
Thursday
9:30 AM - 6:30 PM
Friday
9:30 AM - 6:30 PM
Saturday
9:30 AM - 6:30 PM
Sunday
9:30 AM - 6:30 PM
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About
Santillana Zoo is a 46 year old zoo where you will enjoy more than 2000 animals from all over the planet in a surface bigger than 6 football fields... You will enjoy the magic of the Butterfy house and 40 endangered species programmes like the Sumatran Orangutans', the European Bisons', the Sri Lanka Leopards' and many others that you will love as well. Come and visit us and you will find out a different Zoo indeed to enjoy with or without children
Duration: 2-3 hours
Meets animal welfare guidelines
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60 within 10 kms
Plaza Mayor de Ramon y Pelayo
796
1.1 kmNeighbourhoods
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925
1.2 kmChurches & Cathedrals
Calle de Juan Infante
225
1 kmHistoric Walking Areas
Laberinto de Villapresente
485
2.1 kmPoints of Interest & Landmarks
Museo de la Tortura
889
1.1 kmSpeciality Museums
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0.9 kmSpeciality Museums • Art Museums
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
4.0
921 reviews
Excellent
450
Very good
260
Average
97
Poor
50
Terrible
64
Alonso xoxo
Farnborough, UK115 contributions
Very small spaces
Apr 2022 • Family
The zoo for viewing animals is great as you can really see them close up, this does however mean that the animals are in cages that are FAR too small. The birds are in dog sized cages, with no space to fly. The bears, monkeys and tigers are in an enclosure the size of a back garden. It honestly was really sad to witness and I wouldn’t return. It feels very inhumane to visit here and see them in this state. A lot of the animals were pacing their enclosures as they are so stressed. I wouldn’t recommend visiting if you care.
Written 14 June 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sue W
Sevenoaks, UK78 contributions
White Tigers are here!
Sep 2019
Great little zoo. Went especially to see the white tigers, and we were not disappointed . The brown bears were very active too.
Some of the zoo looked a little tired, but the animals looked well kept.
As keen photographers it was good because (typically Spanish style) there were only one set of quite wide bars between us and the tigers, so good pictures are easy!
Written 18 October 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ZoodeSantillana
Glad to hear that and thank you very much for your visit and your nice comments.
Written 21 October 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Helen D
Brixton, UK23 contributions
This is a small, elderly, but caring, breeding zoo. Worth a visit.
Oct 2019
Like others have said, you can see the difference that lots of money makes to prettying up surroundings for animals - this is more basic. However, all the animals were in good condition and healthy, with fairly normal behaviours despite being in a zoo - the Arctic wolves were affectionate to each other, and curious, running freely, the Orangutans interacting and fascinated by us, red squirrels whizzing around, birds freely wandering the aviaries, carnivores eyeing up the two workmen in the adjacent enclosure as a potential snack, and the butterflies were just wonderful, as others have said. It had been pouring the day before and some enclosures were muddy and churned up but the animals. I won't visit zoos unless they have a breeding programme, and this one has some success with species we humans have endangered. Labels all in Spanish so take a dictionary to answer childrens' questions. Limited shop and basic but clean loo facilities; the cafe was not open when we were there on a Wednesday morning last week.
Written 15 October 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ZoodeSantillana
Thank you very much for your nice comment and for your visit. See you soon!
Written 21 October 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Miner1984
Barnard Castle, UK56 contributions
Nice afternoon out
Aug 2019 • Family
We spent an afternoon here. The zoo is well laid out so follow the “feet” and you’ll go all round without missing anything.
Initially it looked a little neglected BUT it soon picked up and as the animals have all been breeding they must be well looked after. All the big animals were very active in fact I have never been 30cm from a growling tiger before glad the glass was strong...
Butterfly house is extremely good. We had to drag our 7 year old daughter out 😂
We would recommend.
Written 13 August 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Z00deSantillana
Thank you very much and see you soon!
Written 14 August 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Irene
1 contribution
Family friendly trip with historical background
Aug 2019 • Family
Very family friendly, with good explanations on historical and geografical context of the animals'origins. Loved the conservation aspect.
Written 12 August 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Z00deSantillana
Thank you very much for visiting and see you soon!
Written 13 August 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Jvdnbu4
1 contribution
Never again
Jul 2019 • Couples
If there are any animal rights in Spain, there are none in this zoo. The birds in small dirty cages, four bears in a small concrete enclosure without plants are grass. Reindeer in a small open field without trees in the blistering sun, these are nordic animals for gods sake... Primates in way to small cages, even saw a small monkey in a cage the size of a household birdcage. The animal was in pure agony. All animals show signs of severe necletion and stress. This is a zoo purely for money making.
Not a zoo according to the modern idea of a zoo...
Written 26 July 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Z00deSantillana
Thank you for visiting and for your feedback.
Written 28 July 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Libby
4 contributions
Large variety of animals, improvements needed
Jun 2019 • Family
Visited the zoo yesterday. Large variety of animals and with clear routes and great scenery. However, some animals lacked large and stimulating enclosures. The bears enclosure was largely concrete with little to do, the chimpanzees was also concrete and he was alone, the ponies had no grass, and some birds only had a small square space. However, other animals had plenty of space and company. Overall, there was plenty to see and I would recommend visiting, but the zoo should focus on using entrance fees to improve animal welfare for some of the animals.
Written 14 June 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Z00deSantillana
Thank you very much and see you soon!
Written 17 June 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Madeleine S
Darlington, UK5 contributions
Interesting, small zoo
May 2019 • Family
Insufficient space and activities for the primates and larger animals. Exotic birds fared better. The butterfly house was wonderful.
Written 23 May 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ZoodeSantillana
Thank you for your review and see you soon.
Written 27 May 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
suraya_meri
Palencia, Spain28 contributions
Great day
Apr 2019 • Family
A great family day! We’ve got 4 year old twins and they really enjoyed it! Everything was ok. All signs properly explained the way to follow and the animal tags were very good explained.
Written 21 April 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Z00deSantillana
Thank you very much for your feedback and see you soon!
Written 22 April 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Marina K
Helsinki5 contributions
Very sad, poor animals, are you going to do something about it?
Jan 2019 • Family
Great selection of animals, but oh Gosh in which poor conditions they live :( zoo employees did not look happy either.
Written 1 January 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ZoodeSantillana
Thank you for your feedback. It is always useful for us to learn.
Written 10 January 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
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Zoo de Santillana (Santillana del Mar) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos) - Tripadvisor

Frequently Asked Questions about Zoo de Santillana