Taipei Zoo (臺北市立動物園) is in Wenshan, in the south of the city, at the last stop on the Brown Line. Adults pay NT$100, children under 6 get in free, and it opens every day apart from a few closure dates. It is big: the zoo's own suggested route takes a whole day, and the zoo itself says that seeing everything in one visit is very tiring. Pick the areas you care about most and save the rest for the gondola.
- Hours 09:00 to 17:00; last entry 16:00; animals on show 09:00 to 16:30
- Closed Lunar New Year's Eve, an annual closure in late June (in 2026, June 22 to July 1), and on typhoon days when the city suspends work. Indoor houses take turns closing on Mondays
- Entry NT$100 adults; NT$50 children 6 to 11 and students; free under 6
- Address No. 30, Sec. 2, Xinguang Rd., Wenshan District
- MRT Taipei Zoo Station (Brown Line, BR01)
Tickets
| Ticket | Price | Who it is for |
|---|---|---|
| General | NT$100 | Adults |
| Concession | NT$50 | Children 6 to 11 (any nationality); students with a valid student card or ISIC international student card |
| Free | NT$0 | Children 0 to 5 (any nationality) |
| Taipei resident | NT$60 | Registered Taipei residents only |
| Group | NT$70 each | 30 people or more |
| Education Center | NT$20 extra | The indoor Education Center, on top of entry |
| Shuttle train | NT$5 a ride | Free for children 0 to 5 |
Most other free and discount categories, seniors included, are only for Taiwanese nationals and people with a Taiwan residence permit. The child fares and the student fare are the ones visitors can use. Show ID at the gate when you claim a discount (a passport for a child's age, a student card or ISIC card for students); without it, you pay the full price. Online ticket sales are suspended, so buy at the gate.
Want to pop out for lunch? Get a hand stamp at the exit and you can come back in the same day.
What to see
The zoo divides into outdoor areas and indoor houses. The highlights on the official list:
- Giant Panda House (大貓熊館). The one most visitors head for first. It closes on the first Monday of the month.
- Formosan Animal Area (臺灣動物區). Taiwan's own wildlife, and the first stop on the zoo's suggested route.
- Koala House (無尾熊館) and Penguin House (企鵝館). Two indoor favorites with kids. The Penguin House closes on the second Monday.
- Children's Zoo (兒童動物區). The zoo's own area for younger visitors.
- Bird World (鳥園). At the top of the zoo, beside the shuttle train's Bird World Station.
- Tropical Rainforest Area (熱帶雨林區) with its indoor Pangolin Dome (穿山甲館), closed on the second Monday.
- African, Australian, Desert and Temperate Zone animal areas, spread along the main road.
- Amphibian and Reptile House (closed on the third Monday), the Insectarium (fourth Monday) and the Education Center (every Monday).
The shuttle train
The zoo runs its own visitor train (遊客列車) up the hill, at NT$5 a ride. From the main station near the entrance, the first train leaves at 09:00 and the last at 16:30; the last train back down from Bird World Station leaves at 17:00. A third station, Taipei Zoo South (動物園南站), serves the gondola side of the zoo. There is no direct train between the main station and Taipei Zoo South, so change at Bird World without leaving the station.
The zoo's suggested day uses the train well: see the Formosan Animal Area and the Koala House first, ride the train up to Bird World, then walk back down past the Temperate Zone, African and rainforest areas to the Giant Panda House. Downhill is the easy way round with small legs.
How long to spend
Give it most of a day if you want to see the big indoor houses and a good share of the outdoor areas. With toddlers, a few hours, a couple of indoor houses and one train ride make a good visit. Entry stops at 16:00, so arrive by late morning.
Zoo plus the Maokong Gondola
The Maokong Gondola (貓空纜車) starts a short walk from Taipei Zoo MRT, and the zoo's own itinerary ends by suggesting it. The easiest plan: the zoo in the morning and early afternoon, then the gondola up to Maokong for tea and the view as the lights come on. The gondola runs to 21:00 on weekdays and 22:00 at weekends, long after the zoo closes.
The gondola's second stop, Taipei Zoo South, has its own entrance into the top of the zoo. Come in that way and you pay the NT$5 train fare along with your ticket, and take the zoo train to Bird World. When the gondola is not running (most Mondays and its maintenance closures), the zoo's Taipei Zoo South station closes too.
→ The Maokong Gondola: hours, fares and tea
Rainy days and hot days
Rain doesn't rule out the zoo. The indoor houses (Giant Panda, Koala, Penguin, Amphibian and Reptile, the Insectarium and the Pangolin Dome) make a decent wet-weather loop, and the shuttle train saves the long climb. No eating or drinking inside the indoor houses, and no flash photography.
In summer, dress for the woods. The zoo recommends breathable long sleeves and long pants, comfortable shoes, sunscreen and insect repellent: tiny biting black flies are most active in summer, and wild wasps nest in the zoo from June to August (keep your distance and walk calmly past). Repellent is sold at the zoo's shops, and there are drinking fountains with warm and cold water around the grounds. In July and August a fountain show plays by the entrance every hour.
With small children
- Strollers to rent: NT$50 for a light stroller (up to 15 kg and 105 cm) or NT$100 for a bigger one (up to 22 kg and 110 cm), with a NT$1,000 deposit, from 09:00 to 16:00 at the Visitor Center and at Bird World Station. Return it by 17:00.
- Nursing rooms at the Visitor Center's nursing station and at the shop by the Amphibian and Reptile House. All accessible restrooms have changing tables, and the nursing station by the main entrance hands out diapers and hot water.
- Not allowed: bicycles, children's tricycles, skateboards and inline skates, pets, balloons and drones.
For parents staying longer: the zoo also runs classes for children, such as half-day farm courses, announced in Chinese. Camps.Asia, a verified list of kids' camps, keeps track of them in its Taipei Zoo camp listing.
Good to know: Monday is the day to avoid if you can. The zoo is open, but the gondola usually isn't, the Taipei Zoo South entrance is shut with it, and on each of the first four Mondays of the month one of the indoor houses is closed, the Giant Panda House on the first.
→ Taipei with kids · The MRT · Things to do
Sources
Hours, closure dates, Monday closures, ticket prices and who qualifies, the shuttle train timetable, stroller rental and park rules from the official Taipei Zoo site: opening hours, shuttle train times, ticket categories, wheelchairs, strollers and lockers and visitor rules; and the English site's tickets, outdoor and indoor display areas, suggested itinerary, FAQ and transportation. Gondola hours from the Maokong Gondola. Checked October 2026.