5 Best Sights in Germany

Founded in 1858, this is one of the most important and attractive zoos in Europe. Its remarkable collection includes some 4,500 animals of 500 different species, an exotarium (an aquarium plus reptiles), a large ape house, and an aviary, one of the largest in Europe. Nocturnal creatures move about in a special section.

On the road between Überlingen and Salem, Affenberg is a 50-plus-acre park that serves as home to up to 200 free-roaming Barbary apes, as well as deer, aquatic birds, gray herons, ducks, coots, and—during nesting time—a colony of white storks.

There are more than 20,000 animals to see here, and more varied species than any other zoo in Europe, including many that are rare and endangered, which the zoo has been successful at breeding. The animals' enclosures are designed to resemble natural habitats, though some structures are ornate, such as the 1910 Arabian-style Zebra House. Pythons, frogs, turtles, invertebrates, Komodo dragons, and an amazing array of strange and colorful fish are part of the three-floor aquarium. Check the feeding times posted to watch creatures such as seals, apes, hippos, penguins, and pelicans during their favorite time of day.

One of the country's oldest and most popular zoos, the Tierpark Hagenbeck was founded in 1907 and is family owned. It was the world's first zoo to let wild animals such as lions, elephants, chimpanzees, and others roam freely in vast, open-air corrals. The Tropen-Aquarium, on the same property as the zoo, is like a trip around the world. Detailed re-creations of deserts, oceans, rain forests, and jungles are home to sea life, marvelous birds, fish, exotic mammals, insects, and curious reptiles from almost every continent.

On the Isar, just upstream from the city, this attractive zoo has many parklike enclosures but a minimum of cages. Founded in 1911, the zoo is slightly different from many others in that it's a self-styled nature reserve, and it follows a concept called Geo-zoo, which means care has been taken to group animals according to their natural and geographical habitats. Critics of the concept of zoos won't agree, but supporters appreciate the extra attention to detail. The huge zoo area, covering nearly 100 acres, also includes restaurants and children's areas, and some of the older buildings are in typical art nouveau style.