The Vincennes zoo, officially the Parc zoologique de Paris, is open every day from 10 am to 5 pm until January 3, 2027, then closed from January 4 to 31, 2027; the full-price ticket costs €22 (€17 for ages 3 to 12). Part of the Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, it lies in the Bois de Vincennes (Paris 12th), less than a 10-minute walk from Porte Dorée metro station. This page brings together the official hours, prices and free entry, the five biozones, access and visiting rules, with sunset times month by month to help you time a winter visit.
The zoo complements a stay in the capital: find our ideas for visiting Paris and, to see other Muséum animals in the center, the Ménagerie on our Jardin des Plantes page.
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Vincennes Zoo: key facts
- Current hours: every day, 10 am–5 pm, valid until January 3, 2027; gates close and entry ends 1 hour before the park closes — checked on 23 October 2026 on parczoologiquedeparis.fr
- Closures: exceptional closure on November 3, 2026; park closed from January 4 to 31, 2027.
- Prices: full price (age 13 and over) €22; ages 3–12 €17; Tribu package (2 adults + 2 children aged 3 to 12) €68; free for under-3s (ticket needed).
- Ticket: compulsory for everyone, including those with free entry (issued on site, with proof, on the day of the visit).
- Minors: every visitor under 16 must be accompanied by an adult holding a ticket.
- Address: junction of avenue Daumesnil and route de la Ceinture du Lac Daumesnil, 75012 Paris (single entrance).
Tickets: where to buy them and what discounts apply
The ticket can be bought on the official Prices, hours and access page or at the ticket offices (bank card, cash, check, ANCV vouchers). Beware of sites that present themselves as zoo guides and sell “skip-the-line” tickets: one of them, well ranked on Google, itself declares it is an “unofficial site”. The reduced €17 rate applies in particular to holders of the Pass Éducation, jobseekers with a certificate less than 6 months old and holders of a full-price ticket less than 3 months old from another Jardin des Plantes or Musée de l’Homme site.
| Ticket | Official price | Conditions |
|---|---|---|
| Full price | €22 | Age 13 and over |
| Ages 3–12 rate | €17 | With proof of age |
| Reduced rate | €17 | Pass Éducation, jobseekers, a recent ticket from another Muséum site… |
| Tribu package | €68 | 2 full-price tickets (including one adult over 18) + 2 children aged 3–12; €6 per extra child, at the ticket office only |
| Free entry | €0 (ticket needed) | Under 3, people with disabilities and one companion (French MDPH proof), recipients of minimum social benefits, Muséum annual pass… |
Destination de Voyage calculation based on these prices: for 2 adults and 2 children aged 3 to 12, the Tribu package (€68) costs the same as 4 individual tickets (2 × €22 + 2 × €17 = €78) minus €10, a saving of €10 per family. With a third child, count €74 instead of €95, but only at the ticket office.
Opening hours and closures
The zoo’s hours change with the seasons; the official site publishes the current period and the upcoming periods, as well as an annual calendar to download. When we checked, the park was open every day from 10 am to 5 pm until January 3, 2027, then fully closed from January 4 to 31, 2027. Gates close one hour before the park closes, for everyone, including ticket or annual-pass holders, and any exit is final.
The biozones of the Parc zoologique de Paris
Opened in 1934, the zoo was closed from 2008 to 2014 for a complete rebuild; the Muséum presents it as “the only zoo in the world to have been entirely rebuilt”. The animals are spread over five biozones that evoke their native habitats, plus the Great Tropical Greenhouse.
| Biozone | What to know |
|---|---|
| Sahel-Sudan | Large giraffe plain, the park’s emblem together with the Grand Rocher |
| Patagonia | South American fauna (South American sea lions, rheas, guanacos…) |
| Europe | Coniferous forests (wolves, wolverines, lynx…) |
| French Guiana / Amazonia | Under the Great Tropical Greenhouse: manatees, jaguar, tapirs, piranhas… |
| Madagascar | Lemurs, including species covered by international conservation programs |
The number of species varies between official pages: “around 180 species and more than 2,000 animals” on the History page, “some 270 species” on the Animals page. Species cited by the Muséum include giraffes, wolves, wolverines, manatees, Humboldt penguins, crowned sifakas and white rhinoceroses.
When to visit the Vincennes zoo
The zoo is outdoors, with a covered part under the Great Greenhouse. In winter, the 5 pm closing falls roughly at sunset: since last entry is at 4 pm, come at opening. The table combines the time of sunset, which we calculated for the zoo, with the Météo-France normals for Paris.
| Month (15th) | Sunset | Average max temp | Average min temp | Rainy days (≥ 1 mm) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 17:21 | 7.6 °C (46 °F) | 3.2 °C (38 °F) | 9.9 |
| February | 18:10 | 8.8 °C (48 °F) | 3.3 °C (38 °F) | 9.1 |
| March | 18:55 | 12.8 °C (55 °F) | 5.6 °C (42 °F) | 9.5 |
| April | 20:41 | 16.6 °C (62 °F) | 7.9 °C (46 °F) | 8.6 |
| May | 21:25 | 20.2 °C (68 °F) | 11.1 °C (52 °F) | 9.2 |
| June | 21:55 | 23.4 °C (74 °F) | 14.2 °C (58 °F) | 8.3 |
| July | 21:49 | 25.7 °C (78 °F) | 16.2 °C (61 °F) | 7.4 |
| August | 21:06 | 25.6 °C (78 °F) | 16.0 °C (61 °F) | 8.1 |
| September | 20:03 | 21.5 °C (71 °F) | 13.0 °C (55 °F) | 7.5 |
| October | 19:01 | 16.5 °C (62 °F) | 9.9 °C (50 °F) | 9.5 |
| November | 17:10 | 11.1 °C (52 °F) | 6.2 °C (43 °F) | 10.4 |
| December | 16:53 | 8.0 °C (46 °F) | 3.8 °C (39 °F) | 11.4 |
How to read it: from November to January, the sun sets before 5:30 pm and Paris has 10 to 11 rainy days a month. May, June and September offer maximums of 20 to 23 °C (68 to 73 °F), pleasant for a day outdoors. Remember the zoo is closed all of January 2027.
Access and accessibility
- Metro: line 8, Porte Dorée (less than 10 minutes’ walk); line 1, Saint-Mandé (15 minutes’ walk); line 1, Château de Vincennes then bus 46.
- Bus: 46, 86, 201 and 325, Parc zoologique stop.
- Tram: T3, Porte Dorée stop.
- Car: the zoo refers visitors to partner car parks with reduced rates, bookable on parkingsdeparis.com, and then to public transport (transport and parking details checked on 11 November 2026 on the official page).
- Accessibility: wheelchairs loaned against ID left as a deposit; free entry for the disabled person and one companion with French MDPH proof (visitors from abroad should ask the zoo what proof it accepts).
Mistakes to avoid
- Arriving after 4 pm: access closes one hour before the park closes, even with a ticket already bought.
- Coming in January 2027: the park is closed from January 4 to 31.
- Thinking a baby does not need a ticket: free entry for under-3s still requires a ticket.
- Sending teens alone: under-16s must be accompanied by an adult holding a ticket.
- Going out for lunch: any exit is final.
What to see nearby
The zoo is in the east of Paris; for another Muséum site, see our Jardin des Plantes page and its Ménagerie. Our other Paris outings are grouped in our Paris guide.
Frequently asked questions
What are the Vincennes zoo’s opening hours?
As of October 23, 2026, the zoo is open every day from 10 am to 5 pm until January 3, 2027, with an exceptional closure on November 3. It is closed from January 4 to 31, 2027. Gates close one hour before the park.
How much does it cost to enter the Vincennes zoo?
€22 from age 13, €17 for ages 3 to 12, €68 for the Tribu package (2 adults + 2 children), free for under-3s with a ticket.
Is the Vincennes zoo the Parc zoologique de Paris?
Yes. “Vincennes zoo” is the common name for the Parc zoologique de Paris, an establishment of the Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle located in the Bois de Vincennes.
Which metro goes to the Vincennes zoo?
Line 8, Porte Dorée station, less than a 10-minute walk from the entrance. Tram T3 also stops at Porte Dorée.
How long does it take to visit the Vincennes zoo?
The official site does not publish a visit length. With five biozones and the Great Greenhouse, allow at least half a day, bearing in mind the last entry one hour before closing.
Is the Vincennes zoo closed in January?
In 2027, yes: the park is closed from January 4 to 31 according to the official site.
Our sources
- Parc zoologique de Paris (Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle): Prices, hours and access, History of the zoo, Discover the animals pages, consulted on 23 October 2026; Prices, hours and access page consulted again on 11 November 2026 (transport, package prices)
- Météo-France: climate sheet for Paris-Montsouris (75114001), 1991–2020 statistics
- Astronomical calculations: NOAA solar algorithm, IANA Europe/Paris time zone, applied by Destination de Voyage to the approximate coordinates of the Parc zoologique de Paris (15th of each month, year 2027)
- Our methodology
Updated November 2026. Prices and hours may change: check the official website before you go.