Greece is one of Europe’s most popular summertime destinations. With its pristine beaches, clear blue water, and hundreds of small islands, it’s no wonder it attracts so many tourists. But Greece is also the place that lets you see some of the most impressive warm climate animals. Most of them aren’t out in the wild but in the country’s zoos.
Table of Contents
6. Cretaquarium, Crete
Image: Cretaquarium
You might be on vacation on the island of Crete but you can still see some of the most attractive fishes and turtles in this aquarium. It even has a few sharks and this is the main reason most visitors end up taking thousands of photos in front of the shark aquarium.
But these fishes are also some of the most spoiled in the country since the aquariums here are very clean. Small by Western standards, it’s the best place on the island of Crete to see all types of fishes of various species.
5. Attica Zoological Park, Spata
Image: Attica Zoological Park
This is one of the largest open-air zoos in Greece. It can be seen as an excellent location to spend a few hours or even a full day at. Scattered around a wide natural habitat, this zoo has plenty of animals on display from bears to giraffes.
But one of the biggest attractions of the zoo is the dolphins. There are various aquatic shows here through the week and dolphins tend to attract the largest crowds of them all. One of the biggest advantages of this zoo is that it has wide-open spaces. It offers some of the widest walkable areas for animals in the entire country.
Access to this natural park zoo is easy as well. You can take the metro from Athens towards the airport. At the last stop, you need to board bus 319 to reach the zoo within a few minutes.
4. Farma of Rhodes Petting Zoo, Butterfly Valley
Image: Farma of Rhodes Petting Zoo
This petting zoo is one of the main attractions of Butterfly Valley when it comes to some of the largest animals you can see in Greece. Most have been brought here from abroad. Camels come from the Middle East while ostriches and kangaroos come from Oceania.
There are various foods on the premise such as carrots that kids can use to feed these animals. There’s nothing more interesting than seeing a large donkey eating straight out of your hand when you’re only a few years old.
But the location also hosts a popular burger house. You can stop to refuel here after a few hours of visiting. Prices at this food place are considered low even compared to Greek standards.
3. Corfu Aquarium, Corfu
Image: Corfu Aquarium
There aren’t many attractions in Corfu for animal lovers. But the Corfu Aquarium is the place where you can spend a few hours when the weather is not perfect. Typically, the island of Corfu gets a lot of sun through the summer season. But on some days, rain tends to steer tourists towards indoor activities. This is where the Corfu Aquarium with its snakes and lizards can offer a method of spending time indoors while learning more about the animal world.
2. Aquaworld, Crete
Image: Aquaworld
Opened in 1995, Aquaworld is the spot to see marine life and reptiles. Iguanas of all sizes are found here. But Aquaworld is one of the places that impress by interaction. It’s the place where kids can play with lizards and enjoy time outdoors.
Friendly snakes can also be played with here. While not all visitors are comfortable being so close to snakes, it can be one of the locations you consider in Greece to make the most of these historic animals.
Reptiles that change their colors are also found here. You can even play interesting games with your children at Aquaworld. Some visitors have a hard time spotting these reptiles as they camouflage by taking the colors of their surroundings. If you want to exercise the attention of your children, you can allow them to spot these reptiles themselves.
1. Amazonas Park, Crete
Image: Facebook / Amazonas Park Crete
Amazonas Park is one of the main Corfu attractions for animal lovers. Most people know this place as an excellent location to see lemurs in real life. But you can also consider the park as one of the top locations on the island to see other animals such as birds and monkeys. You can visit this place to see different Mediterranean flowers as well. These flowers attract a lot of birds and butterflies. Some of the butterflies you can see here on lucky days are among the largest in the world.
The floral gardens here are also some of the most interesting in the world. They are known to be lush green as a sign they are properly taken care of. In such an arid location, it’s quite rare to see vast green spaces. But this natural habitat also represents one of the most interesting and relaxing zoos for its animals.
The wide-open spaces at the zoo also require you to walk a lot. You will have to make your way from one area to another on foot. But you can see giraffes, zebras, and camels along the way. These animals have the largest sanctuaries and they can be considered among the luckiest at the zoo. Our tip is to also bring plenty of water as the place is known for offering almost no shaded area to rest in. If you’re traveling with kids here, you will also need a few good hats and even sunglasses. There’s no restaurant on the premises and you might even need to bring snacks if you plan to stay for more than a few hours, especially if you’re visiting the zoo with children or your family.
Amazonas Park, also known as Athens Zoo is a place that has hundreds of species of animals. However, even this zoo isn’t as large as some of those in the West. While it has seen better days, the location needs further investments in much-needed renovations.
