Madrid Zoo and Amusement Park

Madrid Zoo and Parque de Atracciones (Amusement Park) are to be found in La Casa de Campo de Madrid. This 1,800 hectares of park land in west Madrid is also home to the Aquarium Madrid, now part of the zoo, and a large lake. Madrid Zoo was formerly housed in the eastern part of Parque de Retiro nearer the centre of the city, but was moved to its current location to merge with the aquarium in 1995 and became Zoo y el Acuario de Madrid.

Casa de Campo de Madrid, where the Madrid Zoo and Parque de Atracciones can be found, was declared a public park in 1931, but had to wait until 1963 for the public to be able to use it. It has since become a firm favourite with the Madrileños as a place of entertainment, rest and leisure.

Madrid Zoo and Aquarium is considered one of the most modern and important zoos in Europe. It houses a Zoo, an Aquarium, a Dolphinarium and an Aviary. It is a large area of some 20 hectares, roomy and lacking any kind of a cluttered feel. It is also quite clean, but very noisy at the same time. There are also several shows every day that feature birds of prey and parrots.

The Parque de Atracciones has six distinct adventure zones, filled with exciting adventures and activities. There's the Naturaleza or Nature zone, the Maquinismo or Automation zone, the Tranquilidad or Tranquility zone, the Infantil or Infant zone, the Gran Avenida or Grand Avenue zone, and the Trispace Virtual or Virtual World zone.

This is one of the largest theme parks in Europe. It is open from mid-April to mid-September, opening every day at 12 noon. During the winter months of the year it is only open at weekends. It attract 2.2 million visitors a year, employs 350 people, and has around 40 attractions.

The Parque de Atracciones was inaugurated in 1969 by Francisco Franco. It quickly became popular for its many attractions such as "Car Crash", "7 Peaks," "The Pirates," "The Labyrinth of Mirrors", "The Valley of Prehistory" and much more. It was refurbished in 1990 and several important new attractions were added. Then in 1998 a significant remodelling of the park took place when the equivalent of 40 million euros was invested to make it into the major theme park it now is.

You can reach Zoo y el Acuario de Madrid y Parque de Atracciones by Metro at Batán, or Lago on line 10. You can also take bus numbers 33 or 65, or even travel by cable car from the Paseo del Pintor Rosales, in the west of the city. Madrid Zoo and Parque de Atracciones provides a wonderful day out for the family. There's so much to see and do that one day is unlikely to be nearly enough!

INFORMATION

MADRID ZOO
Address: Casa de Campo, s/n. Arrival by car from the Carretera de Extremadura (N-V) - Exit 5 A
Buses: Numbers 33 & 65
Metro: Line 10 (Batán Station)
Tel.: 91.512.37.70
Website: http://www.zoomadrid.com

PARQUE DE ATRACCIONES (AMUSEMENT PARK)
Address: Casa de Campo, s/n. Arrival by car from the Carretera de Extremadura (N-V) - Exit 5 A
Buses: Numbers 33 & 65
Metro: Line 10 (Batán Station)
Tel.: 91 463 29 00
Fax: 91 526 80 33
Website: http://www.parquedeatracciones.es