Top 10 Largest Zoos in Europe

Located near Santander. This isn't a standard zoo but a reserve in a former open-pit mine. The landscape is otherworldly red and rocky. The enclosures are so large (the elephants alone have 25 hectares) that you sometimes need binoculars to find the animals. You explore the park by car or cable car.

The largest zoo in the United Kingdom, just outside London. It is the rural sibling of London Zoo. Because of the huge distances, you can drive through certain parts in your own car (a 'drive-through'), or take the steam train that runs through the park.

This park is located in former East Berlin. It was founded because the famous Berlin Zoo was in West Berlin. It is the largest landscape zoo in Europe. It is very spaciously laid out with wide avenues and huge meadows for camels and bison. Friedrichsfelde Palace sits right in the middle of the park.

The largest zoo in Scandinavia. The park is known for its beautiful location on the coast and its deep forests. It used to have a safari park you could drive through, but today you glide silently over it in a cable car, which gives a unique view of the bears and moose.

Although not the largest in hectares, this park is often voted the most beautiful zoo in Europe. It is built as a journey around the world, with authentic temples and gardens from China and Indonesia built by hand. It is one of the few places in Europe where you can see giant pandas.

This zoo is consistently ranked among the world's best by TripAdvisor. The park is built against a steep hill, so you can take a chairlift from the lower to the upper part. It is famous for its successful breeding program with the endangered Przewalski's horses.

England's most popular zoo, with almost 2 million visitors a year. Chester Zoo is world-famous for its conservation work; it is actively involved in saving species around the world. The park has no bars, using natural barriers such as moats instead.

France's number one. Beauval once started as a small bird park but has grown into a giant. The park is known for its huge tropical dome (Le Dôme Équatorial) and rare animals such as giant pandas, koalas and manatees.

This is Germany's oldest zoo (West Berlin) and it lies right in the middle of the city. Although smaller in area than its eastern neighbor (Tierpark), it has the greatest variety of species in the world (around 1,200 species). It is also famous for its beautiful historic entrance gate (the Elephant Gate).

Perhaps the most modern zoo in Europe. Leipzig is known for 'Gondwanaland', a gigantic indoor hall recreating an entire rainforest. You can take a boat ride between the animals. The concept is called 'Zoo der Zukunft' (Zoo of the Future), leaving out fences wherever possible.