Frequently asked questions

The Bern Animal Park grants free admission to persons in need of protection upon presentation of the ID card S at the ticket office (protection status S).

Have you left or lost something during your visit to the Bern Animal Park? Please contact us via the contact form, we will be happy to help.

Here you will find the toilets:

• Next to the Dählhölzli Restaurant
• In the vivarium
• At the Eulen Bistro or Brätliplatz

You will find changing tables in the toilets in the Vivarium and at the Eulen Bistro.

You can visit the Dählhölzli Zoo mostly without obstacles.

Dogs are not allowed in the Dählhölzli Zoo. There are 4 lockable dog crates by the exit. You can get the keys for a deposit of CHF 20 at the Vivarium ticket office.

Assistance dogs accompanying an impaired person are exempt from this regulation. There are plenty of opportunities to train assistance dogs in the admission-free part of the Dählhölzli Zoo.

In our coffee corner in the Vivarium you will find sweets as well as hot and cold drinks. The Eulen Bistro will spoil you with regional delicacies. Here you can find out more about our gastronomic offer

Our picnic area with tables and benches for approx. 150 people invites you to linger. A fireplace with barbecue grill and firewood are available.

In the summer half-year you will find regional delicacies in the Eulen Bistro. More information about the Eulen Bistro.

In the accessible part of the Vivarium, in front of the toilets, you will find 12 lockable compartments (deposit coin CHF 2.-, height 40 cm, width 38 cm, depth 45 cm).

Here you can find the opening hours of the Eulen Bistro: More information

You can find the opening hours of the Restaurant Dählhölzli here: Further information

Dogs are not allowed in the entrance part of the Dählhölzli Zoo. You will find 4 lockable dog crates by the exit. The keys are available for a deposit at the Vivarium ticket office.

Assistance dogs accompanying an impaired person are exempt from this regulation. There are plenty of opportunities to train assistance dogs in the admission-free part of Dählhölzli.

We ask our guests to arrive by public transport as a matter of principle. Should you visit us by car, a limited number of parking spaces are available in the immediate vicinity of the zoo (subject to a fee).

For private and non-commercial purposes, photography and filming is allowed in the Bern Animal Park. For commercial photography you need the permission of the zoo. Please respect our animals as well as the other visitors. We would be pleased if you tag us in your photos (Facebook: tierparkbern / Instagram: @tierparkbern).

A free wheelchair for the zoo visit is available at the Vivarium ticket office for visitors with mobility impairments, deposit CHF 50. We would be grateful if you could make a reservation by calling +41 31 321 15 15.

Parking space at the entrance to the part requiring admission or at the Dählhölzli restaurant

This is how it works: Download the “Ohrwürmli” app from your app store onto your smartphone or scan the QR code at the entrance. Look for the 14 “Ohrwürmli” stations on the Dählhölzli Zoo grounds, which are marked on the map in the app, and enjoy the funny stories for children. More about the “Ohrwürmli” app

Feeding our bears by visitors is strictly prohibited! The wrong food can harm wild animals and we don’t want “begging bears”, but wild animals that are as natural as possible and have to find and work for their food themselves.

The bears are not fed at specific times of the day. Food is repeatedly distributed and hidden in the enclosure in different places and at different times. The animals then search for the treats and are often kept busy for hours in a manner appropriate to their species.

Our bears at Dählhölzli Zoo and BearPark hibernate like their wild counterparts. This usually lasts from November to mid-March. During this time, the bears are in their winter dens and are rarely seen.

News from the BearPark

Feel like a bear in the old days for once!

Bears used to be kept in the small bear pit, but today it is freely accessible to visitors. Children can climb on the wooden bears and the sandstone bar, while adults can find a wealth of information about the history of the bear pit and the latest news about Dählhölzli and the Bear Park. The small bear pit can be hired for events.

The big moat is still part of the enclosure because keepers and bears are not allowed to be in the same enclosure at the same time: The bears are in the big moat for about 1 hour every day, while the keepers clean the big enclosure by the Aare and distribute food. The rest of the day, the bears are out and about in the Aare enclosure, foraging, climbing or bathing.

Rangers are available daily for the guests of the BearPark (summer: 9.00 – 17.00; winter 11.00 – 15.00). They provide information on questions about the bears of Bern. You will recognise the volunteers of the Bern Animal Park by their uniform.

Public toilets are located in the building of the restaurant ‘Altes Tramdepot’.

The BearPark Bern is a unique local recreation area at the lower end of Bern’s old town and is open to all guests around the clock free of charge.

There are plenty of places to sit and take photos around the BearPark.

A total of 12,000 paving stones engraved with names were sold and laid in the BearPark during the “With Heart and Stone for the BearPark” campaign. You can check the position of your paving stone on the website www.steingravur.ch.

Currently, no new stones can be purchased.

Yes, there is an interesting guided tour in the BearPark. Under expert guidance, you will visit the facility, learn exciting facts about the history as well as the significance of the Bear Pit and the BearPark for Bern, about bear husbandry, bear biology and about our three Bernese bears.

You also get a behind-the-scenes look at where the bears lived in years gone by.

The bears are always out and about in the enclosure, but sometimes they cannot be seen because they retreat into a bush. In winter (November – March) they hibernate and are hardly visible. The BearPark is open 24 hours a day, all year round.

There are currently three bears living in the BearPark, actually a bear family: mother bear “Björk”, father bear “Finn” and daughter bear “Ursina”. “Ursina” and her sister “Berna” were born in Bern in December 2009. “Berna” has been living at Dobric Zoo in Bulgaria since the end of July 2013.

The inclined lift (BäreBähnli) connects the Aare promenade with the upper visitor path around the Bärengraben. It is available to everyone free of charge.

Hours of operation: 08.00 to 17.00
Euro-Key: 24 hours.

You will receive the ordered vouchers immediately after payment as a PDF document to your e-mail address and can then print them out at home.

Yes, you have the option of ordering vouchers for day tickets, guided tours and a day at the zoo online. To our online shop for vouchers

You can personalise our Annual Pass vouchers online. Give the gift of 365 days of unique experiences and encounters between humans and animals. Order vouchers for Annual Passes now

They will help you here:
Fire brigade, tel. 118 (animal rescue)
Police, tel. 117 (for wild animals)
Animal rescue service, Tel. +41 44 211 22 22 (for emergencies)
Swiss Animal Notification Centre, when an animal has run away/got lost
GTRD, Large Animal Rescue Service, Tel. +41 79 700 70 70 (emergency call)
Swiss Ornithological Institute Sempach, for questions on wild birds, tel. + 41 41 462 97 00
Cruelty to animals: report to the Cantonal Veterinary Office or at the Swiss Animal Protection (anonymous possible)

Please contact the Bern Animal Park, Tel. +41 31 321 15 27

Please contact the Bern Bat Association: https://www.fledermausverein-be.ch/

No, unfortunately not. The Bern Animal Park no longer keeps large parrots; accordingly, we do not accept or arrange for any. Thank you for your understanding!

Access to the Dählhölzli Zoo is permitted for guide dogs for the blind. Please report to the ticket office at the Vivarium.

The many benches can be found scattered throughout the zoo area, more than half are equipped with backrests.

Small people, children in prams and wheelchair users also have a free view of our facilities.

Admission to the Dählhölzli Zoo is free of charge for people in wheelchairs or people with a lake disability and for one accompanying person. Residents of care homes may also visit the zoo free of charge.

Visitors who require a companion dog/assistance dog may bring it with them for their visit to the Bern Animal Park. Please register at the cash desk at the Vivarium.

IThere are barrier-free toilets in the Dählhölzli Zoo near the “Eulen Bistro” and in the Vivarium.

In the Restaurant Dählhölzli, Tierparkweg 2, 3005 Bern you will find an obstacle-free Eurokey toilet.

A free wheelchair for the zoo visit is available at the Vivarium ticket office for visitors with mobility impairments, deposit CHF 50. We would be grateful if you could make a reservation by calling +41 31 321 15 15.

In the children’s zoo, humans and animals meet up close. Our dwarf goats may be stroked, but please do not feed them!

Right next to the “Eulen Bistro”, in the middle of the forest, children can really let off steam. The varied climbing course offers a challenge for every age group.

Next to the children’s playground you will find our popular Brätliplatz with numerous seating areas and picnic tables.

Of course, you also have the option of enjoying your own picnic. Next to the Eulen Bistro you will find our popular Brätliplatz with numerous seating areas and picnic tables.

You will find changing tables at our toilet facilities in the Vivarium and at the Eulen Bistro.

All paths in the Dählhölzli Zoo and the path along the banks of the River Aare are suitable for prams and wheelchairs.

On the large, serviced terrace of the Eulen Bistro you can enjoy yourself while your children let off steam on the playground next door. The Eulen Bistro team will serve you regional delicacies.

In our coffee corner in the Vivarium you will find cold and hot drinks as well as various snacks from the vending machine.

A day at the zoo makes every child’s birthday a very special adventure! We would be happy to organise an animal-themed, unforgettable birthday party for your child and his/her friends at Dählhölzli Zoo or BearPark. An age-appropriate guided tour awaits you.

To the child’s birthday – For 5 to 7 year olds at Dählhölzli

To the children’s birthday parties – from 8 years at Dählhölzli

To the children’s birthday parties – from 8 years in the BearPark

Here you can download our invitation cards with animal motifs from the Dählhölzli Zoo

Here are the account details if you would like to transfer your sponsorship contribution from abroad:

Berner Kantonalbank, Bern
Tierparkverein Bern
IBAN CH60 0079 0042 3561 4739 3
BLZ or clearing number 790
SWIFT Code KBBECH22

Do you have any questions? Call us, tel. +41 31 321 15 18.

An animal sponsorship lasts for one year. Without cancellation, it is extended for another year.

We will send these only after receipt of payment. If payment is received before the sponsorship begins and you have ordered the above-mentioned documents to you, we will also send you the tickets so that you can present them yourself before the sponsorship begins. After the sponsorship has begun, we will send the tickets to the person receiving the gift.

In addition to the good feeling of having done something good for the animals at Dählhölzli, an animal sponsorship brings you the following:

• a sponsorship certificate; it is sent once after the registration of the sponsorship, i.e. not anew after each renewal of the sponsorship.
• the “UHU”, the magazine with news and interesting facts from the zoo
• an annual subscription for a sponsorship from CHF 300 per year*.
• 4 personal tickets for a sponsorship of CHF 200 per year
• 2 personal tickets for a sponsorship of CHF 100 per year
• an entry in the patent board at Dählhölzli Zoo, if you do not refuse this.
• an invitation to the annual Godparents’ Day in June. On Godparents’ Day, godparents visit their godparents’ animals.

* In the case of accumulation of several sponsorships to CHF 300.- or more, we are unfortunately unable to issue an annual pass instead of the single entry tickets for administrative reasons.

An animal sponsorship is a meaningful gift for Christmas, a birthday, an anniversary or just because.

If you are giving a sponsorship as a gift, please let us know to whom we should send the sponsorship documents (welcome letter, certificate, animal description) – directly to the person receiving the gift OR to you, because you would like to present the gift yourself. In both cases you will receive the invoice

We have created an overview with all patented animals. Here you can find more information about the costs.

A godmother or godfather becomes a single person.

Only the children of employees have the opportunity to spend Future Day at the zoo. Click here for all offers for the National Future Day in Switzerland

Vacancies are advertised in the Bern Official Gazette and on the City of Bern’s job portal at www.bern.ch. Send us your application only in response to a job advertisement.

Open job portal of the city of Bern

Note: The trial apprenticeships for 2024 are already fully booked.

A trial apprenticeship at Tierpark Bern is possible from the age of 15 and lasts 5 days, from Monday to Friday.

We will accept your application at tierpark-bern@bern.ch.

The trial apprenticeship is free of charge for residents of the city of Bern, otherwise it costs CHF 200.00

For further information, please call Heidi Ott on 031 321 15 13.

The Bern Animal Park does not offer internships, temporary jobs or temporary jobs.

Public toilets are located in the building of the Restaurant Altes Tramdepot, Grosser Muristalden 6, 3006 Bern. These are staffed around the clock. The frosted glass doors open by motion sensor.

Yes, the BearPark can be experienced without obstacles. Since 2015, the “Bärebähnli”, a wheelchair-friendly panoramic inclined lift, has been available in the BearPark. The lift can be used free of charge and provides a quick connection between the banks of the Aare and the upper part of the park. It’s a unique experience to glide through the BearPark!

Yes, the “Bärebähnli” provides obstacle-free access to the Aare at the BearPark. The inclined lift is located at the southern end of the BearPark and connects the cobblestone path with the riverside path. With the “Bärebähnli”, people with walking difficulties and families with prams can visit the Bern BearPark without obstacles.

The panoramic inclined lift is free of charge and goes down to the banks of the Aare.

With our donation form you can donate by credit card (Visa, MasterCard), PostFinance (Card, eFinance) or TWINT. You can donate directly online via the City of Bern donation form.

Each donation is optionally confirmed with a written donation receipt.

Both donations to the Bern Animal Park and sponsorships are tax-deductible.

Payments into the Gabus Fund are 100% available exclusively for animals and facilities at the Bern Animal Park.

In the children’s zoo, humans and animals get up close and personal. Children can pet the dwarf goats – but please don’t feed them!

Thank you for your understanding that we cannot adopt or advertise your animal.

We sell, if available, offspring (no adult or pregnant animals) of the following species: dwarf donkey, dwarf goat, rabbit.

Unfortunately, no. We have enough offspring of our own. Please contact “IG Zwergziegen Schweiz” with such enquiries, tel. +41 27 946 58 17.

Yes, we accept the following cards: Postcard, Maestro card, Mastercard, VISA.

In addition, payments can be made with TWINT.

Admission to the zoo is free of charge for residents including their carers.

Zoo admission for people in wheelchairs incl. 1 carer is free of charge.

Zoo admission for children under 6 is free.

The annual pass is available for CHF 90, the half-year pass costs CHF 45.

To work in the children’s zoo, you should be at least 11 years old and have a children’s zoo pass.

Before buying a pass, you must complete a taster afternoon.

For more information, please call us at +41 31 321 15 17.

Please do not feed!

Visitors who feed the animals prevent a controlled, species-appropriate diet and endanger the health of our animals.

You can personalise our Annual Pass vouchers online. Give the gift of 365 days of unique experiences and encounters between humans and animals. Order vouchers for Annual Passes now

Our annual passes are reusable, for this reason we charge a deposit of CHF 10 per pass.

Bern Animal Park is a member of “Zoo Schweiz”. Annual ticket holders of the Bern Animal Park receive a reduced admission price with the other members of “Zoo Schweiz”. Please show your valid Bern Animal Park annual pass.

Yes, for mibon.ch members we grant a 50% discount on family admission. Please understand that each member may only benefit once per calendar year. You can find more information about the offer on the mibon.ch website.

Yes, with the Sternschnuppe Card, admission to the Dählhölzli Zoo is free. The foundation “Kinderhilfe Sternschnuppe” brings joy and variety into the lives of children living with an illness or impairment.

No. According to current knowledge, stale bread is not suitable food for (wild) animals. The collection point for stale bread at the Bern Animal Park was closed on 1 May 2022.

More about the bread collection point

In principle, we accept surplus animals as feed animals. The basic prerequisite is that the animals are healthy and have not been pre-treated with medication (antibiotics, painkillers, etc.). The animals must be brought to the exit of the Dählhölzli Zoo on time at the agreed time, whereby the transport must be animal-friendly, prompt and gentle. An official form with the type of animal, number of animals, date and signature must be filled out at the time of handover. For further information and to make an appointment, please contact us directly on +41 79 396 62 37.

The money flows into the fund for nature and species conservation and is then distributed to the Projects distributed, which the zoo supports. To the Fund for Nature and Species Conservation

Unfortunately, this is not possible. Our experts decide which Projects to what extent it makes sense to support them.

Yes. That’s why the zoo has set up its own fund specifically for nature and species conservation. This ensures that the money goes 1:1 into the projects for nature and species conservation. To the Fund for Nature and Species Conservation

The individual projects are described in more detail here: To our nature conservation projects

No, it also supports individual projects abroad, such as artificial coral reefs. To our nature conservation projects

Where possible, we will conduct guided tours of the projects and / or present information boards about them.

No, it is voluntary, but the animals and nature are happy about every franc. Thank you for your support!

Yes, that would be great! The projects can only be carried out if enough money has gone into the pot. You will find information here on how to donate online or by paying-in slip. Thank you for your support!

No, we can only support projects outside the zoo area to the extent that we can collect donations. We cannot and must not spend more than we have collected through donations to the nature and species conservation fund.

Of course, we are happy if children over the age of 6 also pay the franc. But it is a voluntary contribution. Thank you for your support!

With an annual pass you can visit the zoo several times within a year, so an amount of CHF 10 has been used here. Whether – and how much – you want to donate is ultimately up to you. The more donations we receive, the more nature conservation projects we can support.

It varies from project to project how much money is budgeted, depending on the proposed objectives and measures. Also, some projects are divided into multi-stage phases with small sub-budgets.