For most families on a short Madrid trip the answer comes down to the calendar and the pandas. Zoo Aquarium de Madrid, in Casa de Campo park west of the centre, opens every day and keeps the only giant pandas in Spain among more than 1,300 animals on 22 hectares. Faunia, out east in Valdebernardo, is smaller at 16 hectares, built around indoor habitats such as a penguin house held between -2ºC and 5ºC, and from October to December it closes two or three weekdays a week. Both belong to Parques Reunidos, which is why a joint ticket exists, and they sit about 12.5 km apart.
Faunia is a themed nature park in Madrid with more than 1,200 animals of 170 species, arranged in four ecosystems and 15 themed areas.
Which is better, Madrid Zoo or Faunia? Madrid Zoo is better for seeing lots of big animals, including giant pandas, koalas and sharks, and it opens daily. Faunia is better for penguins and manatees in indoor pavilions, but in October 2026 it shuts on Mondays and Tuesdays. At the gate an adult pays €29.50 at the Zoo and €33.95 at Faunia.
Can we go on a weekday?
Settle this first. Madrid Zoo is open every day from October to December. Faunia is not, and the gaps fall early in the week.
| Month in 2026 | Faunia closed on | Faunia open hours | Madrid Zoo |
|---|---|---|---|
| October | Mondays and Tuesdays, except 12 October | 11am-5pm Wed to Fri, 11am-7pm weekends | Daily, 11am-6pm weekdays, 11am-7pm weekends, one hour shorter from 26 October |
| November | Monday to Wednesday, except the 2nd and 9th | 11am-5pm Thu and Fri, 11am-6pm weekends | Daily, 11am-5pm weekdays, 11am-6pm weekends |
| December | 1st, 2nd, 14th, 15th, 21st and 22nd | Mostly 11am-5pm weekdays, 11am-6pm weekends, 11am-4pm on the 31st | Daily, same hours, 11am-4pm on the 24th and 31st |
If your dates include a Spanish holiday, Madrid’s public holidays tells you which ones count.
Can we see the giant pandas?
Only at the Zoo. Zoo Aquarium de Madrid calls itself the only zoo in Spain with giant pandas, kept in its Asia area next to red pandas, an Indian rhino, orangutans and Asian elephants. The Africa area has giraffes, zebras and gorillas, the Australia area has the koala, and the Aquarium lets you walk under the sharks. With 333 species against Faunia’s 170, the Zoo is the one for a child who wants to tick off famous animals.
The trade-off is distance on foot. 22 hectares is a lot of walking for small legs on a hot afternoon, although the Zoo rents pushchairs by the day.
What makes Faunia different?
Faunia puts fewer species into bigger, walk-through settings. Its polar house, according to Faunia, holds more than 100 penguins of 6 species, including king, gentoo and Humboldt penguins, in one of the largest penguin houses in Europe.
The Jungle pavilion has manatees, toucans and tamarins under a staged tropical storm. Because the two headline areas are indoors, Faunia is the safer bet on a wet day, and Madrid on a rainy day lists other covered plans. Faunia also sells paid animal encounters on top of the ticket, and the manatee experience costs €39.90 at the gate. Bring a jumper for the penguins even in warm weather.
Which is cheaper for a family?
The Zoo prices by age and Faunia by height, which matters more than the headline adult fares.
| Gate price | Faunia | Madrid Zoo |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Under 100 cm (3ft 3in), with an adult | Under 3 years |
| Child | €27.95, 100-140 cm | €23.90, ages 3 to 7 |
| Adult | €33.95, over 140 cm (4ft 7in) | €29.50, ages 8 to 64 |
| Online from | €16.90 | €19.90 |
A family of two adults with a five-year-old and a nine-year-old under 140 cm pays €112.40 at the Zoo gate and €123.80 at Faunia. Online fares change with the date and can undercut the gate by a lot, so check each park’s booking calendar before you go. The combo Pack Zoo Madrid + Faunia costs €39.90 a person for a full day at each park, against €63.45 for two adult gate tickets, and is only worth it if you will do both parks before 31 December.
How does a park day fit Spanish hours?
Both parks open at 11am, which surprises visitors used to early zoo mornings, and in the autumn they close at 5pm on weekdays. Ticket sales and entry stop one hour before closing, so on a 5pm day the last entry is 4pm and a family arriving at opening time gets six hours, enough for one park but not both.
A workable autumn day at either park looks like this:
- Arrive for the 11am opening, with the Metro or bus ride from the centre done before 10.30am.
- Do the headline area first, the pandas at the Zoo or the penguins at Faunia, while the children are fresh.
- Eat inside around 2pm, when Spain has lunch. Inside, the Zoo charges €14.50 for a fast-food menu and €10.90 for a children’s menu, a little less if bought online.
- Head for the exit by 4.30pm on a 5pm day; for dinner back in town, eating out with kids in Madrid covers timings and menus.
How do we get there from the centre or the airport?
The two parks are on opposite sides of the city, and neither has a Metro station at the gate.
- Madrid Zoo: Metro Line 5 or Line 10 to Casa de Campo, about an 850-metre walk to the gate, or EMT bus 33 from Príncipe Pío to the door. The wider park is covered in Casa de Campo access.
- Faunia: EMT bus 71 from Manuel Becerra runs straight to the gate, the easy choice with children. Metro Line 9 to Valdebernardo leaves a walk of about 1.6 km, roughly 20 minutes, and Cercanías C-2 to Vicálvaro about 2.2 km. Driving, Faunia charges a flat €6.50 for parking.
A single Metro ticket, loaded on the rechargeable Multi card, is enough for either, priced in Madrid Metro ticket prices. Coming straight from Barajas, the airport Metro stations add a €3 supplement to a single ticket, which the Tourist Travel Pass already includes. For the rest of a family trip, free things to do with kids and Madrid amusement park tickets by height fill the other days.
Madrid Zoo and Faunia questions parents ask
Does Madrid Zoo have pandas?
Yes. Zoo Aquarium de Madrid describes itself as the only zoo in Spain with giant pandas, kept in its Asia area alongside red pandas, an Indian rhino, orangutans and Asian elephants. The zoo sits inside Casa de Campo park, about an 850-metre walk from Casa de Campo Metro station.
Is Faunia open on weekdays in winter?
Only on some. In October 2026 Faunia closes on Mondays and Tuesdays, apart from the 12 October holiday, and in November it closes Monday to Wednesday except on the 2nd and 9th. On open weekdays it runs 11am to 5pm.
How much are Madrid Zoo tickets?
At the gate an adult ticket for Madrid Zoo costs €29.50 for ages 8 to 64 and €23.90 for children aged 3 to 7, with under-3s free. Online prices start at €19.90 and change by date on the zoo’s booking calendar.
How do children’s prices work at Faunia?
By height, not age. Faunia charges €27.95 at the gate for children between 100 and 140 cm, about 3ft 3in to 4ft 7in, and €33.95 above that. Anyone under 100 cm goes in free with an adult.
How do I get to Faunia from central Madrid?
EMT bus 71 runs from Manuel Becerra to the Faunia gate, which is the easy option with children. Valdebernardo station on Metro Line 9 is about a 1.6 km walk, roughly 20 minutes.
A Monday-to-Wednesday trip means the Zoo; a penguin-mad toddler is worth saving Faunia for the weekend.