Tiergarten Nürnberg is a large zoo built across hilly ground, and the hills are the problem. From September 2026 the zoo is running guided tours in an electric vehicle designed to carry a wheelchair or a walker, which puts the far end of the site within reach of visitors for whom it previously was not.
The zoo announced the new tours on August 21, 2026, with the first September dates open for booking immediately.
What the tour is
Tours run about an hour and a quarter, led by an experienced zoo guide, with stops along the way. The route runs past the monkeys and the big and small cats and out to the polar bears, penguins and sea lions at the opposite end of the grounds.
The vehicle takes a maximum of three passengers traveling with a wheelchair or walker, or five without. Start times are booked individually: in high season before 10 a.m. or after 4 p.m., in the off season at any time of day. A tour costs 100 euros, plus reduced zoo admission for each participant. Booking is by telephone through the Zootourenbüro on 0911 231 35128, Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Tuesday and Thursday from noon to 4 p.m.
The zoo is explicit that the tours are open to everyone rather than restricted to visitors with mobility needs.
Who bought the vehicle
The electric vehicle was funded by the Verein der Tiergartenfreunde Nürnberg, the zoo’s supporters’ association, not out of the zoo’s own budget.
“Wir freuen uns sehr auf den Einsatz des neuen E-Mobils in der Zoopädagogik. Als Verein ist uns sehr daran gelegen, unseren schönen Tiergarten für möglichst viele Menschen erlebbar zu machen. Nun haben auch diejenigen die Chance dazu, für die das weitläufige Gelände mit den zahlreichen Steigungen sonst eine Herausforderung darstellt.”
We are very much looking forward to putting the new electric vehicle to work in zoo education. As an association it matters a great deal to us to make our beautiful zoo something as many people as possible can experience. Now the chance is there for those as well who would otherwise find the extensive grounds, with their many slopes, a challenge.
Anja Prölß-Kammerer, first chairwoman of the Verein der Tiergartenfreunde Nürnberg, in a statement translated from German
What it is being added to
The tours join a shuttle the zoo already runs to its Klimawaldpfad, a climate-forest trail. That service carries visitors with disabilities or who need assistance from the main entrance to the trail and back on request, at no extra charge, and it is also paid for by the supporters’ association. During the summer holidays it operated Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Neither of these is a headline attraction, and that is roughly the point. A zoo whose grounds are hard to cross has an accessibility problem that no amount of signage fixes, and the answer is usually a vehicle and a driver rather than anything more inventive. Two of them now exist at Nürnberg, both bought by the people who fundraise for the place.
Is the Zootouren-Mobil tour available to everyone?
Yes. The zoo describes the tours as complementing its inclusive program while remaining open to all interested visitors. The three-passenger limit applies when someone is traveling with a wheelchair or walker; otherwise the vehicle seats five.
Tiergarten Nürnberg has had a busy conservation summer alongside the visitor programming, including the release of ten European pond turtles into Hessian nature reserves in July.
Source: Tiergarten Nürnberg. The Prölß-Kammerer quotation is translated from German.
Quick answers
- When do the Zootouren-Mobil tours start?
September 2026. The zoo opened booking for the first September dates when it announced the tours on August 21, 2026.
- What does a Zootouren-Mobil tour cost?
100 euros per tour, plus reduced zoo admission for each participant. Booking is by telephone through the Zootourenburo on 0911 231 35128.
- How many people can ride?
Three passengers when someone is traveling with a wheelchair or walker, five without. Tours last about an hour and a quarter.
