Leipzig Zoological Garden

Few zoos let visitors drift by boat through a tropical forest under one roof, but Zoo Leipzig does in Gondwanaland, a vast glass-covered hall of plants and animals from Africa, Asia and South America, crossed by walkways, a treetop path and a slow river ride. Nearby, Pongoland houses all four great ape species, chimpanzees, bonobos, gorillas and orangutans, in a complex that also serves as a research site for the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology.

Founded in 1878 by the restaurateur Ernst Pinkert, the zoo became famous for breeding lions, raising well over two thousand of them. Some of its historic buildings remain, while much of the grounds has been reshaped into themed landscapes, including an African savanna, Asian and South American areas, and the original founders' garden.

With more than one and a half million visitors a year, it is one of Germany's busiest zoos. Families and anyone with an interest in animals can easily spend a full day here.