San Diego Zoo Guide: Tickets, Parking, Dining & Jungle Bells

The San Diego Zoo is a roughly 100-acre zoo inside Balboa Park. Adult day tickets are $78, or $73 on Value Days, and the price includes the Guided Bus Tour and Skyfari aerial tram. Parking is no longer free: the Zoo lot now charges $16 per car. This winter the Zoo’s holiday event, Jungle Bells, runs December 19, 2026 to January 3, 2027, with lights until 8 p.m. It’s included with regular admission.

Why the San Diego Zoo is so famous

The Zoo grew out of animals left over from the 1915 Panama-California Exposition. Dr. Harry Wegeforth founded the Zoological Society in 1916. The Zoo was an early adopter of open-air, cage-less habitats, opening its first lion area without enclosing wire in 1922. Today it is often called the most-visited zoo in the United States. It is run by the nonprofit San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, which also operates the San Diego Zoo Safari Park in Escondido.

A few quick facts:

• Size: About 100 acres, leased from the City of San Diego, set across steep canyons.
• Animals: More than 650 species.
• Pandas: Giant pandas Yun Chuan and Xin Bao arrived on loan from China in June 2024 and debuted at Panda Ridge that August. The Zoo’s earlier panda exhibit had closed in 2019.
• Address: 2920 Zoo Drive, San Diego, CA 92101.

Tickets and prices

From the official ticket page as of November 2026:

Ticket	Adult (12+)	Child (3–11)
1-Day Pass, Any Day	$78	$68
1-Day Pass, Value Days (select dates, online in advance)	$73	$63
2-Visit Pass (Zoo + Safari Park, or two visits to one park)	$130	$120

Children under 3 are free. The 2-Visit Pass is valid for a year from purchase, which makes it the best deal if you’ll also see the Safari Park. Memberships start at $99 per person and cover both parks, so locals and anyone making two trips should price one out. San Diego CityPASS also includes the Zoo.

What’s included: Skyfari and the Guided Bus Tour

Every 1-Day Pass includes two rides, subject to availability:

• Guided Bus Tour: A narrated bus loop that covers a large part of the Zoo. Do it early. It’s the best way to get your bearings, and lines grow by midday. The bus tour entrance is near the main gate, beside Guest Services.
• Skyfari Aerial Tram: The gondola, built in 1969, carries you over the canyons between the front of the Zoo and the far side, saving a lot of walking. Ride it one way and walk back through the canyons.

Hours, and is the Zoo open in December?

The Zoo is open every day of the year, holidays included. Hours change with the season. In early-to-late November 2026 the posted hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. During Jungle Bells the Zoo stays open until 8 p.m. on event nights, which is the main chance for nighttime hours this winter. Check the visit page for your date, since hours can also shift for special events.

Jungle Bells 2026: the San Diego Zoo at Christmas

Jungle Bells is the Zoo’s holiday celebration, with light displays, shows and Santa.

• Dates: Select dates December 19, 2026 – January 3, 2027. The member preview is December 18.
• Hours: Lights and activities until 8 p.m. The light experiences start around 5 p.m.
• Cost: Included with any admission ticket or membership. There’s no separate event ticket.
• Not on December 24: The official page excludes Christmas Eve from Jungle Bells.
• What’s on: The Holiday Forest and three light shows (Holiday Light Discovery, Holiday Light Celebration and Holiday Light Symphony), plus brass bands, a juggler and Dr. Zoolittle’s holiday show.
• Santa’s Factory: Photos with Santa in Treetops Plaza on select days from late November through Christmas. The posted schedule has some inconsistencies, so confirm dates on the Jungle Bells page.

Membership blackouts: Some lower-tier local memberships have blockout dates during Jungle Bells. Check yours before planning a December visit.

Tips: Arrive mid-afternoon, see the animals while it’s light, eat early, then stay for the lights after 5 p.m. The Zoo pairs well with December Nights in Balboa Park if you’re visiting early in the month. That event is separate and has its own dates.

Parking and getting there

The Zoo’s lots, once free, are now paid. Current rules from the official parking page:

• $16 per car or motorcycle per day. Oversized vehicles and RVs are $44.
• City of San Diego residents: $8 per car ($22 oversized) with advance registration.
• Members: One car free per adult membership after registering on the member parking portal. This only applies to Zoo lots, not other Balboa Park lots.
• Everyone pays, including cars with ADA placards. Rideshare and taxis are exempt only in the loading zones.
• Pay at kiosks or by phone, or with cash at a ticket booth. Text or QR payments add a $0.55 fee.
• Enforcement runs 6 a.m. to 2 a.m., and overnight parking isn’t allowed.
• A free satellite parking shuttle from Inspiration Point runs on select days.

By transit: MTS Rapid 215 and Route 7 stop at the Zoo and connect to downtown, the Santa Fe Depot (Amtrak and COASTER) and the Trolley.

Dining at the San Diego Zoo

The Zoo lists about 30 places to eat. Ten are sit-down or counter restaurants and the rest are snack stands, carts and bars.

Albert’s Restaurant

Albert’s is open and remains the Zoo’s only full-service restaurant. It sits in the Lost Forest near Treetops, with a patio overlooking a small waterfall and a full bar.

• Hours: 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
• Reservations: Through the Zoo’s dining page. Book ahead for weekend lunch and holiday weeks.
• Menu: California-style plates, with vegan and gluten-free options marked.

Other Zoo restaurants

• Sabertooth Mexican Grill (Elephant Odyssey): tacos, burritos and margaritas.
• Hua Mei Café (Asian Passage): Asian dishes, plus Hua Mei Cones for soft-serve.
• Sydney’s Grill and the Boardwalk Beer Garden (Australian Outback).
• Treetops Bistro and Zoo Brew (Lost Forest).
• Safari Kitchen and Front Street Sweet Shack near the entrance, plus Jungle Java for coffee.

You can bring your own food in small single-person containers. Large coolers (over 12 by 12 inches), glass and alcohol aren’t allowed.

Exhibits worth planning around

• Panda Ridge: The giant pandas, one of the most popular stops. Go early.
• Elephant Odyssey: A 2.5-acre elephant habitat, opened in 2009, with a “Fossil Portal” of life-size Ice Age animal statues.
• Wildlife Explorers Basecamp: Opened in 2022 on the site of the old Children’s Zoo. It replaced the classic petting-zoo layout with hands-on habitats where kids get close to animals like turtles and prairie dogs, plus play areas. For the closest thing to a petting zoo, start here and check the daily schedule for animal encounters.
• Africa Rocks, the Lost Forest and the Australian Outback round out a full day.

Tips for a smoother visit

• Arrive at opening. Animals are most active in the cool morning and the bus tour line is short.
• Download the San Diego Zoo app for the map, show times and restaurant status. Some food stands open or close depending on crowds.
• Rent a stroller, wheelchair or scooter if you need one. The canyon paths are steep.
• Pair it with Balboa Park. The Zoo is a short walk from the museums and the Balboa Park gardens. Walk in over the Cabrillo Bridge for the classic view.