invme Place
Everywhere
All cities · Everywhere →
EN
ENEnglish RURussian FRFrench DEGerman ITItalian ESSpanish PTPortuguese PT-BRBrazilian Portuguese ES-MXLatin American Spanish FR-CACanadian French EN-GBBritish English UKUkrainian PLPolish JAJapanese NLDutch KOKorean SVSwedish DADanish NBNorwegian FIFinnish CSCzech HEHebrew ELGreek ZH-HANTTraditional Chinese HUHungarian RORomanian HRCroatian SKSlovak SLSlovenian ETEstonian LVLatvian LTLithuanian BGBulgarian TRTurkish

Knies Kinderzoo Rapperswil

Zoos & aquariums ·Rapperswil ·Closed
4.57.3K
#4Zoos & aquariums in SwitzerlandMost reviewed in RapperswilTravelers' Choice
  • Step-free access
  • Ideal for kids, teens
  • Good on a rainy day
Get tickets
Make a plan here
Directions Website Call Bookmark

Sign up free — See who's going and message them.

Is this your place? Get the badge for your website

About

Knies Kinderzoo is a children’s zoological garden on Oberseestrasse in Rapperswil, near Seedamm and Rapperswil railway station.

Why go

  • The 6,500-square-metre Himmapan elephant park, the largest project in the zoo’s history.
  • Rotating magic, zoo cinema and hologram programs at Knies Zauberhut.

Opening hours

Today09:00 – 18:00Show all
Monday09:00 – 18:00
Tuesday09:00 – 18:00
Wednesday09:00 – 18:00
Thursday09:00 – 18:00
Friday09:00 – 18:00
Saturday09:00 – 18:00
Sunday09:00 – 18:00

Don't miss

  • Wintergarten restaurantA bright, open restaurant serving hot meals.In the middle of the zoo
  • Terraces beside the flamingo pondTwo terraces, each seating 40 people.Beside the flamingo pond
  • Animal keeper meetupsMeet the animal keepers.

With kids

  • Play areas include an adventure playground opened in 2003.
  • Children can pet selected domestic animals and feed zoo food to goats; designated bowls of suitable food are available to buy.
  • Visitors can attend animal feedings.

Know before you go

  • Bicycles and scooters are not allowed inside the zoo.
  • Dogs are not admitted; dog boxes are available.
  • Drones may not fly over the zoo.
  • Balloons must be left outside.
  • Visitors may pet selected domestic animals.
  • Feed animals only with zoo food from designated bowls.

Tips for your visit

  • Tickets are sold online through the zoo’s own website.
  • The Tiergarten self-service restaurant is beside the entrance.
  • Himmapan includes a Thai restaurant, presented to the public with the elephant park in March 2015.

Shorts

History

Some of the zoo’s animals once travelled with Circus Knie on its Swiss tour. After the circus removed its elephant act, the elephant cows were intended to live year-round as a breeding group with a working matriarchal structure.

  1. 1962Architect Wolfgang Behles designed the zoo, which Fredy and Rolf Knie senior opened on 10 June.
  2. 1963In February, Sahib-Fridolin became the first Asian elephant born in Switzerland.
  3. 1965The trained dolphins Sindbad and Skipper arrived from Florida.
  4. 1970A permanent dolphinarium opened with an 800,000-litre pool; it later closed for animal protection reasons.
  5. 1991A fur seal pool with an underwater viewing window and a pirate ship playground opened.
Show all
  1. 1993In March, Diva gave birth to Baluku, the zoo’s first Rothschild giraffe.
  2. 1998The zoo ended its dolphin shows and sent the dolphins to Benidorm, Spain.
  3. 2000A renewed elephant facility with a bathing area, waterfall, wallow and riding arena opened.
  4. 2002A lemur island and a hyacinth macaw facility opened.
  5. 2006A giraffe enclosure with more than 2,500 square metres of outdoor space was built beside the existing enclosure.
  6. 2008A 3,500-square-metre Mongolian-style habitat for Camelus ferus opened.
  7. 2015The Himmapan elephant park and lodge opened; old elephant enclosures were converted into cheetah and penguin facilities.
  8. 2016Himmapan became home to all Circus Knie elephants.
  9. 2020Knies Zauberhut replaced the Otarium, and the sea lions returned to Spain.
  10. 2023The zoo stopped animal shows and expanded habitats to give wildlife more space and support learning.
  11. 2024Sibylle Marti became director on 1 January.

How to get there

  • 5 minOn footFrom Rapperswil station, walk to Oberseestrasse 36, 8640 Rapperswil, via the underpass, Oberseestrasse or Passerelle.
  • BusThe Rapperswil, Kinderzoo stop is directly outside the entrance.
  • 15 minOn footFrom the boat landing, walk about 15 minutes to the zoo.

Accessibility

  • Wheelchair and stroller access Mostly level paths; the zoo tram is accessible.

Sources: Knie's Kinderzoo - Wikipedia · Error 404 · Eintrittspreise | Knies Kinderzoo · Besucherinfos | Öffnungszeiten & Anreise Zoo | … · Knies Kinderzoo - Wikipedia · checked 28 Sep 2026

Where
Oberseestrasse 36, Rapperswil, 8640

Plan from here: With kids →

Questions and answers

When is Knies Kinderzoo Rapperswil open?

Daily, 09:00–18:00.

Are there animal shows at Knies Kinderzoo Rapperswil?

Animal shows ended in 2023.

Can I see dolphins or sea lions at Knies Kinderzoo Rapperswil?

The dolphins left for Benidorm in 1998, and the sea lions returned to Spain in 2020.

Who runs Knies Kinderzoo Rapperswil?

Sibylle Marti has been director since 1 January 2024.

What is distinctive about the Knies Kinderzoo Rapperswil tram?

It runs on a 610 mm narrow-gauge railway.

How invme works
  1. See who's going — faces, not ticket counts.
  2. Write to someone who shares your interests — no swipes, no matches, no paywall.
  3. Pick the event or the place to meet at — and go together.
Join free

Reviews on invme

Sign in to review
Comment Share
Loading comments…