Waking up next to polar bears
Pairi Daiza – Belgium’s little paradise for animal lovers
Visiting the best zoo in Europe was the highlight of our nearly 7,000 km adventure across the continent. Our main goal? To see a panda! 🙂 In the lines below, I’ll share what it’s like to spend the night in a zoo—and wake up just a window glass away from polar bears.
So, what exactly is Pairi Daiza, and where can you find it?
Pairi Daiza is a private zoo and botanical garden tucked away in southwest Belgium, just 50 km from Brussels. It was the grand finale of our European adventure, details about which I’ll be sharing very soon.
For us, it all began with one simple idea: to see a panda. China was far beyond reach by car, so we turned our sights to closer destinations. In Europe, pandas only live in four zoos: Vienna’s Schönbrunn, the Zoo Aquarium in Madrid, the Berlin Zoo, and Pairi Daiza. We had just visited Schönbrunn and Madrid was a bit farther than planned, so our choice came down to Belgium or Berlin.
Belgium’s zoo stole the show, though, thanks to one of its most magical features—it has its own hotel, letting you spend the night surrounded by animals.
For the past three years, Pairi Daiza has been crowned as Europe’s best zoo, and I’ll be sharing every detail of our experience in the lines below.
First impressions
The moment we stepped out of the car, the park seemed to hug us with open arms, ready to pull us straight into its magic. For me, it felt a little like stepping into Disneyland—though it’s been many years since my only visit there.
One of the best perks of staying in the resort is getting to start your day an hour before the park officially opens. If you’ve ever wandered through one of Europe’s larger zoos, you know how impossible it can be to see everything in a single day—and how the crowds can feel overwhelming. That extra hour, before most visitors even arrived, was the perfect way to begin our adventure.
The park is divided into themed areas, or ‘worlds,’ each with its own architecture, colors, and vibe. We visited in early December, when Christmas tunes floated from every speaker, colorful lights made even the gloomiest rainy days feel cozy, and glowing animals peeked out from around every corner. Honestly, I can’t imagine a more magical time to explore.
The Resort
Pairi Daiza Resort is a luxury hotel spread across a large part of the park, offering accommodations right next to the animals. The rooms come in several styles, each located in different ‘worlds,’ and we chose one that put us face-to-face with the polar bears.
Hotel guests can enter the park from 9 a.m., an hour before the official opening. We were greeted with smiles in the cozy lobby, where we dropped off our luggage so we could dive straight into the park, with our suitcases waiting for us later in the room. The next day, checkout was at 11 a.m., but again, we left our bags in the hallway of our room and collected them from the reception when leaving the park at the end of the day.
The room rate includes breakfast and dinner, as well as access to the spa—which, admittedly, we never made it to. You also get park access for two consecutive days: from 9 a.m. on your check-in day until the park closes the following day. You can book a maximum of three nights per room, which gives you four full days and three nights in the zoo. We stayed for just one night, but in my opinion, two nights would be ideal: enough time to explore the park without rushing, a second and third chance to see animals that might be hiding, and perhaps even a visit to the spa.
Polar bears, walruses, penguins, and tigers are just some of the animals you might wake up next to. When we checked in, they gave us a schedule of feeding times for the different animals. Our bears had breakfast at 8:30 a.m.—the perfect reason to get up early. Watching a fluffy bear dive for a fish right outside your window is an experience you’ll never forget.
Night in the zoo
If you decide to spend the night at the resort, you get the incredible chance to wander through the zoo after dark. There’s something truly special — and a little mystical — about a midnight stroll among the animals. Once the lights go out and most visitors have left, the atmosphere changes completely. Life seems to slow down, and the nocturnal residents take center stage. The hoot of a little owl still lives rent-free in my mind, making me smile.
Of course, the animal enclosures aren’t lit, so spotting some of them requires a bit of imagination and patience. We, for instance, spent quite some time over the bear and wolf enclosures, amusing ourselves with the night mode on our phones, which allowed us to play the game ‘bear or tree trunk?’ 🙂
A few deer grazed peacefully just meters from the path, big cats prowled around their enclosures, and little seal pups snorted and snuffled in the most hilarious way.
But the highlight of the night was undoubtedly the two walruses living in the massive pool next to the polar bears. With the last of our energy for the day, we spent nearly an hour in front of the enormous glass, watching these comical giants play, tease us and each other, and glide through the water with a grace that belied their enormous size.
The worlds and their animals
Pairi Daiza is divided into ten ‘worlds’ (there were still nine when we visited). Each world is home to different animals and is crafted down to the last detail, transporting visitors to another corner of the globe in just minutes.
A massive smoking volcano has been transformed into the home of the gorillas, penguins inhabit an icy cave, and Captain Nemo’s ‘Nautilus’ shelters countless colorful fish, giant turtles, and even a few small sharks. A colorful maze leads to the panda, while the wobbly ‘monkey bridge’ turned out to be an incredible source of fun for both kids and adults.
In the coming days, a new section of the park is set to open, announced as the largest greenhouse in the world.
A small train, pulled by a steam locomotive, circles much of the park and is a fun, relaxing way to take a break while enjoying views that are otherwise hard to reach. Train tickets aren’t included in the admission price and are purchased separately—but hotel guests get a discount.
Undoubtedly, one of the most unforgettable moments for me was the unexpected lemur contact zone, where fluffy lemurs bounced among the visitors, playful and fearless.
Did we manage to see the panda? 🙂
The giant panda at Pairi Daiza lives in a world called ‘The Middle Kingdom.’ Built in the style of ancient China, it’s also home to a few Asian black bears, some mischievous monkeys, red pandas, and a snow leopard with the fluffiest tail you’ve ever seen.
Pandas aren’t exactly known for their high energy. They eat only bamboo, which doesn’t give them much fuel, and they spend most of their lives sleeping—about 14 to 16 hours a day.
As soon as we arrived at the park, before most visitors had even shown up, we hurried to find the panda. It was raining, and we found it in the indoor part of the enclosure, calmly sleeping with its back to us. Since we had two full days ahead, we decided to return later for another visit. The next day, we found it in the same spot—just in a new napping position. 🙂 Maybe next time we’ll get lucky and catch it in action!
A few quick tips for a smooth visit
- The zoo has a mobile app, which turned out to be a very handy alternative to the paper map. You can choose which animal you want to visit, and the app calculates the best route for you.
- If possible, pick a weekday outside the weekend for your visit, when things are a bit calmer. We were lucky enough to visit on rainy, gloomy days, and aside from a few damp clothes and shoes, it made for a very pleasant stroll.
- Be prepared to walk a lot—this goes for most large zoos. Comfortable clothes, and especially good shoes, will be your best friends.
- Set aside a full day and don’t rush—the park is enormous and completely immersive. Give yourself the time to wander slowly and savor every little detail.
- You can book entry tickets as well as booking your stay in the resort directly on the zoo’s website.
Is it worth it?
A visit to Pairi Daiza can’t really be called a budget experience. Zoo tickets are on the pricier side, and if you choose to stay overnight, the costs rise quickly. Whether it’s worth it is, of course, highly personal—but here’s my perspective.
For me, it’s worth every cent—whether you’re visiting with kids or not. The park wraps you in its embrace, fully immersing you, and for the hours you spend inside, it’s easy to forget the outside world. On top of that, it’s constantly evolving and expanding, so you’re unlikely to get bored.
Personally, I would happily visit again—maybe even for two nights. And what could be more delightful than a night spent under the watchful eyes of playful walruses? 🙂
