Taipei Zoo with Kids and Grandparents: MRT Access, Pace & Shade Stops

Taipei Zoo with kids and grandparents works best as one unhurried day, not as a race through every house. Taiwan’s Tourism Administration lists the zoo at No. 30, Sec. 2, Xinguang Road, Wenshan District, Taipei City, with coordinates 121.58103 / 24.998346 and the telephone +886-2-2938-2300. The Chinese scenic-spot page also calls it Muzha Zoo, notes that it opened on 31 October 1986, and gives a total area of 165 hectares. The same listing places MRT Taipei Zoo Station about 98 meters away. Recheck hours, tickets, and indoor-house closures on the official Taipei Zoo site before you go.

Getting there on the Wenhu Line

For most mixed-age groups, the calmest arrival is Taipei Metro’s Wenhu Line, the brown line, to Taipei Zoo Station. The zoo’s official transport page points you to that station. If you are already on the Bannan Line, the same page says you can get off at Taipei City Hall Station and transfer to bus Green 1, Brown 18, or Brown 21. A licensed taxi or a booked car with a driver is the door-to-door alternative if someone would rather skip a platform change. Stay in Taipei the night before, and use Mellow Away’s multi-gen hotel directory to shortlist places with an elevator and a calm breakfast, then verify the details before you book.

Hours, closed days, and tickets

The zoo’s official daytime hours are 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., with last entry at 4:00 p.m. Animal exhibits are listed from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The official 2026 notice says the zoo is closed to the public on Lunar New Year’s Eve, 16 February 2026, and from 22 June to 1 July 2026. It also closes when the Taipei City Government announces a typhoon or other natural-disaster work stoppage.

Indoor houses have their own Monday closures, even when the grounds are open. On the official timetable, the Giant Panda House is closed on the first Monday of the month, the Pangolin Dome — the indoor tropical rainforest hall — and the Penguin House on the second, the Amphibian and Reptile House on the third, and the Insectarium on the fourth. The Education Center and the Eco-House are closed every Monday. The Eco-House, when open, is listed only from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. The Education Center has a separate official fee of NT$20, or NT$10 concession. Check the current table, including any makeup closures after holiday weekends, the morning you go.

Official ticket prices are NT$100 for general admission, NT$60 for Taipei residents, NT$50 for a concession ticket, and NT$70 each for a group of 30 or more. The visitor shuttle train is NT$5. Online ticketing is listed as out of service, so plan to buy on the day and show ID if anyone qualifies for a discount or free entry. Unused tickets can be refunded only before 4:00 p.m. that day, and there are no refunds after you enter; get a hand stamp at the exit if you want to come back the same day.

Children aged 0 to 5, of any nationality, enter free. Children aged 6 to 11, of any nationality, pay the NT$50 concession fare; students with a valid student ID or an ISIC card also qualify for that fare. Most other free and concession categories, including free entry for Republic of China nationals aged 65 or older, are limited to ROC citizens or holders of an ROC residence certificate. Taipei residents pay NT$60 with proof of household registration in the city. The zoo’s FAQ says ticket machines accept cash, credit cards, electronic tickets, or Pay Taipei, and that a physical EasyCard, iPASS, or icash card can be tapped at the gate for a general NT$100 entry.

Pace the grounds: you will not see every area

You will not see every area in one tired loop. Pick two or three clusters, sit down for lunch, and stop while people still have energy. The official visitor shuttle costs NT$5 and is the pacing tool that matters most. First trains from the main terminal and from Zoo South Station are listed at 9:00 a.m. The last train from the main terminal is 4:30 p.m.; from Bird World Station the last train toward the main terminal is 5:00 p.m. and toward Zoo South Station 4:40 p.m.; the last train from Zoo South Station is 4:00 p.m. There is no direct shuttle between the main terminal and Zoo South Station; you change at Bird World Station without leaving the station. Zoo South Station pauses when the Maokong Gondola is closed for maintenance or is not operating.

The last car of the shuttle has accessible seating, and wheelchairs can board; tell staff if you need that car. People using a wheelchair or pushing a stroller still queue in order. If you enter from Zoo South Station, official notices say you must take the shuttle to Bird World Station before you can tour the grounds, and tickets sold there include the one-way shuttle fare: NT$105 general, NT$65 for Taipei residents, NT$55 concession, and NT$5 for people who otherwise enter free. That south gate is about 10 meters from Maokong Gondola’s Zoo South Station. For a first visit with grandparents, start at the main entrance by the MRT, not at the south gate.

A gentle route can start just inside the main entrance. The Tourism Administration notes a popular Koala House on the left as you come in, then points visitors toward the shuttle and on to Bird World, the Amphibian and Reptile House, the Penguin House, the Insectarium, and the outdoor tropical, African, Australian, and desert areas. Use the indoor houses as shade and air-conditioned pauses, and skip a house that is closed that Monday. The Children’s Zoo is a natural short stop for younger kids. If anyone is already tired after the koalas, one indoor house, and a shuttle hop, go back.

Strollers, wheelchairs, and places to sit

Manual wheelchairs are free to borrow from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. beside the Visitor Service Center and at Bird World Station, with an ID held as security, or a NT$1,000 deposit if you have no ID. Return them by 5:00 p.m. the same day, and use them only inside the zoo. Electric wheelchairs are rented beside the Visitor Service Center from NT$200 for two hours, or NT$600 for a full day; service can pause in poor weather. Strollers are rented at both locations during the same hours, also due back by 5:00 p.m., with a NT$1,000 deposit: NT$50 for a compact model limited to 15 kg and 105 cm, or NT$100 for a larger model limited to 22 kg and 110 cm.

The zoo says outdoor areas have accessible ramps and that indoor halls have clear routes and elevators. Nursing rooms and diaper-changing tables are listed at the Visitor Service Center and in several animal areas; check the official map. Build a sit-down lunch into the middle of the day rather than adding another outdoor loop when people are hungry.

The Maokong Gondola only if energy remains

The gondola is an optional extra, not part of a complete zoo day. The official Maokong Gondola page places Taipei Zoo Station about 350 meters southwest of MRT Taipei Zoo Station, at No. 8, Sec. 2, Xinguang Road. Weekday hours are 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., and holiday hours are 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. It is closed on Mondays for routine maintenance, except on national holidays and on the first and third Mondays from October to March, and it closes on Lunar New Year’s Eve. Service can also stop in thunderstorms, strong wind, or a typhoon. If the gondola is not running, the zoo’s south entrance pauses with it.

A regular-cabin single ticket is NT$180, or NT$50 at the published discount fare; a one-day pass is NT$300, or NT$100 discounted. Discount fares are listed for Taiwanese nationals in the published categories, including Taipei residents, children aged 6 to 12, and people over 65, and you must show documents before boarding. Children aged 0 to 5 ride free with a ticketed adult, limited to two children per adult. A crystal-cabin upgrade is an extra NT$50 per person per trip. The official boarding notice says seniors and young children should ride only with a companion, that strollers and wheelchairs must be locked in place and may not exceed 140 × 70 × 170 cm, and that passengers with cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, or a fear of heights should not ride. Treat that as the operator’s rule, and skip the gondola if anyone is already tired or uneasy about heights.

A calm day that still feels complete

A gentle Taipei Zoo day with kids and grandparents often looks like this: an early Wenhu Line ride to Taipei Zoo Station, tickets at the main entrance, a short first stop at the Koala House, a NT$5 shuttle hop instead of a long walk, one or two indoor houses for shade, a sit-down lunch, and a Children’s Zoo or Bird World pause only if energy remains. Leave the Maokong Gondola, and any plan to see the whole zoo, for another day. Recheck the official hours, Monday-closure table, and ticket rules the morning you go.