Arriving with assistive devices
From the terminus of the bus running from Rautatientori to Mustikkamaa, it is about one kilometer to Korkeasaari Zoo’s temporary ticket office in Nihti. Tram number 13 runs from Pasila via Kalasatama and stops closer to the ticket office. In summer 2025, Korkeasaari will also be accessible by accessible waterbus from Kauppatori.
There are no designated parking spaces for people with reduced mobility in Nihti, but standard street parking is available in the area. It is also possible to drive a person with reduced mobility to the Korkeasaari Zoo ticket office and then park the car at the Mustikkamaa parking lot or Redi shopping centre.
The zoo doesn’t offer trolleys, wheelchairs or other assistive devices for.
Assistants and guide dogs
If a disabled person needs an assistant to accompany them on a visit, the assistant will be admitted to Korkeasaari Zoo free of charge if the disabled person has a European Disability Card with the symbol A (assistant) included. The ticket for the assistant is available at the ticket office on arrival at the zoo.
The zoo is a quarantine area, so you cannot enter Korkeasaari Zoo with a guide or assistance dog.
Terrain at the Zoo
Most of the facilities and areas of Korkeasaari Zoo are accessible or nearly accessible. However, the terrain of the island has some hills. There are very steep ascends, especially in the central part of the zoo: these hills can be difficult for wheelchair users.
Almost all roads are wide and paved. Roads are well plowed in winter, although there may be occasional slush, for example during snowstorms.
Access to the observation tower is only possible by stairs. The zoo has several benches and resting places.
Seeing animals
There are some stairs in the Zoo, but you can also see all the animals without using the stairs. There are two ramps to the upper deck of the Bear Castle: the ramp at the south end is gentle, and the one at the north end is steep. The viewing platform itself is also sloping, but there is a flat area at the front edge of the viewing platform.
The upper level of the Monkey Castle outdoor enclosure is accessible only by stairs, but the monkeys can also be seen from the lower level without any obstruction. The route to the indoor area of the Monkey Castle is uneven and partly rocky. The entrance to the Borealia House is barrier-free and has automatic doors. There is a ramp to the Hämärä house, but the door is not automatic.
There are two tropical houses, Amazonia and Africasia. Both have automatic doors. Amazonia is mainly accessible. The tunnel between the tropical houses has a threshold, which is lowered by ramps. Africasia is also mainly accessible, but the hill on the rainforest side is steep and can be slippery when wet.
Restaurants and toilets
Restaurant Karhu at the Bear Castle is accessible. There is a ramp to the Restaurant Pukki in the central part of the island, on the side of the restaurant building facing the camel enclosure. The restaurant doors do not have an opening mechanism.
Three to five accessible toilets are open all year round at the Zoo. Open toilets are indicated on the map. All toilets at Korkeasaari Zoo have a childcare room.
Accessible content
There are pictorial signs at the crossroads of the zoo’s walkways directing you to the different animals and services. The animal species are presented on multilingual information signs in Finnish, English and Swedish next to the enclosures.
Accessibility has been taken into account in the design of our website.