If you have never been to Chester before, one of the most enjoyable ways to acquaint yourself with the city is to take a gentle walk around its famous walls, allowing you a sneak preview of all the major landmarks of the city in one convenient journey. Now lets face it, it is a sad fact of life that young children and walking, indeed anything they perceive to be boring do not sit comfortably together.



Whether it is the elegance of the Sistine Chapel, the awe-inspiring stature of the great Wall of China, or the stately Parliaments the UK, all these wonders of the world, these engineering masterpieces will mean naught to young children. Such feats of human skill will be glanced at momentarily, before being summarily dismissed as "boring", typically with an infuriating emphasis on the r sound in the middle. Keeping children amused (and therefore alive...before you give into temptation and strangle them) is not quite as daunting a feat in Chester, one of Chester's major attractions is its zoo.

Chester zoo is home to a wide and rich variety of different animals, with ambassadors from across the globe. Chester zoo is home to Britain's largest tropical house, and the tropical house boasts more than 30 species of the so called ?birds of paradise?. Shamas, peafowls, hornbills and turacos are just some of the beautiful birds kept within the tropical house. The tropical house is not just the exclusive domain of birds, but also contains an extensive reptile population as well, and children will no doubt be delighted to see the likes of crocodiles in their midst. Just about any kind of reptile is contained within the lizard house, especially snakes, so this may not be suitable for especially young children, as the likes of cobras and pythons are apt to give them a scare.

Chester zoo is also home to Europe's largest chimp colony, currently the home of some 30 different chimpanzees. Chimpanzees are also closely followed by their exceptionally cute relatives, orangutans who are also a ?star? feature of the zoo.

Little feet tire very quickly, and so the zoo has included its very own customised transport system to better ferry visitors around the different areas of the zoo, the monorail system which goes by the moniker of the Zoofari Railway. Why not plan the monorail tour for sometime in the middle of the day, when feet are tired and tempers frayed? It will certainly provide you all with a much needed breather, and rest from a hard days walking.

The zoo also has numerous cafes, play areas and kids play zones, designed to keep the children amused and safe so as to allow mum and dad some time away. Perhaps one of the most attractive and popular features of the park is the option to adopt an animal of your choice, when you adopt an animal you will receive regular updates about your chosen animal, as well as a newsletter about upcoming developments and attractions within the zoo.