Edinburgh zoo and accommodation advice please

[Pandasarecute]

Hi, does anyone have experience of hotels near to Edinburgh zoo? We may drive but also wondering about going by train so interested to know about how to get from the station and to the zoo.

Any general advice about the zoo itself, especially the pandas which are what my DC are desperate to see!

Thanks

There is a holiday inn right next door. It's a lovely zoo. The pandas are temperamental though. You might need to go a couple of times to their enclosure and be patient to see them. We saw them right at the end of the day. Food is expensive so budget for that ir bring your own. There is a tractor ride up to the top of the zoo but we've never used it. All walkable.
The penguins are good value for money.

Sorry missed about travel. Edinburgh has good buses. You can get one from the station to the zoo but nor sure of the number.

The hotel right beside the zoo would be good - you can hear all the animals in the morning!

Holiday Inn

It is really hilly, so take a buggy for smaller children

Thanks all. I'll take a look at the Holiday Inn. No very young children so I won't be pushing a buggy up a hill! They are just desperate to see a panda!!

Another question please. Do we need separate tickets for the panda enclosure? I'm sure I read something about timed tickets.

Holiday Inn looks good, bonus that it has a pool

You don't need separate tickets for the panda any longer and they are usually available to view all day.

There is also no longer transport to the top of the zoo unless it's for disabled visitors.

The website says no booking for pandas currently required. When I went you had to book a timeslot to go but it looks like they’ve changed it.

Go as early in the day as possible if you want to see pandas doing anything other than sleep - they eat breakfast then take a nap...

Thank you for the panda information, that sounds promising!