Reykjavík Park and Zoo

This guide to Reykjavík Park and Zoo starts at the ticket board bolted beside the turnstile in Laugardalur, where admission is free for children under five and for visitors with disabilities. It traces the zoo back to 1990, a modest city-run collection of Icelandic farm animals, and follows how Reykjavik grafted a small amusement park onto it in 1993, its rides running only through the tourist summer while the animals stay a year-round neighborhood fixture. Look for the seal pool near the entrance, the zoo's biggest single investment and a favorite stop for young visitors.