London Zoo remains undoubtedly one of the capital's best-loved tourist attractions.

But it is not only tourists who continue to flock to this north-of-the-river favourite.

Passing our love of the zoo on to our daughter, the three of us paid a visit at the weekend and were once again delighted with what we saw.

The zoo is fast approaching its 200th birthday. Founded in 1826, the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) is an international scientific, conservation and educational charity whose mission is to promote and achieve the worldwide conservation of animals and their habitats.

The zoo, opened in 1828, is the oldest scientific zoo in the world, but it continues to evolve.

These days the first thing you see as you walk through the gates is the impressive penguin beach, a more penguin-friendly - if not as architecturally pleasing – area than Berthold Lubetkin’s wonderful 1930s penguin pool, a pool which remains in place for humans to look at rather than penguins to bathe in.

Old favourites such as gorilla kingdom and tiger territory remain, but there are some surprises, such as butterfly paradise and meet the monkeys, where the animals are boldly roaming free.

London Zoo is located in the beautiful Regent’s Park – in fact one of the nicest things about a trip to this zoo is that after a thoroughly enjoyable couple of hours you can relax in the park or wander up to St John’s Wood High Street, as we did, or down into Camden for a drink or bite to eat.

Tickets are not cheap but well worth the price – remember ZSL is a charity after all. An adult ticket costs £25 and children aged 3-15 £18.50. Group discounts are available online at www.zsl.org.