Getting to Franklin Park Zoo by T

No subway line stops at Franklin Park Zoo, but the Orange Line and a short bus ride get you there from downtown Boston in about 30 to 45 minutes. Here is which bus to take, which entrance to use and how to get back.

By Ahmad Haji, founder of Cobblehop · October 29, 2026

Step by step: Orange Line and bus 16

This is the simplest way to the zoo for most visitors. New to the T? Start with Boston without a car: a visitor's guide to the T (2026).

1. Take the Orange Line toward Forest Hills. Board at any downtown stop, such as Haymarket, State, Downtown Crossing or Back Bay. From South Station, take the Red Line one stop to Downtown Crossing and change there. Trains come about every 5 minutes on weekdays, 7 on Saturdays and 8 on Sundays.
2. Ride to Forest Hills, the last stop. It takes 16-17 minutes from Downtown Crossing and 12-13 from Back Bay.
3. Go to the lower busway. From the platform, go up to the main lobby, then down to the lower busway. There are escalators and elevators. Any Route 16 bus from Forest Hills goes past the zoo.
4. Ride 5-9 minutes through the park. Get off at Glen Ln @ Blue Hill Ave - Franklin Park Zoo, the 4th stop, right after Circuit Dr @ Glen Ln. Buses leave about every 15 minutes on weekdays and Saturdays and every 20 minutes on Sundays.
5. Walk 3 minutes to the Zebra entrance, the zoo's main entrance, at One Franklin Park Road.

Cobblehop can watch the bus for you and give you an alert before your stop. See Never miss your stop.

Other buses to the zoo

Five main MBTA bus routes stop by the zoo's Zebra entrance, and each one meets the Orange Line. How often they run, from the MBTA's fall 2026 schedules for 9 am to 5 pm:

From Downtown Crossing, door to door, including the wait for the bus and the walk to the entrance:

• Orange Line and Route 16 via Forest Hills: about 30-40 minutes on weekdays, 30-45 on Saturdays and 35-50 on Sundays, when the 16 runs less often.
• Orange Line and Route 22 via Jackson Square: about 30-40 minutes, every day. On Sundays it's quicker than the 16. Get off at Blue Hill Ave @ Franklin Park Rd, right after Seaver St opp Maple St, and walk 2 minutes.
• Orange Line and Route 28 via Ruggles: about 40-50 minutes. It's slower, but the bus is free. Get off at Blue Hill Ave @ Franklin Park Rd.
• From the Red Line: ride to Andrew and take bus 16 toward Forest Hills. Get off at Franklin Park Zoo @ Entrance, 1 minute from the Zebra entrance. It's about 35-50 minutes from Park Street.
• Route 14 also runs from Jackson Square to Blue Hill Ave @ Franklin Park Rd, by way of Nubian, but only about once an hour, and not on Sundays.

Which entrance to use

Use the Zebra entrance, the zoo's main entrance, at One Franklin Park Road near Blue Hill Avenue. Every bus stop is within a few minutes of it. The Giraffe entrance is on the far side of the zoo, inside Franklin Park at the end of Pierpont Road. It's handy only if you walk from Green Street or get off bus 22 or 29 on Seaver Street. Walking times are from OpenStreetMap:

Walking from Green Street

On a nice day you can skip the bus. Get off the Orange Line at Green Street, one stop before Forest Hills, and walk about a mile (1.5 km) through Franklin Park. It takes about 20 minutes. The zoo's own directions:

1. Leave Green Street station and turn right on Green Street.
2. Cross Washington Street and go straight up the hill on Glen Road.
3. Cross Forest Hills Street and keep going into Franklin Park. Glen Road becomes Glen Lane, the main paved path.
4. Follow Glen Lane for 5-7 minutes until it ends, with a flight of steps in front of you. Turn right there.
5. After 2-3 minutes the path ends at Pierpont Road and the zoo parking lot. Turn left and walk through the lot to the Giraffe entrance.

Part of the walk is uphill. With a stroller or a wheelchair, bus 16 from Forest Hills is easier. On October 29, 2026, the MBTA listed the Forest Hills elevators from the Orange Line platform and from the lower busway as working.

Zoo hours and tickets, fall and winter 2026

• Hours. Open every day from 9 am to 4 pm through March 31, except Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day, when it's closed. The last tickets are sold at 3 pm, one hour before closing. From April, it stays open until 5 pm on weekdays and 6 pm on weekends.
• Boston Lights, through November 8. The evening lantern show runs nightly until Sunday, November 8, 2026, from 5 to 10:30 pm, with last entry at 9:30 pm. It needs its own ticket, and daytime visitors have to leave at 4 pm. Both entrances are open for it.
• Tickets. Buy online before you go. Prices change by date and time, gate prices are the highest, and tickets may not go on sale more than two weeks ahead. Children under 2 are free. With a Boston CityPASS, you don't need a reservation: show its QR code at the gate.
• Veterans Day. On Wednesday, November 11, veterans and their immediate family get in free with military ID. The buses and the Orange Line run on weekday schedules that day.
• Cold days. Some animals stay inside when it's cold. The giraffes stay in their heated barn, and in winter the Aussie Aviary closes and the gorillas move to the Tropical Forest building, which is kept at 72 degrees. The zoo may close in bad weather: call 617-541-5466 to check.
• How long to stay. The zoo says most visitors spend 2 to 3 hours. You can't leave and come back in on the same ticket.
• Looking for ZooLights? That holiday light show is at Stone Zoo in Stoneham, from November 20 to January 3, not at Franklin Park. See Boston tree lightings and holiday lights by T (2026).

Getting back to downtown

• Route 16 to Forest Hills. Board at Franklin Park Zoo @ Entrance, 1 minute from the Zebra entrance, then take the Orange Line from Forest Hills. Allow about 30-35 minutes to Downtown Crossing.
• Route 22 to Jackson Square. Board at Blue Hill Ave @ Ellington St, 3 minutes from the Zebra entrance, on a bus toward Ruggles. Jackson Square is about 15 minutes away. Allow about 30-35 minutes to Downtown Crossing.
• Route 28 to Ruggles. Same stop. The 28 is free but slower. Allow about 35-50 minutes to Downtown Crossing.
• Late in the evening. From 10 pm on Thursday to Sunday nights, bus 16 doesn't stop at the zoo because of a construction detour, the MBTA says. Take the 22 or 28 from Blue Hill Ave @ Ellington St. Each runs about every 15 minutes until after midnight.
• Last buses. Boston Lights closes at 10:30 pm through November 8, so you have time. The last bus that still meets the last Orange Line train toward downtown is the 22 at 12:09 am on Monday to Thursday nights, 12:15 am on Sunday night, 1:03 am on Friday night and 1:06 am on Saturday night.
• Last Orange Line trains. From Ruggles toward downtown, the last train leaves at 12:37 am Monday to Thursday nights, 12:38 am on Sunday night, and 1:33 am and 1:37 am on Friday and Saturday nights. From Jackson Square it's about 3 minutes earlier. See When does the T stop running? MBTA last trains (fall 2026).

Leaving the zoo? Ask Cobblehop for the next bus back. It checks live times, picks the quickest bus and gives you an alert before your stop. Try it free, no sign-up.

What it costs

• Train and bus. The Orange Line is $2.40. Buses 16, 22 and 45 are $1.70.
• One fare for train and bus. Tap the same contactless card, phone or CharlieCard on the train and the bus. Under an MBTA fare pilot that started September 1, 2026, you pay only the highest fare for all the rides you take within 2 hours, so the Orange Line plus a bus is $2.40 each way. If you pay cash, you pay for each ride.
• Free buses. Buses 28 and 29 are free for everyone through December 31, 2026, under the City of Boston's fare-free bus program. The Orange Line isn't part of it, so you still pay $2.40 for the train.
• Kids. Children 11 and under ride the MBTA free.
• More on cards, phones and passes: How to pay for the T in Boston (2026).

Fares as of October 2026. Check the MBTA's bus fares page before you ride.

Before you go

• Sunday, November 8: half marathon. The MBTA is detouring buses 16 and 45 away from the zoo stops from 7:30 am to 1:30 pm for the BAA Half Marathon. That morning, take Route 22 or Route 28 to Blue Hill Ave @ Franklin Park Rd instead. As of October 29, 2026, the MBTA had posted no detours for those two routes.
• Jackson Square is being renovated. Parts of the platform are uneven, and the stairway at the south end is closed until winter 2026, the MBTA says. Use the stairway at the north end, or the elevator. With a wheelchair or a stroller, Forest Hills may be easier.
• Check before you leave. Look at MBTA closures and shuttles this weekend if you go on a Saturday or Sunday, and check Cobblehop for live bus times.
• Bring food if you like. The zoo allows your own food and has picnic areas.

Franklin Park Zoo by T: common questions

Official sources

Cobblehop is independent and isn't affiliated with these agencies, the zoo or the City of Boston. Schedules on this page come from the public schedule data of MassDOT/MBTA. Check their pages for the latest schedules, hours and service changes:

• Zoo New England: Franklin Park Zoo hours, directions and FAQ
• Zoo New England: Franklin Park Zoo map, with both entrances
• Zoo New England: Franklin Park Zoo tickets
• Zoo New England: winter visits
• Zoo New England: Boston Lights
• Zoo New England: free admission for veterans on November 11
• Zoo New England: ZooLights at Stone Zoo
• MBTA: Orange Line
• MBTA: bus 16
• MBTA: bus 16 alerts, with the night and half marathon detours
• MBTA: bus 22
• MBTA: bus 28
• MBTA: bus 29
• MBTA: bus 45
• MBTA: bus 45 alerts
• MBTA: Forest Hills station
• MBTA: Jackson Square station
• MBTA: Green Street station
• MBTA: subway fares
• MBTA: bus fares
• MBTA: transfers
• City of Boston: free Route 23, 28 and 29 bus program

Published October 29, 2026. Bus and train times come from the fall 2026 MBTA schedule data, checked on October 29, 2026 (November 4 for weekdays, November 7 and 8 for weekends). Zoo hours and events, fares, the fare-free bus program and MBTA detours were checked on the official websites the same day. Walking times come from OpenStreetMap. Service changes, so check Cobblehop for live times before you go.