Ten botanical gardens in Europe
Recently I spent six weeks in Europe as my graduation vacation. It was a great time to be in Europe because it was spring although it arrived late this year. It's interesting to know that there is almost one botanical garden in every major city. When the weather is sunny and warm, locals and tourists flock to parks and gardens to have a picnic and relax. I enjoy going to these botanical gardens because I like to learn more about plants specially temperate plants. A visit to the botanical garden always make me feel inspired, connected to the nature and started dreaming having my own garden. Unfortunately, many of these botanical gardens require an entrance fee. I only visited a few due to time and cost constraint.
According to Wikipedia, botanical garden is a well-tended area displaying a wide range of plants labelled with their botanical names. Botanical garden first started as a collection of spices, plants of medicinal and economic importance. There were many small garden in monasteries to provide food for monks. It was in one of these gardens that the fundamentals of genetics, the Mendel's law was created. These gardens continued to be maintained over the years and the few left were turned into the botanical gardens of universities. A detailed history botanical garden can be found in this link. Besides botany, botanical gardens play a big role in plant conservation, education, research and general public interest.
My online search for a comprehensive list of botanical gardens in Europe did not yield expected results. There is a list of botanical gardens in European Botanical Garden Consortium but it is not complete. Most lists and reviews are posted by traveling websites (see the following). Therefore, these articles are written according to the interest of tourists and can limited by the writer's experience.
- Garden and Park guide from European Tourist Guide (The most comprehensive list I found)
- Favourite European Gardens from About.com (8 botanical gardens listed)
- Botanical gardens in Europe from Lonely Planet Guide (Just two in the list?! You're kidding!)
- 10 botanical gardens you should visit from Audley Travel (Around the world)
So where are the list and reviews for plant enthusiasts like me? I guess I have to come up with my own list (sorted according to the order of my visit). Scroll down to see reviews and photos.
1. Kew Garden (London, UK)
2. Jardin Des Plantes (Paris, France)
3. Keukenhof garden (The Netherlands)
4. Botanical garden, University of Utrecht (Utrecht, The Netherlands)
5. Hortus Botanicus, University of Leiden (Leiden, The Netherlands)
6. Botanical garden, University of Potsdam (near Berlin, Germany)
7. Palm Garden of Hofburg palace (Vienna, Austria)
8. Schonbrunn palace (Vienna, Austria)
9. Botanical Garden, University of Vienna (Vienna, Austria)
10. Garden of Pitti Palace (Florence, Italy)
1. Kew Garden
Location: London, England
Admission: GBP 16
Review:
Famous for the world's oldest and largest herbarium. One can easily spend the whole day here exploring the conservatory, green houses and many other attractions in the garden. This place is more than just flowers and trees. Birds, lake, pond, arts, English countryside, river, plant market, you name it! When I was there in mid April, the cherry blossom, glory of snow, magnolia, daffodil and narcissus are in full bloom. I was delighted to see a few Eucalpytus and redwoods such as Sequoia giganteum. The weather was warm and sunny in the morning before turning to gloomy and cold weather in the late afternoon. The admission fee is pricey considering London is famous for free entrance into museums. Lucky for me, a friend doing a PhD there took me in for free!
Clockwise from top left: Main entrance and souvenir shop, Princess of Wales Conservatory, research building and herbarium.
Clockwise from top left: Pink cherry blossom, blue flowers known as Glory Of Snow, an old and lazy tree which grows sideway, spring flowers in the greenhouse, Bonsai apple tree.
Clockwise from top left: Chinese pagoda, English cottage, tree platform, Japanese garden.
Location : Paris, France
Admission: Free. The greenhouse require an entrance free.
Review:
On a sunny day, Jardin Des Plantes is a less crowded park compared to the parks near Eiffel tower. I was delighted to know that the botanical garden is open free to all. A fee is required to enter the greenhouse. There is no way I'm paying money to see banana and palm trees! The botanical garden is well-maintained and organized. The plants are sorted into different sections according to their families. All the plants are well-labeled and descriptions are sometimes provided, however, in French. I spent about two hours there. Before leaving, I sat down on the bench to wipe my shoes because the walkway was sandy and dusty. A highly recommended place.
Clockwise from top left: Garden overview, sandy walkway and green house.
Clockwise from top left: Cherry blossom, poppy flowers and Medicago sativa.
3. Keukenhof Garden
Location: Lisse, The Netherlands.
Admission: EUR 22.50 (Entrance + bus ride from Leiden trainstation)
Review:
Although Keukenhof is not a botanical garden, it is a place not to be missed in spring if you ever go to The Netherlands. The overwhelming recommendations about this place has made me skeptical at first. Honestly, this place is not overrated. It is the MOST BEAUTIFUL & COLOURFUL garden I have ever been! There is no other places like this on earth. I'll let the photos do all the talking.
Besides tulips, there are colourful arrangements of hyacinth, daffodil and narcissus and some other flowers. I also visited the two exhibitions on arts, orchids, kalanchoe and hippeastrum. I spent about two hours there (which is enough if you're not taking photos crazily). Do bring company because you wanna take many nice photos of yourself. If you have more time, you can rent a bike and explore the tulip farms around the garden.
Tulips in Keukenhof garden.
Keukenhof garden, pond and exhibitions.
4. Botanical garden by The University of Utrecht
Location: Utrecht, The Netherlands
Admission: Free admission
Review: A small garden maintained by the university. It's worth having a look if you ever go to Utrecht.
Botanical garden by The University of Utrecht
Location: Leiden, The Netherlands
Admission: EUR 7
Review:
The oldest botanical garden in The Netherlands. I didn't get the chance to go inside because I had very little time to spend in Leiden. I can see a garden and a green house from the main entrance. There are several types of tulips at the main entrance as the theme was tulip at the time of my visit.
6. Botanical garden, University of Potsdam
Location: Potsdam, Germany
Admission: Unknown. According to one website, it's EUR 2 which is too good to be true.
Review:
Potsdam is an UNESCO heritage site that you can't miss when you go to Berlin. The botanical garden is located within the beautiful Park Sanssouci. I think tourists need to spend two full days to explore all of what Park Sanssouci has to offer. I didn't visit this botanical garden due to time constraint, however, I passed it several times.
Botanical garden, University of Potsdam (Image source: Wikipedia)
7. Palm Garden at Hofburg palace
Location: Vienna, Austria
Admission: Unknown
Review -
It was a rainy morning when I went to Hofburg palace. I was surprised to find a palm house in the city centre. The palm house is located right next to the butterfly house. It looks like the Austrian royal families love palm houses! I didn't go in because I was never a big fan of green house and palms (I see them every day).
Palm Garden at Hofburg palace
8. Gardens at Schonbrunn palace
Location: Vienna, Austria
Admission: Depends
There are many gardens in Schonbrunn palace such as the botanical garden, palm house, Crown Prince garden (Admission 3), Maze & Labyrinth (Admission EUR 4.5). However, a fee is charged to go in. I think all the gardens were blocked from the visitors' views by tall trees and scrubs. According to the official site, the botanical garden was turned into English style garden. Since there are many beautiful sights around the palace such as the fountain and buildings, I wouldn't recommend spending extra to get into these garden if you only spend one day at the palace.
Schonbrunn palace garden
Other sights in Schonbrunn palace garden
9. Botanical Garden, University of Vienna
Location: Vienna, Austria
Admission: Unknown
Review:
This botanical garden is located right next to Belvedere palace. It was constructed in 1754 under the order of Empress Maria Theresa. The entrance can be hard to spot as it was a bit hidden. From the main entrance, I can see two paths leading into the botanical garden. A few joggers were spotted. The plants near the ticket counter looked healthy and well-labeled. According to Wikipedia and Gardenvisit, the botanical garden looks quite big and consists of several greenhouses but not open to public. Unfortunately, I didn't have time to visit this place because I had to catch a train to Florence.
Top: palace garden view from Upper Belvedere; Bottom: Botanical garden, University of Vienna
Location: Florence, Italy
Admission: EUR 13
Review:
This garden which is located in Florence used to belong to the rich and powerful Medici family. The Italian garden seems to consist fountains and many sculptures. I caught a few glimpses of it from the Pitti Palace window. The ticket price is the same price as the palace and the combo ticket is not much cheaper.
Views of the garden from Pitti Palace
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