11 of the Top Botanical Gardens To Visit Around the World

The Singapore Botanical Garden, where you can explore 183 acres (84 hectares) of landscaped gardens, consistently tops the list of must-see botanical gardens worldwide. The unanimous star attraction of this UNESCO–listed tropical wonderland is the National Orchid Garden, home to a kaleidoscopic display of 60,000 orchids, but admission tickets also include access to the Healing Garden, Rainforest Trail, Swan Lake, and more.

Did you know?: Visitors often confuse the Botanical Gardens with the much-photographed Gardens by the Bay, known for its futuristic Flower Dome and “supertree” vertical gardens. If you have time, both attractions are horticultural highlights.

The lush, forested backdrop to Sydney Opera House has been Sydney’s green lung since the 19th century, and a walk through the Royal Botanic Garden offers a window into Australia’s natural and cultural heritage.

Explore The Calyx, Palm Grove, and the Rose Garden, walk up to Mrs Macquarie’s Chair for panoramic views across Sydney Harbour, and learn about Australian plants and Indigenous medicinal plants. Situated right in the heart of the city and surrounded by The Domain parklands, the botanical gardens are a popular stop on Sydney bike tours and hop-on hop-off sightseeing tours.

Just a short tube ride from central London, Kew Gardens is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most popular botanical gardens to visit in the United Kingdom. Admission tickets provide full access to the sprawling gardens, where you can wander through more than 500 acres (200 hectares) of wild woodlands, climb the Treetop Walkway, visit Victorian-era glasshouses bursting with exotic plants, and stroll around rose gardens, a Japanese garden, and waterlily house.

Did you know?: Kew Gardens is a pioneer of plant research and seed conservation—its Millennium Seed Bank stores samples from 25 percent of all plant species on earth.

More than half of the tropical rainforest in Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden is natural, with cultivated plants and conservatories blending seamlessly with the native jungle vegetation. Take a guided walking tour to admire the towering palm trees, rare orchids, and bromeliads, and spot monkeys, exotic bird species, and carnivorous plants, all under the watchful eye of Rio’s iconic Christ the Redeemer Statue.

Did you know?: Rio’s Botanical Gardens are part of the city’s UNESCO–listed cultural landscape, along with the surrounding landscapes of Tijuca National Park, Sugarloaf Mountain, and Copacabana Beach.

On the southeast slopes of Table Mountain, Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden has scenic hiking trails, dramatic mountain views, and a sculpture garden housing a bust of Nelson Mandela. Follow the Boomslang treetop canopy for the best views, learn about South Africa’s national flower in the King Protea Garden, and then enjoy lunch at one of the three restaurants. Guided walks are the best way to discover the garden’s impressive biodiversity, which includes many rare and endangered plants and flowers.

With two top-rated botanical gardens for visitors to explore, it’s hard to choose which New York City garden to visit first. The Brooklyn Botanic Garden is the place to be if you’re in the Big Apple during spring cherry blossom season, but otherwise head to the larger New York Botanical Garden, where you can spend the entire day walking, picnicking, and photographing the 250-acre (100-hectare) green space. An All-Garden Pass affords full access to the Rockefeller Rose Garden, the Azalea Garden, Daffodil Hill, the Perennial Garden, and more, all connected by a scenic tram ride.

The Netherlands is famous for many things—windmills, wooden clogs, cheese—but none are as colorful as its ubiquitous flower: the tulip. Keukenhof Gardens, just outside of Amsterdam, is the largest tulip garden in the world and one of the top botanical gardens to visit in Europe. Head there in spring to admire the magnificent flower displays, which feature vast rainbow-striped lawns and more than 7 million flowers.

Insider tip: Book your tickets for Keukenhof Gardens in advance—the gardens are only open from mid-March through early May, and tickets often sell out.

Related: Know Before You Go: Visiting Keukenhof Gardens

Located about an hour south of Jakarta, this horticultural heaven is one of the best botanical gardens for nature lovers in the world. Not only is it the oldest research institution of its kind in Asia, Bogor Botanical Gardens has one very unique claim to fame: it’s the only place that has managed to grow rafflesia arnoldii, the world’s largest flower, outside of its native Sumatra habitat. The rare flowers only bloom fleetingly, so don’t plan your trip around it—instead, work it in as a day tour from Jakarta and learn more about the other 15,000 plant species found in the garden.

Created by French artist Jacques Majorelle and later owned by fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent, it’s hardly surprising that the Majorelle Garden in Marrakech has earned a reputation as one of the most beautiful botanical gardens globally.

Unlike traditional botanical gardens, where the focus is often on research and conservation, this is an artistic showstopper, brimming with bold colors, towering cacti, and palm-fringed water features. Book a private Marrakech tour to see the garden alongside other top attractions such as Bahia Palace (Palais Bahia), the Saadian Tombs, and Jemaa el-Fna.

Just a half-hour drive from downtown Montreal, Montreal Botanical Garden (Jardin Botanique de Montréal) stretches west of Montreal Olympic Park (Parc Olympique de Montréal) and the Montreal Biodome. Nature-loving travelers will be in their element with 30 gardens and 10 greenhouses inspired by the world’s diverse ecosystems and blossoming with more than 22,000 plant species.

Don’t miss the Japanese Garden, the Chinese Garden, the Alpine Garden, and the First Nations Garden, devoted to Indigenous plants.

Japan has several famous botanical gardens to explore, but one of the prettiest can be found in the cultural capital of Kyoto. Rent a bike from the city center and explore Kyoto Botanical Garden, Japan’s largest botanical garden, which has a picturesque bamboo grove, a butterfly garden, a rose garden, and more than 500 sakura (cherry blossom trees).

You can also combine your trip with nearby sights such as Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion), Nijo-jo Castle, and Shimogamo-jinja Shrine to make the most of your trip to Kyoto.

Insider tip: This garden transforms with the seasons: visit in spring to see the candy-colored cherry blossoms or in fall to admire the golden hues of the maple trees.