25 of the most unique gardens around the world
Torre Guinigi in Italy.Maremagnum/Getty Images Stunning gardens and parks, featuring unique flora and design elements, are found worldwide. In Cornwall, England, the Lost Gardens of Heligan is home to sculptures straight from a fairy tale. Some of the world’s oldest gardens are located in the ancient city of Sigiriya in Sri Lanka. ADVERTISEMENT Thankfully, there are plenty of expertly curated gardens and parks around the world that are open to the public.
From Norway’s Troms Arctic-Alpine Botanical Garden — the northernmost botanical garden in the world — to Sigiriya, an ancient rock fortress in Sri Lanka that boasts some of Earth’s oldest landscaped gardens, there’s a verdant enclave to suit every taste.
Plus, enjoying time outdoors is great for your health . Spending time in nature can improve short-term memory and ability to focus, reduce stress and inflammation, and help eliminate fatigue. Marc Berman, associate professor of psychology at the University of Chicago, co-authored a 2019 study on the cognitive benefits of nature and told CNBC in 2023 that taking time to do something in nature can be viewed as “an investment.”
ADVERTISEMENT “That 20 or 30 minutes in nature might make you more productive than just working straight through. Even losing that time in nature, you might make it up by being more productive,” Berman said.
Here are 25 of the most beautiful gardens and parks around the world to inspire you to take some much-needed time to stop and smell the roses.
Butchart Gardens in Victoria, Canada Spanning 55 acres, Butchart Gardens features 900 varieties of plants. The land was once owned by The Portland Cement and the company’s owner’s wife, Jennie Butchart, transformed the area into the gardens that are enjoyed today by a million visitors a year. Business Insider USA
The Biltmore gardens in Asheville, North Carolina The Biltmore Estate Timeline reports that George Vanderbilt purchased the land for the property in 1888 and hired Frederick Law Olmsted, who was responsible for the design of Central Park in New York City, to design the gardens.Biltmore also provides potential visitors with a blooming guide, explaining what months flowers will be in bloom for. If your favorite flower is roses, for example, the best time to visit is May; but if your favorite is the sunflower, July is the best time to visit. Business Insider USA
The Gardens of Versailles, France Andr Le Ntre — described by the Palace of Versailles as “king of gardeners and Gardener to the King” — was charged with designing the property’s expansive gardens. Per the palace’s website, thousands of workers helped orchestrate the design, which involved trees imported from various regions of France.Le Ntre’s plan was so complex that it required that the gardens be replanted about once every 100 years. Louis XVI and Napoleon III each did their part to revitalize the grounds, and the most recent restoration followed a severe storm in 1999 that affected more than 10,000 trees, according to the palace. Business Insider USA
The Torre Guinigi in Lucca, Italy The medieval tower was built for the Guinigi family and adjoined to their palace; in Italy, it was common for wealthy families to build commission towers to see who could build the tallest and most desirable, per Expedia. As of 2024, the Torre Guinigi is one of the few structures from the time period remaining in the city.To ascend the tower, you’ll need to climb 230 steps, but the view is worth the effort. Plus, you’ll be able to relax in the shade of the trees, which scholars believe are symbols of rebirth and power. Business Insider USA
Le Jardin Majorelle in Marrakech, Morocco According to the location’s website, the garden was cultivated by the French painter Jacques Majorelle over the course of 40 years. He frequently used the vibrant cobalt blue pictured above on garden walls, fountains, and other features, and subsequently trademarked it “Majorelle blue.”Le Jardin Majorelle is also known as the “Yves Saint-Laurent garden,” CNN reported, because the fashion designer and his partner, Pierre Berge, bought the property in 1980, saving it from demolition 18 years after Majorelle’s death. Business Insider USA
Keukenhof in Lisse, Netherlands Located between Amsterdam and the Hague, Keukenhof is one of the world’s largest flower gardens. Each year, more than 7 million bulbs are planted in the fall, including 800 different varieties of tulips, the Tulip Festival Amsterdam reported.Open from March to May, Keukenhof bursts to life with colorful blooms every spring; this year, the garden’s displays are reported to be “extra festive” in celebration of the garden’s 75th anniversary. Business Insider USA
Nong Nooch Tropical Botanical Garden in Pattaya, Thailand From animal sculptures to topiary trees, Nong Nooch also hosts traditional Thai dance performances and martial arts demonstrations, Expedia reported. Business Insider USA
Powerscourt Gardens in Enniskerry, Ireland Situated 30 minutes south of Dublin in County Wicklow, Ireland, the 47-acre Powerscourt Gardens are divided into distinct areas, including the Italian garden, the Japanese garden, and the walled garden, according to the estate’s website.The country estate used to be the home of the Viscount Powerscourt, a noble title in Ireland. On a more morbid note, visitors can take a break from walking through curations of roses, lavender, and tulips to see the pets cemetery, which the estate reports is “believed to be the largest pets’ cemetery in any private Irish garden.” Business Insider USA
Las Pozas in Xilitla, Mexico Las Pozas (“The Pools”) is a sculpture garden created by Edward James, an English poet and artist who also supported surrealists like Salvador Dal and Ren Magritte, Atlas Obscura reported.James built Las Pozas on a coffee plantation near Xilitla, in Mexico’s Huasteca region. While the property once housed his collection of orchids and exotic animals, he began work on the sculpture garden in the 1960s.It was co-designed with his friend Plutarco Gastelum, who built most of the sculptures. The site contains more than 30 structures, including plant sculptures and aforementioned winding staircases that lead nowhere. Business Insider USA
The Dubai Miracle Garden in Dubai, United Arab Emirates The Dubai Miracle Garden features 60 varieties of flowers. Spanning about 18 acres, the garden usually attracts more than one million people each year, CNN reported in 2017.Its vibrant floral displays — which have included a life-size Emirates Airbus A380 — change seasonally. Business Insider USA
Joaquin Antonio Uribe Botanical Gardens in Medelln, Colombia One of the gardens’ highlights is the orchid display, housed in the award-winning “Orchideorama,” a honeycomb-like structure that preserves the plants and also is home to the butterfly farm, The Guardian reported in 2017. Business Insider USA
Sigiriya in Sri Lanka The palace ruins of Sigiriya — a UNESCO World Heritage Site — sit atop a mountainous rock that stands over 600 feet tall, per Sri Lanka Travel.Some of the oldest landscaped gardens on the planet are nestled among the site’s intricate network of staircases and reservoirs. Business Insider USA
The California Academy of Sciences Living Roof in San Francisco The California Academy of Sciences is home to an aquarium, planetarium, and natural history museum, but one of its most interesting features is the Living Roof, designed by renowned architect Renzo Piano.”The idea was to make the roof of the new museum like a piece of the park flying. I also wanted to play with natural light, and with transparency, so that from the inside of the museum you can see where you are,” Piano told the Academy.The Academy’s website reports that the roof spans 2.5 acres and is covered in seven hills “lined with 50,000 porous, biodegradble vegetation trays made from tree sap and coconut husks,” filled by an estimated 1.7 million plants. Business Insider USA
Changi Airport in Singapore Named the 2023 Skytrax Airport of the Year, Singapore Changi Airport is home to a number of gardens and nature-inspired attractions, including a butterfly garden with more than 1,000 butterflies, a sunflower garden, and a koi pond.The indoor greenery reflects Singapore’s nickname, “City in a Garden.” Business Insider USA
The Garden of Cosmic Speculation in Dumfries, Scotland The Garden of Cosmic Speculation was designed by architecture theorist Charles Jencks and his wife, Maggie Keswick, at their home near Dumfries, Scotland, Atlas Obscura reported.It comprises 40 areas where visitors can explore bridges, sculptures, and other architectural works inspired by scientific and mathematical phenomena like black holes and fractal geometry. Per the garden’s website, the property is only open to the public once a year, usually in May. Business Insider USA
The Troms Arctic-Alpine Botanical Garden in Troms, Norway Per the location’s website, Troms Botanical Garden has plants from every continent, such as its “mascot,” the Himalayan blue poppy, which is native to Asia, and the white-eyed ice plant from southern Africa. Business Insider USA
ACROS Fukuoka Prefectural International Hall in Fukuoka, Japan Both a building and a park, ACROS — which houses a music hall, a conference center, and more — was spearheaded by Emilio Ambasz, an Argentinean architect and industrial designer, Greenroofs.com reported.ACROS is crowned by 15 stepped terraces, each of which contains gardens for a relaxing escape from the city. The building celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2020. Business Insider USA
The Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden in Cape Town, South Africa The South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) reported that the government first designated land at the estate of Kirstenbosch for a national botanical garden in May 1913.One of the garden’s most notable features is its canopy walk. Built from 2013 to 2014, the walkway spans more than 400 feet and lifts visitors nearly 40 feet above ground to offer excellent views of the flora, such as fynbos, a type of vegetation native to the southern tip of Africa. Business Insider USA
The Master of the Nets Garden in Suzhou, China The garden is one of the Classical Gardens of Suzhou, designed to “recreate natural landscapes in miniature,” UNESCO reported. Dating to the 12th century, it features a labyrinth of windowed courtyards that give the illusion that the site is more spacious than it really is, Lonely Planet reported. Business Insider USA
The High Line in New York Stretching 1.45 miles, the High Line is one of New York City’s most popular attractions, drawing an estimated 8 million people a year according to the Institution of Civil Engineers and featuring 150,000 plants, trees, and shrubs. Business Insider USA
The Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild Gardens in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, France The Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild, a Venetian-style villa, was built by Rothschild Baroness Batrice Ephrussi in the early 20th century, per the villa’s website.To make the land suitable for a garden, workers used dynamite and large amounts of soil to level the land. The French formal garden was the baroness’ priority, featuring waterfalls, ponds, and a “Temple of Love” inspired by the Petit Trianon at Versailles.After the baroness’ death in 1934, architect Louis Marchand was chosen to design the estate’s other themed gardens, which range from a Florentine garden with a marble angel statue to a Spanish garden with Mediterranean pomegranate trees and bird of paradise flowers. Business Insider USA
The Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne in Australia Some of the plant species that call the Melbourne Gardens home include cacti and succulents, roses, camellias, and rainforest flora, the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria reports.Many Australian Open winners including Aryna Sabalenka, Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic, and Caroline Wozniacki have posed at the garden with their trophy. Business Insider USA
Portland Japanese Garden in Portland, Oregon Divided into eight unique spaces, the Portland Japanese Garden’s website notes it has been “a haven of serenity and tranquility” for over 50 years.The sand and stone garden, for example, is based on the aesthetic principle known as yohaku-no-bi, “the beauty of blank space,” while the strolling pond garden was popularized by aristocrats and feudal lords during the Edo period (1603–1867). Business Insider USA
Lost Gardens of Heligan in Cornwall, England Located on a Cornwall estate that was originally built in 1200s, the Lost Gardens of Heligan — famous for its whimsical stone statues, like the sleeping Mud Maid — live up to the name.During World War I, the estate became overgrown due to neglect. However, the property was never sold or developed. Fortunately for plant lovers everywhere, workers restored the forgotten gardens to their original glory in the 1990s.Today, there is a jungle area filled with bamboo tunnels and pleasure grounds that feature historic plantings from around the world, Heligan’s website reports. Business Insider USA
The House of Claude Monet in Giverny, France, Monet lived in this Giverny home from 1883 to 1926, and helped design its famous gardens, including the water lily pond that would become the inspiration for his timeless work of art, “Water Lilies,” which now hangs in the Muse de L’Orangerie in Paris.The garden was inspired by Japan and includes plants like bamboo, maple, Japanese tree peonies, weeping willows, and of course, water lilies, the location’s website reports. Business Insider USA
