Lisbon’s Botanical Garden (Jardim Botanico) was built in the 1800s and is still seen as one of Europe’s best parklands. Visitors today will be delighted by its preserved old world charms and its natural vistas that offer a relaxing alternative to its urban surroundings. Take a walking tour and get great views of the Tower of Belem, or browse the National Museum of Natural History, located just next door.
The gardens were first planted by two University of Lisbon professors, who intended to use it as a research and education facility. Today, the 4-hectare (10-acre) garden is still used by scientists to research micro-environments, but is also visited by scores of students and nature enthusiasts.
This diverse nature park features an extensive range of subtropical plant species found all over Europe. Spot thick trees and delicate flowers amongst a collection of 18,000 specimens of flora and fauna. Special features include the twisting cycad trees, a fascinating species from Australia. Look out for light palm-ferns, fossils of which have been dated back to the prehistoric ages, when dinosaurs roamed the landscape.
After a taste of nature, explore the Principe Real neighbourhood, which surrounds the Botanical Garden. Here, you’ll find a number of colour-splashed 19th-century mansions decorated with extravagant domes, tiles and balconies. In the district’s centre, find a pleasant square where you can sit in the shade of a hundred-year-old cedar. Sit at the square’s café and savour an afternoon espresso while you watch the crowds pass.
Find the Botanical Garden of Lisbon in the Principe Real district, on the hillside between Rua de Escola Politécnica and the Avenida da Liberdade. It can be easily reached by bus or tram. The gardens are free to enter and open daily, with extended hours in summer.
