Lisbon’s Botanical Garden: designed in 1873, unique & one of Europe’s finest

Tucked away in the Principe Real dictrict, near Bairro Alto, the Botanical Garden (1873) is a lush retreat from the afternoon sun.

April 2018:  reopened after renovations – Video Botanical Garden

Botanical Garden Lisbon entrance

Lisbon’s Botanical Garden (Jardim Botânico)

The University of Lisbon Botanical Garden was designed as a scientific garden, planting began in 1873 through the initiative of two professors, the Earl of Ficalho and Andrade Corvo.

Entrance with beautiful palms: Rua Politécnica 58, Principe Real

Botanical Garden Lisbon ticket office

Lisbon’s Botanical Garden (Jardim Botânico)

Ticket office in the garden. Tickets: cheap. Children up to 6 years: free

Botanical Garden Lisbon Ficus macrophylla

Lisbon’s Botanical Garden (Jardim Botânico)

Ficus macrophylla (moreton bay fig)

The great diversity of plants gathered from every corner of the world under Portuguese rule by its earliest gardeners – the German, E. Goeze, and the Frenchman, J. Daveau – illustrated Portugal’s colonial power at the time, though in Europe it was seen as a small and rather peripheral nation.

Botanical Garden Lisbon couple enjoy the garden

Lisbon’s Botanical Garden (Jardim Botânico)

It’s really wonderful to walk around and sit down for a while in this haven of tranquility and serenity. The park offers the ideal place to explore the vastness and beauty of nature. Wander along mosaic paths under tall palms, take in the scents of the herb garden and visit the colourful butterfly house.

Botanical Garden Lisbon Dracaena Draco dragon tree

Dracaena Draco (dragon tree) Lisbon’s Botanical Garden (Jardim Botânico)

The systematic collections serve various fields of botanical research, demonstrating to the public and visiting schools the great diversity of plant forms and various ecological processes. They also represent an important and effective way of conserving plants whose survival is threatened.

Botanical Garden Lisbon 2 ladies making pics

Lisbon’s Botanical Garden (Jardim Botânico)

Some collections deserve a special mention. The outstanding diversity of palms, brought from all continents, confers an unexpectedly tropical atmosphere to several locations in the garden. Cycads, real living fossils representing ancient and mostly extinct floras, are one of the garden’s hallmarks. Nowadays they are extremely rare and certain species are preserved only in botanical gardens.

Botanical Garden Lisbon Pome granate

Pomegranade, native to semitropical Asia.

The garden is particularly rich in tropical species from New Zealand, Australia, China, Japan and South America, illustrating the mild climate and the special microclimates produced in the garden.

Lisbon Botanical garden

Jardim Botânico da Universidade de Lisboa  FACEBOOK 
Rua Escola Politécnica 58
Website

Open: summer (1 April to 31 October): everyday from 09:00 to 20:00.Weekends and holidays from 10:00 to 20:00.Winter: everyday from 09:00 to 18:00. Weekends and holidays from 10:00 to 18:00. Closed on Christmas and New Years day.                          

7 Replies to “Lisbon’s Botanical Garden: designed in 1873, unique & one of Europe’s finest”

  1. I lived in Tenerife until August of this year and was used to seeing dragon trees and other exotic plants and shrubs there so I had a real surprise when after relocating to Portugal I visited the Botanical Gardens in Lisbon only to find many of them there too.
    Dragon trees that are native to Tenerife and the Canary Islands do just as well in Lisbon. I was equally impressed with the massive size of many other trees and shrubs growing at the gardens.
    And if all of that didn’t make the visit one to remember I sampled some wonderful real ale that is brewed locally and was on sale near the entrance.

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