A Guide to Botanical Garden Barcelona 2025 | Highlights, Getting There, Tips

Why Visit Botanical Garden Barcelona

If you love gardening and want to indulge in a soothing environment, visiting the Botanical Gardens in Barcelona is a must.
The Botanical Gardens (Jardí Botànic de Barcelona) are located on the Montjuic Mountain and offer a new experience of natural habitat from five different regions of the world with a Mediterranean climate – Australia, California, Chile, South African, and the Mediterranean Basin.
The Botanical Garden was established in 1999 and is a major part of the Natural Sciences Museum. The present Botanical Garden occupies an area between the Olympic Stadium, the New Cemetery, and the Montjuic Castle.

Zones at Botanical Garden Barcelona

Australia

This region is considered the second-largest in surface area, covering about 700,000 square kilometers. Located in the south and southwest of the continent, the Australian Mediterranean region is formed by two separate sectors.

Highlight: There are primitive species of trees that have grown in this region. They are characterized by displaying a homogeneous behavior while growing.

California

This particular zone of the Botanical Garden occupies a narrow coastal strip from Cape Blanco in the US to Punta Baja in Mexico, with its center corresponding to San Francisco. This region covers an area of about 100-200 kilometers towards the interior of the continent.

Highlight: The Californian stretch consists of about 4300 known species, out of which almost 35% are endemic.

Mediterranean basin

This region is developed due to the lands that surround the Mediterranean Sea. With an area of about 2,300,000 square kilometers, it is spread across European, Asian, and African territories.

Highlight: This region consists of 25,000 known species, with 50% being endemic. The flora here is used to withstand various environmental factors that influenced its evolution – summer droughts, prickles, toxic substances, and so on.

South Africa

The South African Mediterranean region is the smallest amongst the lot, with only a 3% representation of the biome. The summer influence of tropical monsoons out here represents there is no complete dry season.

Highlight: The region contains around 8,550 known species, with 68% being endemic. This zone has very high diversity due to the climate, geographic isolation, and frequent incidence of fires, which has resulted in making it the richest one in the world.

Chile

Formed from a narrow coastal strip, this Mediterranean region corresponds to Central Chile with 100 kilometers in length. Due to the high oceanic influence, this region is comparatively cooler and has an abundant incidence of coastal mists.

Highlight: It has 2,400 known species, with 23% being endemic. The region has a great ecological characteristic – it is known for the historic absence of fires, and the presence of herbivores.

Must-sees at Botanical Garden Barcelona

Bonsai Exhibition

Pere Duran I Frell’s family left-back the origins of the bonsai collection in the Barcelona Botanical Garden where he developed and brought together a great collection of around 108 Mediterranean bonsai species. Amongst these 80 of them are in the Garden Collection.

Salvador Cabinet

The Salvador family was a very known family of apothecaries from Barcelona who worked around the concept of naturalism. They collected various samples in the regions of the Iberian Peninsula and Balearic islands, thus creating one of the first scientific botanical gardens in Barcelona.

Banksia

The Banksia species grow in the form of bushes or trees with beautiful spikes of yellow, red, or orange flowers. They have cone-shaped exotic-looking fruits that grow together and refuse to open up until they are burned or are completely dry.

Bread Palm

Considered as a species of living fossils, these were formed 200 million years ago and played a major role in being a staple diet of herbivorous dinosaurs. The species is also known as the kaffir pine.

Cape Aloe

These species have the ability to preserve rainwater inside their leaves and allow them to survive well during drought conditions. These sharp, spiny leaves pulp is traditionally used to cure skin ailments, wounds, burns and also can be used for your skin care routine as a moisturizer.

Eucalyptus

Familiar with the beautiful aroma given off by its leaves? Eucalyptus has about 800 different species, the majority being native to Australia. The genus has various habitats, in the form of shrub and tree species.

Hyacinth of Peru

This is a species native not to Peru, but to the Mediterranean. The error occurred because the bulbs were brought from Spain to England on a ship called The Peru.

Mexican Blue Palm

Ever seen something so blue? Well now you will, as this species of Brahea has the bluest leaves. The flowers of these palm species come through in the form of beautiful clusters of small, whitish, bisexual blooms.

Port Jackson Fig

Otherwise known as the little-leaf fig, these species have a feature that has a characteristic of the Ficus genus – where the aerial roots are formed from the branches and trunk, growing downward towards the earth. Once in contact with the soil, they provide the tree with necessary nutrients and water, making it grow into a gigantic size.

Stone Pine

With a height of over 25 meters, the stone pine has features that differentiate itself from other Mediterranean pines. The cones of it produce edible pine seeds, which are commonly used as an ingredient in several dishes served in Barcelona.

Interesting Facts About Botanical Garden Barcelona

In 1929, there were preparations in place for the construction of several of the most outstanding gardens adding to the city’s green heritage.
J.C.N Forestier exercised a great amount of gardening in Barcelona and he created one of the finest gardens in the city and introduced new plant species to the landscape architecture.
In 1930, Font I Quer began to assemble a great collection of rare and endemic plants that originated from Morocco, the Iberian Peninsula, and Balearic Island.
In 1940, Antoni de Bolos became the director of the Botanical Garden and introduced a new collection of plants from Balearic Island and the Pyrenees. The very same year, Institut Botanic was transferred to the Garden, which now portrays an outstanding collection of herbaria and is the best botanical library in Catalonia.
On 17 July 1941, the Historic Botanical Garden was open to the public.
Since Nov 2004, the Barcelona Metropolitan Area maintains the whole area.
Today, the Historic Botanic Garden shows an excellent result and displays a magnificent plant life with the most exceptional size and quality.

Plan Your Visit to Botanical Garden Barcelona

The Jardi Botanic de Barcelona is open all days of the week from 10am to 7pm.

Although, these hours may slightly differ in the holiday season, like that of Christmas day and St. Stephen’s Day.

So, make sure you visit the Botanical Garden calendar on the website to check out the opening hours before your trip to the Botanical Garden Barcelona.

Address: Carrer Doctor Font | Quer, 2, 08038 Barcelona, Spain. Find on map

Bus: Line Bus 55, 150

Metro: L1 or L3

You can also take a taxi to Botanical Garden in Barcelona.

It has a large comprehensive library and the largest herbaria in Catalonia.
The garden is accessible for people with reduced mobility and can move around the regions using the ramps and paths designed for them.
Free or reduced rated for people with disability. Free entry for people accompanying disabled persons.
Access to guide dogs and assistance dogs is permitted in all areas of the center.
There are reserved parking spaces available.
There is also an electric scooter available for people with disabilities.

Here are some of the best places to eat at near Botanical Garden in Barcelona:

If you are checking out the Botanical Gardens in Barcelona, make sure you check out a few of the major attractions nearby on your visit:

Visitor Tips

The Botanical Garden of Barcelona has a collection of Mediterranean plants from all over the world.
Best time to visit Jardi Botanic De Barcelona is between 10:00 am - 03:00 pm
Make sure you wear comfortable shoes because there will be a lot of walking required.
Make sure you get there on time because there Is limited parking space available.
The average time spent exploring the Botanical gardens is 2 hours.
Thursdays and the weekends are the busiest days of the week at the Botanical gardens. So, make sure you do not visit on these days if you wish to beat the rush.

Frequently Asked Questions About Botanical Garden Barcelona

What is Botanical Garden Barcelona?

The Botanical Gardens in Barcelona has a wide selection of flora in regions with Mediterranean climatic conditions all over the world. The area between the Castell de Montjuic and the Olympic stadium consists of various forests and shrubs from Australia, South Africa, California, Chile, the Canary Island, and three other Mediterranean zones.

What can I see inside Botanical Garden Barcelona?

The emerald-colored botanical garden has rare vegetation from Canary Island. This is very different from the other botanical gardens of Barcelona when you look into the collection of plants and various trees within it. You can see the beautiful landscaping of the gardens which is sure to lure you.

What are the opening hours of Botanical Garden Barcelona?

The Botanical Gardens Barcelona are open from 10am to 7pm throughout the week.

Where is Botanical Garden Barcelona?

The Jardí Botànic de Barcelona is located on Montjuic.

Are there restaurants inside Botanical Garden Barcelona?

There are a lot of restaurants near the Botanical Gardens Barcelona. You can check out En Parte, Taps, La Come Dia, Olympic Sports Café to name a few.

How can I reach Botanical Garden Barcelona?

You can reach the Botanical Gardens Barcelona through metro L1 and L3, through bus no. 150, 13, tourist bus- red route. Another option is to walk 2.5km from the Pl. Espana, which will roughly take about 35 mins to reach.

What are the facilities at Botanical Garden Barcelona?

The IBB (Institut Botànic de Barcelona) specializes in botanical research which has a large comprehensive library and the largest herbaria in Catalonia.

Is Botanical Gardens Barcelona safe to visit?

Yes, the Botanical Gardens Barcelona is a safe space to visit. You can always tag along with your family or loved ones to explore the natural habitat.