Botanical Garden of Nice

The Botanical Garden of Nice is small (it occupies only 3 hectares), rather young but very picturesque. Its location on a hill provides a wonderful view of the Var River and the Esterel mountain range. The first plants in the Botanical Garden grew from seeds donated by the local Natural History Museum in 1983. After 8 years, the general public was allowed into the garden.

The collection of the Botanical Garden consists of more than 3,500 plant species. These are mainly trees and shrubs growing in the Mediterranean climate: not only on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea but also in California, Chile, South Africa, and Australia. The garden is divided into 8 zones with different collections of plants: aromatic, medicinal, and even poisonous. Moreover, they all grow in their natural habitat.

The Botanical Garden of Nice is justifiably proud of its collection of agaves. A separate section of the garden is dedicated to sage: there are both plants with the usual purple and white flowers and unusual African species with orange inflorescences. Visitors to the Botanical Garden can also enjoy a collection of cypress trees, including rare species from New Caledonia and Australia.