Wander Through 23 of the Most Beautiful Gardens in the World!

We love visiting gorgeous gardens on our travels.

And we’ve had the pleasure of wandering through some great gardens around the world, from England and Hawaii to France, Mexico and South Africa.

But we can’t forget the world-famous gardens in Victoria, right here where we live in British Columbia, Canada. (Hello Butchart Gardens!)

So without further ado, we’re spreading our green thumbs to bring you 23 of the most beautiful gardens in the world.

Note that the following gardens aren’t covered in any particular order. We’ve grouped them by country or continent only.

Most beautiful gardens in Europe

1) Claude Monet’s Garden

Just a quick train ride away from Paris, you’ll find some of the possibly most famous gardens in the world.

These are the romantic gardens that feature in the glorious paintings of Claude Monet. 

And like his paintings, Claude Monet’s gardens at his home in Giverny, France, aren’t “manicured” or contained. Rather, they flow like brushstrokes in a profusion of textures and color.

There are two parts to the Monet Gardens – a flower garden in front of his pink house and the famous Japanese-inspired water gardens across the road.

2) Gardens of Versailles

These formal gardens in France boast some 600 fountains, 370+ statues, 55 water features, 21 miles of canals and hundreds of acres of flower beds.

It’s impossible not to be dazzled by the stunning gardens of the Palace of Versailles! This is formal French-style gardening at its best.

Created by King Louis XIV, the “Sun King,” the Versailles Gardens took 40 years to complete.

3) Keukenhof

Perhaps the world’s largest flower garden, Keukenhof is located in Lisse, Holland. It’s celebrated for its hyacinths, tulips, crocuses, daffodils and other spring flowers.

More than 7 million flower bulbs are planted every year!

The Keukenhof Gardens are only open for two months of the year, from the end of March to mid-May, and they’re hugely popular. To avoid the crowds, plan your visit for the late afternoon.

You’ve no doubt heard of the Alhambra in Granada, Spain?

One of Europe’s most beautiful fairytale-like castles, this Moorish castle fortress complex was the summer palace of the Nasrid dynasty. The Nasrid sultans ruled Granada for more than 200 years from 1230 to 1492.

Well, here at the Alhambra, you’ll find one of the world’s best gardens, the Generalife.

Villa d’Este is a sumptuous 16th century mansion in Tivoli, about an hour outside of Rome. It’s home to a breathtaking Italian Renaissance garden.

And oh, these terraced hillside gardens – one of the best gardens in Italy – are magical!

Sculptures of frolicking nymphs, along with more than 500 fountains, catch the eye.

The most marvelous water feature is the Fountain of the Organ, complete with a 1571 water organ installed inside that trumpets and plays Renaissance music.

It’s little wonder that the villa and gardens are listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

On the French Riviera, the Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild is a palace set amidst nine enchanting themed gardens.  

Once the home of Baroness Beatrice de Rothschild, the pink palace was built in Italian Renaissance style.

Tour the apartments, and your jaw will drop when you see the salons with rare antiques, gold-rimmed Sèvre porcelain, tapestries and paintings by Fragonard, Caravaggio and other Old World masters.

The other gardens include the Florentine Garden, Japanese Garden and Spanish Garden. 

Beautiful English gardens

Founded in 1840 by Princess Augusta, Kew Gardens in southwest London are the most famous English gardens – and definitely one of the most beautiful botanical gardens on earth. 

The site is home to the world’s largest collection of living plants. And like some of the other gardens on our list, it’s also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Spend the day exploring the enormous Victorian glasshouses and wandering the miles of paths leading to rose gardens, one of the world’s largest herbariums, a tranquil Japanese Garden (with stone lanterns and a dripping water basin) and more.

Once part of the estate of Alnwick Castle, these spectacular gardens date back to 1750. They’re located in Northumberland, England.

Reinvented by the current Duchess of Northumberland, they are today a source of inspiration for all lovers of gardens.

Delight in water sculptures that bring science to life, quirky antique furniture in the country garden, one of the world’s largest treehouses (the lunch restaurant), a cherry orchid, the vegetable garden and the popular bamboo maze.

Beautiful gardens in Canada

On Vancouver Island in western Canada, Victoria is dubbed the “City of Gardens” (it’s where we live).

Victoria’s most famous gardens are the Butchart Gardens.

Today, the family-run gardens include a rose garden (with 2,500 rose bushes), Italian garden (with a flower-studded pond), sunken garden and Japanese garden (with bamboo and fiery Japanese maples).

Butchart Gardens: Website

10) VanDusen Botanical Garden

In the heart of Vancouver, Canada, this 55-acre botanical oasis boasts over 7,500 plant varieties from around the world.

Discover an Elizabethan hedge maze, rose garden, rock garden and other wonderful themed gardens. Artfully arranged pathways take you on a delightful journey through each garden.

By the café, you might even see hummingbirds feeding!

When we lived in Vancouver (before moving to Victoria), we’d take out-of-town visitors to VanDusen.

Needless to say, they loved it. (See our post on Vancouver’s VanDusen Garden.)  

Best gardens in the U.S.

11) Allerton and McBryde Gardens

One of our favorite gardens in the world, the Allerton and McBryde Gardens are two side-by-side gardens on the lush “garden isle” of Kauai, Hawaii.

Indeed, visiting them is one of the top things to do in Kauai!

The Allerton Garden, in particular, enchanted us with its whimsical garden “rooms” and fascinating history.

(Jackie Kennedy Onassis loved her visit there – partly because of the garden owners’ collection of ballet slippers!)

12) Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden

South Florida is also home to one of the best gardens in the U.S.

The 83-acre Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden was named after plant explorer and botanist David Fairchild. It’s found seven miles from Miami.

It showcases a palm tree collection, a tropical fruit collection and rare tropical plants around the world, like the “Pride of Burma” with its orchid-like pink flowers.

Its butterfly conservatory, with thousands of exotic fluttering butterflies from Central and South America, is especially magical to visit.

13) Atlanta Botanical Garden

Do you have a crush on orchids? Well, the orchid conservatory at the Atlanta Botanical Garden will set your heart aflutter.

These gardens, in the center of Atlanta, Georgia, are home to one of the world’s largest collections of orchids.

14) Desert Botanical Garden

If you’re in Phoenix, Arizona, check out this 14-acre desert botanical garden.

It features over 50,000 plants, including many rare and endangered species.  

The impressive collection includes cacti, succulents, wildflowers and other desert plants from around the world.

Beautiful gardens in Africa

15) Le Jardin Majorelle

It took French painter Jacques Majorelle 40 years to create these beautiful walled gardens surrounding his villa and Cubist art studio in Marrakech, Morocco.

He created a labyrinth of alleyways that crisscross and planted exotic varieties of plants from around the world.

He also patented the deep cobalt blue color used on the buildings throughout the garden – called “Majorelle Blue.”

In 1980, fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent and his partner Pierre Berge bought the property and restored and added to the gardens.

When Saint Laurent died, his ashes were scattered in the rose garden.

Today, the non-profit Majorelle Garden is open to the public.

16) Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden

Regarded as one of the best botanical gardens in the world, Kirstenbosch spreads out over 1,300+ acres at the base of Table Mountain in Cape Town, South Africa.

You’ll find landscaped gardens, along with hiking trails up Table Mountain that wind through natural forest.

Kirstenbosch showcases more than 7,000 native South African species unique to the region – the magnificent King Protea flowers are the crowning glory.

Also popular is the Tree Canopy Walkway (known locally as “The Boomslang” or “tree snake”), where you walk along a raised curved bridge high above the treetops.

Beautiful Asian gardens

17) Kenrokuen

Situated in Kanazawa, Japan, the spacious Kenrokuen gardens were once the outer part of Kanazawa Castle.

They were created over two centuries to be the “perfect” garden.

Indeed, the name “Kenrokuen” means the garden containing the six elements of a beautiful garden – spaciousness, tranquility, artificial construction, antique elegance, water features and a magnificent view.

18) Singapore Botanic Gardens

Take a walk on the wild side. The Singapore Botanic Gardens are a tropical Eden!

Spreading out over 200+ acres, these world famous gardens are made for walking or jogging in a forest-like setting in the heart of the go-go city of Singapore.

There’s the tropical rainforest. And a ginger garden. And a children’s garden.

We were particularly fascinated by the carnivorous plants.

19) Nong Nooch Tropical Garden

A blend of Thai landscaping and European-style gardens, these beautiful 500-acre gardens are found in Pattaya, Thailand.

They’re more than just a place to visit. They’re like a theme park, encompassing restaurants, hotels and cultural shows.

See everything from cacti, bonsai, orchid nurseries and a French garden modeled after Versailles.

Beautiful gardens in Mexico

20) Vallarta Botanical Gardens

Just 11 miles south of Puerto Vallarta, the Vallarta Botanical Gardens feature more than 3,000 different species of plants.

Registered with Botanic Gardens Conservation International in England, these beautiful natural gardens include roses and orchids, a field of 6,000 blue agaves and a carnivorous plant collection.

You’ll also find a a vast area of tropical forest, woven through with short hiking trails to a river where you can swim.

Walking past tangled vanilla vines, we were amazed by the symphony of birdsong and cicadas and the variety of butterflies flitting about.

Be sure to have lunch on the outdoor deck of the gardens’ La Hacienda de Oro restaurant.

We loved the mojitos, made with basil and mint (picked fresh from the gardens). We also dined on avocado stuffed with shrimp salad and organic wood-oven flatbread – delicious!

It’s delightful to watch all the colorful birds from the deck too.

Truly a beautiful place, the floating gardens of Xochimilco are reminiscent of the canals of Venice, or perhaps even Thailand’s floating markets – but with a Mexican Twist.

Made up of a series of waterways about 45 minutes south of downtown Mexico City, Xochimilco means “Place of the Flowers” in Nahuatl, the language of the Aztecs.

In wetland areas, the Aztecs built floating gardens called chinampas for growing corn and other food crops.

Weaving sticks together, they created large rafts, which they anchored to the bottom of the lake, then piled weeds and soil on top to form raised garden beds.

On the edges, they planted willow trees so the roots could help contain the beds.

Today, Xochimilco is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. And the chinampas are used for growing flowers.

Here, you can float down the canals on a brightly colored flat-bottom boat like a gondola (called a trajinera), which the boat driver propels using a long pole.

As you ride around, you’ll come across other trajineras with food sellers and mariachis to serenade you with music.

Oh, and if you’re looking for other things to do, see our Mexico City itinerary for the best places and attractions to hit if you have three or four days in the city.

Note: Xochimilco is popular with Mexican families on weekends, which can make for a joyous outing. But if you want a quieter experience, visit during the week.

Beautiful gardens in Australia

22) Brisbane Botanic Gardens

For a breath of green life on the edge of Brisbane, step out into these lush subtropical botanic gardens, previously known as “Mt Coot-tha Botanic Gardens.”

Spreading out over 138 acres, they feature a standout Japanese garden, waterfalls, fern house, arid garden with aloes and succulents, bamboo grove and the largest collection of Australian native rainforest trees in the world.

23) Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria

These gardens in Melbourne are home to two sets of gardens: Melbourne Gardens and Cranbourne Gardens.

Dating back to 1846, the inner-city Melbourne Gardens span 94 acres of garden beds, sweeping lawns and lakes blanketed by water lilies.

Among the 8,500 plant species from around the world? Camellias, stunning roses and succulents.

Walking through Fern Gully – an oasis of rainforest – is a highlight.

Set in native bushland, the vast Cranbourne Gardens celebrate Australia’s flora and landscapes. There are walking trails through eucalyptus woodlands, picnic areas and bird lagoons.

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Photo credits: 3 © Janice and George Mucalov, SandInMySuitcase | 30 to 32 Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden | 47, 48 Vallarta Botanical Gardens | 55 to 57 Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria

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