The Botanical Garden remais one of Lisbon's secrets
Lisbon’s main botanical garden has over 10,000 plants and is quite large (covering 10 acres, or 4 hectares), but you wouldn't know it from outside. It's accessed through a gate on one of the busiest streets of the Príncipe Real district, and only by the ticket office do you notice the dense vegetation.
Naturally, the Botanical Garden is especially green and beautiful in the spring and summer
It was considered one of the best botanical gardens in Europe when it was laid out in 1873, and its large collection of subtropical vegetation remains impressive today. Many of the exotic plants are neatly labeled, and one that stands out is the Australian Cycad, an unusually-shaped tree with twisting trunks. Another curiosity is the butterfly greenhouse, which is the only one in Europe that’s open to the public.
One of the many exotic trees in the Botanical Garden
Slightly neglected and overlooked for several years, the garden was cleaned up and restored between 2016 and 2018, and is beginning to attract more visitors. Parts still need more restoration and better preservation, but the slightly neglected look actually gives it a feeling of an enchanted garden.
Usually deserted, it often feels like an enchanted garden.
How to Get to the Botanical Garden
The Botanical Garden is about a 6-minute walk from the Rato metro station (last stop of the yellow line). Tram 24, which departs from Praça Luís de Camões in Chiado, also stops nearby.
You may ride the metro and the tram (as well as Lisbon's funiculars, buses and trains) for free with the Lisboa Card.
Rua da Escola Politécnica, 56-58, Príncipe Real
Admission and Tickets to the Botanical Garden
Admission to the Botanical Garden is €3.00. There's no discount with the Lisboa Card.
It opens every day
Attractions Nearby
From the Botanical Garden, walk down the street to Jardim do Príncipe Real, the garden at the center of the neighborhood’s main square (Praça do Príncipe Real). It’s faced by a Moorish Revival palace with a beautiful interior housing shops and restaurants. Continue down the street and you’ll reach one of Lisbon’s most beautiful viewpoints, Miradouro de São Pedro de Alcântara.
