Explore Barcelona’s Botanical Gardens

Barcelona is one of the more unique cities in Europe, due to always prioritising green spaces in the face of urban development. From Park Güell to the green mountainous region that surrounds the city. As a result of this, people come from all over the world to enjoy the greenery that the Catalan Capital has to offer. However, with many in the city flocking to the aforementioned places, they find it hard to find a green space that is quiet enough to enjoy. That is why we thought to inform you about the Barcelona Botanical Gardens as they offer a more tranquil way to enjoy exotic plants in Barcelona. The best thing about it is… there are two for you to enjoy!

Barcelona Botanic Garden

The first one we will look at is found, like the other gardens, in Montjuic. In between the Estadi Lluís Companys and the Montjuic Castle, the original Barcelona Botanical Gardens are found. It is believed that these gardens date back to 1888, when it offered fewer exotic plants than what is found here today. The current design that you will see on your next trip to Barcelona dates back to 1999. The Barcelona climate, mixed with the fertile land found in Montjuic near to the sea, makes for the perfect environment for all the plants here to thrive. The current layout of the Botanic Gardens is fantastic, as it gives you the chance to leisurely explore the area and learn about the different types of vegetation that is found here.

This Botanic Garden in Barcelona is divided into 5 different sections based on the different locations from which the trees and flowers come from. The first, is the Australia section, this gives you a chance to see the kind of trees found in this part of the world! Here is where you can find the Silicon Shrub from Victoria and New South Wales, large forest trees and smaller flower collections- such as mimosa (Acacia) and proteaceae (Hakea, Banksia and Grevillea) among others. Next, from the South African collection, you can enjoy the Savanna trees and the wonderfully colourful fynbos arrangement from the Cape region!

The third section of the Barcelona Botanic Garden is dedicated to California. From Redwoods to the Yucca community, this is one of our favourite collections. From slightly closer to home, there are the Mediterranean and African collections that show a great range of vegetation found in places from the Canary Islands to Morocco. Here, among others, you can enjoy the Steppe and Rupicolous communities that both provide some great colour to this part of the gardens! Lastly, there is the Chilean Mediterranean section which is where you can enjoy the eye-catching Araucaria forest! Overall, this Botanic Garden is a fantastic place for people who love exotic plants to come and visit on their next stay in Barcelona.

Barcelona Historic Botanic Garden

Also found in the hills of Montjuic is the Historic Botanic Garden of Barcelona. This was the first garden in the area, made for the 1929 World Exposition, with it being made to encompass the MNAC and Poble Espanyol. Then, in the 1930s, Pius Font i Quer pushed for a Botanic Garden to be built in this space. He took it upon himself to collect plants from the Iberian Peninsula, Balearic Islands and Morocco. This move gathered speed and the garden was inaugurated in 1941! One of its most important contributions was that it managed to save the Menorcan lysimachia from extinction in 1954 due to it being managed well in these gardens.

As time passed, this historic garden was slightly neglected, with many prioritising the main Botanic Garden in Barcelona. Then, in the late 1980s, it was lost, as the city paved the way for access points in place for the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, with the plants moving to the other gardens. Some years later, however, in 2003, it was reopened! Nowadays, you can once again enjoy this Historic Botanic Garden in Barcelona.