If you´re a nature lover on a city vacation, make sure to visit these beautiful gardens in Spain.
Spanish Parks and Gardens
While most of the Spanish capital cities are known for beautiful local parks like Parque del Retiro in Madrid, Parque de la Ciudadela in Barcelona, El Jardin del Turia in Valencia, lately I´ve been looking for more quiet garden walks. For me, the most beautiful gardens in Spain are often the hidden green corners in the middle of the buzzing city life. Somewhere you can grab your partner’s hand and enjoy together the Romantic side of Spain while having enough space for a quiet talk or peacefully enjoying the rare beauty of the exotic plants around you.
So, whenever you can´t set off on a journey into the wild and escape to the Spanish magical forests or search for some natural wonders across the country – visiting one of the most beautiful gardens in Spain is your second best thing to nourish your soul and recharge your emotional batteries.
After years of my Spanish wanderings across the country, I´ve come up with a list of favorites. Let´s travel virtually to some of the most beautiful gardens in Spain.
The Most Beautiful Gardens in Spain
1. Jardín de L’Albarda / Pedreguer
Jardín de L’Albarda in Pedreguer (Alicante) recreates the ancient Renaissance gardens of Valencia which were widely influenced by Arab culture. This beautiful Spanish garden covers an area of 50000 m2 and boasts more than 700 plant species, as well as an extensive collection of roses and palm trees.
Even though I visited Jardín de L’Albarda in November (which is often not the most blooming season even with the Spanish winter sun), this place looked simply stunning. Now I can´t wait to return in spring or summer.
2. Jardín Botánico Marimurtra / Blanes
One of the most unique features of Jardín Botánico Marimurtra is its gorgeous panoramic setting with peaceful Mediterranean views. This place reminds me of one of my most romantic travel experiences around the world – the French Riviera Road trip. Jardín Botánico Marimurtra is located in the Catalan town of Blanes, on the Spanish Costa Brava.
This one of the most beautiful Spanish gardens was created by a German businessman, Carl Faust in 1924. The plant collection of Jardín Botánico Marimurtra reaches 4000 plant species.
3. Jardin del Cactus / Lanzarote
While you can´t hide in the shade of greenery at Lanzarote´s Jardin del Cactus, the exotic combination of the moon-like landscapes and Cezar Manrique´s creative touch make this place one of the must-stops on the island of Lanzarote and one of the Canary Islands gems.
With 450 cactus species from five continents grown on the local volcanic soils, Jardin del Cactus definitely reminds an exotic oasis and has an otherworldly feel.
4. Jardines de Santa Clotilde / Lloret de Mar
Jardines de Santa Clotilde used to be a vineyard area, before its owner, Marquis of Roviralta, hired a landscape gardener and architect to create 27 m2 of beautiful gardens with stunning sea views.
While the elevations were the main obstacle in the process, they’ve managed to implement a few beautiful optical effects: when you see the staircase from the bottom it reminds a waterfall made of plants.
5. Park Sama / Cambrils
Park Sama was the biggest discovery of my stressful family trip to Cambrils, near Tarragona.
This beautiful botanic garden was created in 1881 and served as a residence for the Sama family, marquises of Marianao. Park Sama with its 14 hectares of greenery and 1500 plant species definitely belongs on the list of the most beautiful gardens in Spain. This place has some authentic old charm and will definitely surprise you with its Romantic Spanish vibes.
6. Park del Laberint d´Horta / Barcelona
Park del Laberint d´Horta is one of Barcelona´s oldest gardens. Its most impressive attribute is the hedge maze lined with cypress trees and occasional sculptures from Greek mythology.
This beautiful Spanish garden combines in harmony numerous architectural styles from Arabic to Romantic and Neoclassic. It was initially created by Antoni Desvalls, the Marquis of Llupia back in 1791. In the 1970s Park del Laberint d´Horta became the property of the city of Barcelona and was open to the public.
7. Jardin Botanico de la Universidad de Valencia / Valencia
Jardin Botanico de la Universidad de Valencia is carefully hidden in the heart of Valencia city. Its origins could be traced back to the 16th century when it was a garden used for study purposes in Botanics. This exotic Spanish garden contains 3000 plant species from the five continents.
8. El Palmeral and Parque Municipal / Elche
If you can´t get enough of palm trees, like me, set your eyes on the Palm Grove of Elche (one of the top landmarks in Spain) and the beautiful local Parque Municipal.
With more than 200,000 trees, the Palm Grove of Elche (El Parmeral in Spanish) is the largest in Europe and was declared UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000. As seen from a distance, it may appear to be a palm forest, while it is actually a plantation for agriculture purposes. Each of the groves is flanked by rows of palm trees in such a way that when viewed from the air, they form a grid pattern.
The origins of Palm Grove date back to the 10th century when the Arabs relocated the city to its current site. The Moorish cultivation methods employed in Elche centuries ago have survived to the present day.
Parque Municipal is officially the city´s central park, but in essence, it’s more of a beautiful garden with lots of rare palm trees, flowers, and quiet corners.
9. Jardines del Real Alcazar / Seville
One of the must-see places in Andalusia and a GOT filming location in Spain, Real Alcazar of Seville, is also known for its magical gardens.
These unique gardens existed since the late Middle Ages and were enriched with exotic plants from all corners of the world till modern times. The Real Alcazar of Seville was declared a World Heritage Site in 1987. It currently exposes 170 plant species on its 60 000m2.
Even though Jardines del Real Alcazar can´t compete with other beautiful gardens in Spain on this list in terms of plants variety, it´s definitely one of the most fairytale places in Spain. Jardines del Real Alcazar makes you travel through time while jumping into the pages of a storybook for a while.
10. Jardines de Monforte/ Valencia
Another hidden gem in the heart of Valencia – Jardines de Monforte, a 19th-century garden full of beautiful statues, ornaments, and unique plant species. In 1849 it was a private property of Marquis de San Juan, who hired a Valencian architect Don Sebastian Monleon Estelles to create this beautiful garden.
In 1970 Jardines de Monforte became a municipal property of Valencia city and went through restoration while being open to the public in 1973. I especially liked Jardines de Monforte during the summer months because of its beautiful rose-blooming area. The last time I visited in winter, it was a bit bare but still nice, thanks to the alleys and statues.
More beautiful gardens in Spain:
- Jardin Botanico-historico La Concepcion / Malaga
- Jardines de Aranjuez / Aranjuez
- Jardin Botanico / Tenerife
- Palmetum / Tenerife
- Laberinto de Villapresente / Cantabria
- Los Reales Jardines de la Granja / Segovia
- Los Jardines de Generalife / Granada
- El Real Jardin Botanico / Madrid
- Jardin Botanico Viera y Clavijo / Gran Canaria
- Huerto de Calixto y Melibea / Salamanca
For more Spain travel ideas check my Pinterest Boards – The Ultimate Spain Travel Collection and Travel to Spain.
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These gardens in Spain look absolutely stunning! I love exploring beautiful gardens when I travel! Jardines del Real Alcazar and Park Sama look especially beautiful. I’d love to visit them one day! Thanks for the great guide!
These gardens all look so beautiful! My first stop would be Jardín de L’Albarda. I’d love to visit in the spring.
Love finding hidden gardens, lesser known quiet corners to escape into – cities are wonderful but sometimes the pace and energy is too much and a quiet tranquil escape is great!
Definitely saving this list for my next trip to Spain cause I adore a good garden moment