‘Pillars, pergolas, palms and pines’: readers’ favourite gardens in Europe

Lake Como scented with citrus and herbs

Varenna is the perfect Italian village, from its hilltop castle to the shore of Lake Como. Easily accessible by train or ferry, it is host to a spectacular botanic garden. The meandering Passeggiata degli Innamorati – the Lovers’ Footpath – brings you in 20 minutes from the ferry to Villa Monastero (entry €10, open March-November). With pillars and pergolas, palm trees and pines framing views of the deep blue lake and mountains beyond, scented by citrus and herbs, the garden is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever visited. And there’s a bar. Perfect happiness.
Maartje Scheltens

Dutch mastery near The Hague

From Piet Oudolf’s garden at the back of the Voorlinden Museum near The Hague you can watch people enjoying the exhibits from grassy mounds and wide borders created by one of the world’s most influential garden designers. From inside the museum, the large windows frame the naturalistic flowers and grasses swaying in the breeze. It is a garden that demonstrates the Dutch style of integrating design, planting, art and architecture to create beautiful, relaxing, fun spaces. There is so much more to the Netherlands than Amsterdam, and the Voorlinden brings together the modern Dutch masters of garden design and contemporary art. Admission is €19.50.
Sarah

An artist’s dream, Madrid

The gardens of the Museo Sorolla were a delightful find in the north of Madrid. The museum was the home of artist Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida – who also designed the gardens. Andalucían in style – with Moorish influences from gardens in Seville and Granada – the lush planting, fountains, pools and patios make a trip there worth it for the gardens alone. There are great paintings inside too, of course. A bargain at €3.
Siobhan

A green corner of Lisbon

Tapada das Necessidades in Lisbon is full of wonders. It is the back garden of a majestic 18th-century palace, one of the few large buildings to remain standing after the great earthquake of 1755. It has a cacti area with strange succulents that the Portuguese brought back from their epic overseas journeys. The gardens have a fine view of the River Tagus and there are old buildings such as a Victorian greenhouse, a pond and peacocks strutting around. It is an example of climate resilience, as the location endures high temperatures. Entry is free.
Joana simoes

Glade I came, Gothenburg, Sweden

Just a 10-minute tram ride west of Gothenburg’s city centre, beyond Slottsskogen park, busy with summering families, is the city’s botanical garden. Free to enter, the 200 hectares (500 acres) of zen Japanese dells, Korean glades, conifers, herbs and bamboo forests are easy to enjoy far from other tourists. Better yet, a walk to the very end of the garden leads to Änggårdsbergen, a wide nature reserve of silent lakes, pine forests and rocky Swedish uplands with panoramic views as far as Gothenburg’s islands.
Matthew Walsh

Japanese zen on a Nantes island

When a friend took me to L’île de Versailles – a Japanese-style garden in Nantes – I was mesmerised by its delicate configuration of waterfalls, rockeries and pruned trees. Set on an island in the River Erdre and with paths adorned by lanterns and flowering cherry trees, the zen garden, which opened in 1987, is the perfect compliment to the charming energy of Nantes. The garden is open throughout the day, closes at sunset and is free to enter.
Ishaan Alex Dalal

World’s oldest university botanical garden, Padua

Dating from 1545, Orto Botanico of Padua is the oldest university botanical garden in the world and a Unesco world heritage site. Following a charming circular layout, it’s home to more than 6,000 species, and is as educational as it is attractive. Since 2014 it has included a Biodiversity Garden, exploring the relationship between humanity, climate and plants of the world. Entry is €10, with discounts for students and pensioners. It is a stone’s throw from the spectacular Basilica of St Anthony, which is free to enter, making it a good option for a sightseeing combination. A cool, green respite on a hot summer’s day.
Berni G

Baroque and botanical splendour, Hanover

My favourite is the Royal Gardens of Herrenhausen in Hanover. When I visited my friend in 2019, she took me to this beautiful baroque space. It was April and the flowers were starting to blossom. It was such a peaceful place, and my friend and I sat on an old wooden bench in what they call the Großer Garten and I could just feel the atmosphere from the 17th century when this garden was a meeting point for artists and politicians across Europe.
Linda

Lily pads in Bratislava

After a week hiking in the Tatra mountains, we enjoyed a peaceful afternoon recovering in the Comenius University botanical garden in Bratislava. It’s a short tram ride from the centre to the university district, bordering the Danube, a place with relatively few visitors. We had the garden almost to ourselves as we wandered through its 6.6 hectares, watching red squirrels, lizards and frogs going about their day among the plants and ponds. Highlights included the greenhouses with their enormous lily pads and cacti. Entry is just €4.50 per adult.
Charlotte

Winning tip: happy daze in a Loire garden village

In the Loire valley near Tours, between Chateau de Chenonceau and the town of Loches, the residents of a tiny village have turned their homes and streets into a Jardin Remarquable. The quiet, winding lanes of the lovely garden village of Chédigny are each more beautiful than the next. We wandered around in a daze, admiring the beauty at every corner, and then serendipitously stumbled across a teahouse, La Closerie du Tilleul, where we were served tea and homemade apple cake on a shaded patio overlooking the presbytery garden, full of medicinal and rare plants. It felt as though we had arrived in paradise.
Lois

Please use the comments to share your own experiences of gardens to visit in Europe