In the heart of the university district, the botanical garden is one of those slightly hidden yet very surprising places in Strasbourg.
Discovering 6,000 plants in the garden
The botanical garden was created in 1619 within the University of Strasbourg and was then installed in 1884 by the Germans behind the university palace. The botanical garden is now home to more than 6,000 species of plants.
All these species of plants can be discovered freely by walking in the 3.5 hectare park through thematic trails - such as the centennial trail, the remarkable trees or the endangered plants. One-hour free guided tours are also offered every first Sunday of the month at 3pm from March to December.
Relaxing in another world
You can also stroll along the paths and observe flowers, aromatics or frogs but also sit on a bench in the shade of the trees or by the pond. You can relax in the calmness of times long past. You quickly forget that you are in Strasbourg.
Several greenhouses are implemented in the botanical garden to protect certain plants from the Alsatian climate.
The greenhouse of Bary, a historical monument
Originally called "Serre Victoria", this twelve-sided glass greenhouse is dedicated to the cultivation of the Amazonian giant water lily (Victoria regia) and to some other tropical aquatic plants. It is the only remnant of the greenhouses built in the garden by the architect Hermann Eggert in the German period. Today it's the only one of this period (19th century) and of this type in France. The greenhouse was renamed "Serre de Bary" in the 1980s in honor of the first director of the garden after the annexation. It has been classified as a historical monument since 1993.
The tropical greenhouse
As soon as you walk through the doors of the tropical greenhouse, you feel like leaving the city and taking a trip to the tropics. The air is warm (25° minimum all year long) and very humid. I recommend you to visit in winter when the outside temperature is negative, the effect is all the more striking.
This 12 m high greenhouse is home to more than 450 species growing on both sides of the equator. There are palms, banana trees, carnivorous plants... And my favorite: the mimosa with sensitive leaves! This very modest plant does not like to be touched. Its leaves retract at the slightest touch.
Practical information about Botanical Gardens of Strasbourg Near the University
Prices and opening hours of Botanical Garden in Strasbourg
The Botanical Garden is open from March, 1st to December 24th, every day of the week and during the weekends (except on May, 1st and November, 1st and 11th).
Entrance is free.
- From March to April and from September to October, the Botanical Garden of Strasbourg near the University is open from 3pm to 6pm
- From May to August, it's open from 3pm to 7pm
- From November to December, it's open from 2pm to 4pm
