The World's Most Instagrammable Botanical Gardens

Since 1759, when Princess Augusta founded the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew in England, the concept of English landscape gardens spread to continental Europe, North America, and the world, allowing more people to understand the significance of botanical gardens in the study of plant diversity and ecological conservation. They are oases in urban life and encyclopedias of natural ecology. Today, Little Travel City introduces the world's top five botanical gardens worth visiting. Save this list!

01 Kew Gardens (Original price? 18, free with Go City Pass)

Kew Gardens is a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to its vast collection of plants, endangered plants, and fungi. To date, the garden boasts over 33,000 species of native and exotic plants, trees, and flowers. It is also the filming location for the documentary "Kingdom of Plants" narrated by the famous presenter David Attenborough.

In the garden's famous greenhouses, you'll find tropical rainforests, the Waterlily House, the Treetop Walkway, and other beautiful and delicate flowers and plants from around the world. Every step reveals a new view, and every corner brings surprises.

Kew Gardens features a royal residence that once served as King George III's summer "retreat" and was the most private royal palace in England.

It also boasts the world's largest flower border, stretching 320 meters and planted with over 60,000 varieties of summer flowers. In spring and summer, the flowers bloom in profusion, intoxicating the senses—a dazzling world of flowers. No wonder George III chose to live here.

Kew Gardens' influence in horticulture, plant diversity, and economic botany has spread worldwide.

02 Chelsea Physic Garden (Original price? 12, free with Go City Pass)

Founded in 1673, Chelsea Physic Garden is the oldest botanical garden in England. It is nearly 100 years older than the famous Kew Gardens and developed throughout the 17th century with the establishment of seed exchange. The seed exchange system, created by Chelsea Physic Garden, played a key role in promoting historical ecological diversity.

With advances in modern medicine, Chelsea Physic Garden now grows a wide variety of plants used in indigenous medicine, Western pharmaceuticals, perfume-making, and spices.

In its world-renowned greenhouses, there are many plants from the Americas and Pacific islands. Chelsea Physic Garden also has the largest olive tree in England, considered the garden's "treasure."

03 Brooklyn Botanic Garden (Original price $16, free with Go New York Pass)

Brooklyn Botanic Garden is an urban oasis in New York City. Once a garbage dump, it was transformed in the late 19th century and now stands as an exemplary model of urban gardening and horticultural exhibitions in the United States.

The Cranford Rose Garden is one of the largest and best rose gardens in the U.S., with over 5,000 bushes representing nearly 1,200 varieties, including all rose types found in America. In May, over 45,000 bluebells sway in the breeze, creating a mesmerizing scene.

The Plant Family Evolution Area showcases the fascinating sequence of plant evolution on Earth.

The Lily Pool contains nearly 100 hardy and tropical water lilies and sacred lotuses, making it one of the most captivating sights each summer.

Worth mentioning is the Children's Garden, established in 1914, which is the oldest continuously operating children's garden in the world and serves as a model for cultivating children's hands-on skills—an excellent place for learning through play.

04 New York Botanical Garden (Original price $22, free with Go New York Pass)

New York Botanical Garden spans about 100 hectares and is one of the best botanical gardens in the world. It features a world-leading plant laboratory and attracts over one million visitors each year to see tropical, temperate, and desert plants. The garden is an advocate for the plant kingdom, fulfilling its mission through its role as a living museum of plant collections.

At the heart of the New York Botanical Garden are the ancient forest groves—the largest remaining remnants of the primeval forest that covered all of New York City before the arrival of European colonizers in the 17th century.

Popular attractions include the "Crystal Palace-style" greenhouse, rose garden, rock garden, and herbarium. Smell the roses, colorful azaleas, delicate cherry blossoms, and sweet magnolias. Approaching the New York Botanical Garden, you'll feel a spiritual impact contrasting sharply with New York's skyscrapers.

05 Gardens by the Bay (Original price S$28, free with Go Singapore Pass)

Gardens by the Bay is the "youngest" botanical garden in the world, with a reputation that rivals the antique gardens mentioned above. Founded in 2012, it won the "Landscape Award" from World Architecture News the following year, the "Best Attraction in Asia Pacific" from Travel Weekly in 2015, and the "Best Visitor Experience" award from the Singapore Tourism Awards in 2019.

The Flower Dome in Bay South Garden broke the Guinness World Record in 2015 as the largest glass greenhouse. It houses plants from five continents, from olive trees thousands of years old to magnolias and orchids—everything you can imagine.

Cloud Forest is a mist-filled landscape with rare and exotic plants. Looking up at the Cloud Mountain and exploring plants from tropical highlands will surely leave you in awe.

The Supertree Grove ranges from 25 to 50 meters tall, with two towering structures connected by a giant aerial walkway. At night, the structures light up in a dazzling light show. Climb the 50-meter-high Supertree Observatory for an unforgettable view of the Marina Bay skyline.

Take your Go City Pass, stroll leisurely, and breathe in the fragrance.