The city of Geneva has a dual life. On the one hand you have all these international organizations, its peaceful atmosphere, its friendly and civilized people, and its swans and ducks on the lake. On the other hand, you have its kinky night-life. Geneva is world famous for its red light district and its cabarets. If you like nature, you will love this botanical garden. This is an arboretum with extremely varied wildlife and thousands of roses, tulips, dahlias, irises…The Geneva Botanical Gardens are world famous. They provide an oasis of fresh and calm greenery, where you can discover or rediscover this exceptional and educational place for relaxing and strolling. It is nearby the “Palais des Nations”, and it is an easy walk from the square. If you are in the city center, take tram number 13 direction “Palettes”, and get off at its final stop. “Botanicum” (a family space) is near the lake. Since 1904, these 28 hectares located on the edge of Geneva, Switzerland, offer an ideal setting for either a simple stroll or for learning.

The Botanical Gardens consist of a collection of 16,000 plant species from all over the world. This truly living museum is divided into several sections: an arboretum, the rock garden and banks of protected plants, medicinal and useful plants, greenhouses, horticultural plants, an animal park devoted to conservation. Its greenhouses hold species from the six continents. And outside, in the park’s twenty-eight hectares (70 acres), you will find samples of forests from all corners of the world. In the park there is also the Botanical Conservatory, with a library that holds more than 200,000 botanical books. Its Conservatory owns a rich collection of 220,000 volumes and a herbarium containing over 5,5 million samples; visits are open to scientists by appointmen. There are 79 acres of beautiful horticultural display, including a 14-acre Japanese strolling garden, rose garden and a Climatron conservatory that made me feel like.
Created in 1817 by world-renowned botanist Augustin-Pyram de Candolle, the gardens also include greenhouses packed with plants from six continents, a scent-and-touch garden for the blind, a deer park, an aviary and one of the world’s largest botanical centers (open by prior request). Walking around the Botanical Gardens on a hot sticky day made for a perfect excuse to take a ride on the St. Louis stretch of Old Route 66. The Palmhouse highlights the back third of the gardens, but does not dominate the view. It actually enhances the aura of space by reflecting the power of the sunlight and the plants within—literally and figuratively. Inside the main vault you find Royal and Queen palms, and I just love that hothouse humidity and odor. It has that dual life-death quality inherent to the constancy of nature’s cycle.
The project is aimed at establishing the necessary structures and having the necessary staff in the two Southern botanical gardens in order to provide for the transfer of knowledge in the area of tropical biodiversity and sustainable development. This goal will be achieved through a North-South transfer and a South-South transfer of knowledge, both in terms of technical training and university education. The program will further the role already predominantly played by Southern women as custodians of traditional knowledge on biodiversity and as a pivotal force in any development policy.Opening hours:
October to March: 9.30 to 17.00.