Príncipe Real Botanical Gardens

Created in the early 19th century in Príncipe Real, next to Lisbon Polytechnic’s Science Academy, these botanical gardens are considered of the most important in Europe, housing over 2,500 species, some of which are extremely rare. With its palm-tree lines entrance and a labyrinth of criss-crossing paved paths, the gardens cover about 10 acres, but remain hidden from the surrounding streets. The gardens were laid out between 1858 and 1873 and at the time were considered the finest botanical garden in southern Europe.

Today, having been restored after suffering some neglect, they remain one of the largest collections of subtropical vegetation in Europe, with over 18,000 individually labelled plants from all over the world. The formidable collection included a large number of Cycads, strange Australian trees and prehistoric palm-ferns dating back to the time of the dinosaurs.

Rua da Escola Politécnica 56. Tel: 21 396 1521. Open Mondays to Fridays from 09:00 - 18:00 and on Saturdays and Sundays it opens at 10:00.