With some travel restrictions being dropped from the 17th of May, many Brits are rushing to book holidays to warmer climes this summer. With this in mind, and with several European countries currently on the green list, we analysed TripAdvisor data to discover the top-rated gardens across Europe. Read on to find out more…
Analysing TripAdvisor Data
Based on TripAdvisor’s top 50 suggested destinations for "gardens" in 'Things to Do' in Europe, correct as of 09/05/2021, we analysed the average rating and number of reviews for each attraction, before multiplying these figures together to form an overall score.
Ordered from highest score to lowest, the findings revealed the following:
RANK | GARDEN | LOCATION | COUNTRY | AVERAGE RATING | REVIEWS | SCORE* |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Luxembourg Gardens | Paris | France | 4.5 | 34,883 | 156,973.5 |
2 | Real Alcazar de Sevilla | Seville | Spain | 4.5 | 34,640 | 155,880.0 |
3 | English Garden | Munich | Germany | 4.5 | 17,831 | 80,239.5 |
4 | Quinta de Regaleria | Sintra | Portugal | 5 | 13,313 | 66,565.0 |
5 | Musee Rodin | Paris | France | 4.5 | 12,460 | 56,070.0 |
6 | Keukenhof | Lisse | Netherlands | 4.5 | 12,079 | 54,355.5 |
7 | Gereralife | Granada | Spain | 4.5 | 11,267 | 50,701.5 |
8 | Schonbrunner Gardens | Vienna | Austria | 4.5 | 10,251 | 46,129.5 |
9 | Royal Botanic Garden Kew | Kew | England | 4.5 | 8,491 | 38,209.5 |
10 | Monte Palace Madeira | Funchal | Portugal | 4.5 | 8,480 | 38,160.0 |
11 | Chatsworth House | Bakewell | England | 4.5 | 8,432 | 37,944.0 |
12 | Upper Barrakka Gardens | Valletta | Malta | 4.5 | 8,257 | 37,156.5 |
13 | Alcazar de los Reyes Cristianos | Corodoba | Spain | 4.5 | 7,947 | 35,761.5 |
14 | Fondation Claude Monet | Giverny | France | 4.5 | 7,893 | 35,518.5 |
15 | Madeira Botanical Garden | Funchal | Portugal | 4.5 | 7,797 | 35,086.5 |
16 | Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh | Edinburgh | Scotland | 4.5 | 7,565 | 34,042.5 |
17 | Jardin des Tuileries | Paris | France | 4.5 | 7,525 | 33,862.5 |
18 | Princes Street Gardens | Edinburgh | Scotland | 4.5 | 7,323 | 32,953.5 |
19 | Nymphenburg Palace | Munich | Germany | 4.5 | 7,232 | 32,544.0 |
20 | Mirabell Palace and Gardens | Salzburg | Austria | 4.5 | 6,905 | 31,072.5 |
21 | Villa d'Este | Tivoli | Italy | 4.5 | 6,481 | 29,164.5 |
22 | Regent's Park | London | England | 4.5 | 6,377 | 28,696.5 |
23 | The Lost Gardens of Heligan | Pentewan | England | 4.5 | 6,336 | 28,512.0 |
24 | Palazzon Pitti | Florence | Italy | 4.5 | 5,738 | 25,821.0 |
25 | Giardino di Boboli | Florence | Italy | 4.5 | 4,722 | 21,249.0 |
26 | Botanical Gardens (Jardin Botanico) | Puerto de la Cruz | Spain | 4.5 | 4,662 | 20,979.0 |
27 | I Giardini di Castel Trauttmansdorff | Merano | Italy | 5 | 3,464 | 17,320.0 |
28 | Villa Cimbrone Gardens | Ravello | Italy | 4.5 | 3,843 | 17,293.5 |
29 | Chateau de Villandry | Villandry | France | 4.5 | 3,717 | 16,726.5 |
30 | Arundel Castle and Gardens | Arundel | England | 4.5 | 3,297 | 14,836.5 |
31 | Villa Carlotte | Tremezzina | Italy | 4.5 | 3,253 | 14,638.5 |
32 | Villa and Jardins Ephrussi de Rothschild | St-Jean-Cap-Ferrat | France | 4.5 | 2,494 | 11,223.0 |
33 | Trebah Garden | Mawnan Smith | England | 4.5 | 2,453 | 11,038.5 |
34 | Jardines de Santa Clotilde | Lloret de Mar | Spain | 4.5 | 2,421 | 10,894.5 |
35 | RHS Garden Wisley | Wisley | England | 4.5 | 2,363 | 10,633.5 |
36 | I Giardini di Villa Melzi | Bellagio | Italy | 4.5 | 2,326 | 10,467.0 |
37 | Blaire Castle and Hercules Gardens | Blair Atholl | Scotland | 4.5 | 1,836 | 8,262.0 |
38 | Jardin des Plantes | Paris | France | 4.5 | 1,748 | 7,866.0 |
39 | Isola Bella | Lake Maggiore | Italy | 4.5 | 1,703 | 7,663.5 |
40 | Les Jardins d'Etretat | Etretat | France | 4.5 | 1,588 | 7,146.0 |
41 | Jardin Botanico Viera & Clavijo | Las Palmas de Gran Canaria | Spain | 4.5 | 1,585 | 7,132.5 |
42 | Wallenstein Palace Gardens | Prague | Czech Republic | 4.5 | 1,408 | 6,336.0 |
43 | Villa Monastero | Varenna | Italy | 4.5 | 1,340 | 6,030.0 |
44 | Luxembourg Palace | Paris | France | 4.5 | 1,189 | 5,350.5 |
45 | National Trust Cliveden | Taplow | England | 4.5 | 1,098 | 4,941.0 |
46 | Winterbourne House and Gardens | Birmingham | England | 4.5 | 1,078 | 4,851.0 |
47 | Highgrove Gardens | Tetbury | England | 4.5 | 1,011 | 4,549.5 |
48 | Palmengarten | Frankfurt | Germany | 4.5 | 1,008 | 4,536.0 |
49 | Botanical Gardens Flora | Cologne | Germany | 4.5 | 790 | 3,555.0 |
50 | the Vrtba Garden | Prague | Czech Republic | 4.5 | 715 | 3,217.5 |
With almost 35,000 reviews, Luxembourg Gardens in Paris, France took the top spot, with an average rating of 4.5 out of 5. Real Alcazar de Sevilla in Seville, Spain took a close second, whilst English Garden in Munich, Germany; Quinta de Regaleria, qin Sintra, Portugal; and Musee Rodin, in Paris, France made up the remainder of the top 5.
Gardens based in England featured 10 times, making up 20% of the top 50 gardens in Europe, as suggested by TripAdvisor. Taking 9th place overall, Royal Botanic Garden Kew was the first appearance for England, with an average rating of 4.5 from 8,491 reviews, closely following by Chatsworth House in Bakewell (11th place overall).
Also proving popular, gardens based in Italy and France featured 9 times each, followed by Germany (4), Portugal and Scotland (3), and Austria and Czech Republic (2). Gardens based in the Netherlands, and Malta were also featured in the top 50 list.
If you’ve been inspired by the European gardens mentioned in our research, why not optimise your favourite European gardens in your own home! Clever choices on which flowers, plant, and topiary to include, as well as mimicking layouts and landscaping from your favourite garden, are a great place to start.
For Parisian look, keep a perfectly maintained lawn lined with colourful flowers, or opt for native flora, such as iris flowers or lilies, for a more muted palette. Choosing the right garden paving can also be the perfect way to transform your outdoor space – mainly used to guide guests around the gardens to specific focal points or spots of interest, paving slabs can also be used as another design feature in your own garden.
*All data correct as of 09/05/2021