Whether you’re a plant lover or just need a break from urban life, botanical gardens are the perfect place to unwind and soak up nature’s beauty.
With interest in botanical breaks on the rise, Saga Holidays explored Europe’s top botanical gardens, ranking them based on review sentiment to find the most beautiful. A survey of 500 UK respondents was conducted to understand what is driving the trend of visiting botanical gardens and what makes them so appealing to visitors.
Europe’s most beautiful botanical gardens
The study evaluated each garden by analysing Google reviews, assessing sentiment and considering the average rate of keywords like ‘beautiful’ and ‘peaceful’. The final ranking was determined by a weighted score that balances sentiment with descriptive language, ensuring a transparent comparison across the gardens.
Kew Gardens: London’s botanical jewel
Crowned Europe’s most gorgeous garden, Kew Gardens (49K Google reviews) has almost 85,000 mentions of beauty in its reviews and a perfect weighted rank score of 100, reflecting its popularity and high sentiment among visitors. Home to the world’s largest and most diverse collections of plants and fungi, this UNESCO World Heritage Site has over 50,000 different living plants and more than 7 million preserved specimens.
Stavros Niarchos Park leads sentiment rankings
Athen’s Stavros Niarchos Park (41K Google reviews) tops the charts in second place with a sentiment score of 96/100- the highest sentiment score in the study. With over 70,000 beauty related keywords in its reviews, this Mediterranean flora oasis is loved by visitors due to its unique blend of nature and architecture.
Dublin’s best-kept green secret
Dublin’s National Botanic Gardens (17K Google reviews) has 25,633 mentions of beauty yet an impressive sentiment score of 95, showing a consistently high level of positive sentiment from visitors. Known for their plant collections and restored glasshouses, the gardens are a perfect spot for relaxation in the Irish capital.
Botanical beauty in Paris and Vienna
Ranked third and fourth, Paris’s Jardin des Plantes and Vienna’s Schönbrunn Gardens both have a royal heritage and historical significance.
Jardin des Plantes (48K Google reviews), with 31,027 keywords referring to beauty, ranks fourth thanks to its strong sentiment score of 85, showing the impact of positive visitor experiences. Schönbrunn Gardens (57K Google reviews) earns third place, having more mentions of beauty (47,598) than its French counterpart, but a sentiment score of 74.
Off the beaten path: 3 gardens worth discovering
Berlin’s Botanical Garden (16K Google reviews), with just over 20,000 mentions of beauty and an average sentiment score of 91, is an underrated gem of the German capital. It boasts one of the world’s richest diversities of plant species.
With an impressive sentiment score of 93, Geneva’s Botanical Garden (8K Google reviews) is one of Europe’s most underrated gardens, displaying an extensive collection of tropical plants, alpine flora, and medicinal herbs.
Ranked fifth, Kraków’s Botanical Garden of the Jagiellonian University (12K Google reviews), with its tree-lined avenues and secret pathways, is another overlooked botanical oasis, counting almost 29,000 mentions of beauty and a sentiment score of 82.
The growth of garden getaways
The rising interest in garden holidays is clear in the latest travel trends. Richard Newsome, Head of Product at Saga Holidays, said:
“It’s fantastic to see our gardens holidays gaining popularity, with the number of guests booking these holidays significantly higher than last year. Many of our 2025 garden getaways are almost fully booked: a sign that green escapes are in full bloom! With availability dwindling quickly, we are already exploring new destinations for 2026, as we look to expand our offerings.”
Nature’s therapy
A survey on 500 UK respondents confirms the charm of botanical gardens, with the majority (57%) stating they are likely to visit one on a city break. 19% of participants prioritise visiting botanical gardens during their holidays, in line with the growing trend of choosing nature-focused breaks.
Natural beauty is the main driver, with 42% of respondents appreciating the visual appeal.
The peaceful atmosphere is what hits the mark for 33% of respondents, who enjoy gardens as a space to unwind and relax, appreciating the calm and serenity they offer.
One in ten respondents are drawn to the overall sensory experience; the blend of bright colours, delicate scents, and soothing sounds offering an immersive escape.
Visiting a garden is also seen as an educational experience or to spend quality time with family or friends (both scoring 10% respectively).
Spending time in botanical gardens commonly leaves visitors with positive feelings. Over half of survey respondents (55%) said they felt peaceful after visiting one, highlighting their restorative and calming effect. Inspiration and creativity were mentioned by over a fifth of participants (23%), who feel inspired by a garden’s beauty.