Looking for greenery? Contrary to popular belief, it’s possible to recharge your batteries in the heart of nature on the Côte d’Azur. The Villa Thuret Botanical Garden, located halfway between Cap d’Antibes and Juan-les-Pins, is proof of this. This 3.5-hectare exotic plant acclimatization site offers a haven of peace in the heart of the city! Dating from 1857, it features no fewer than 2,500 trees and shrubs.
Here are our practical tips for planning your visit to the Villa Thuret Botanical Gardens in Antibes.
This guide is completely independent, based on our experiences. We visited the region anonymously, making our own choices and paying our bills in full.
Is a visit to the Villa Thuret Botanical Gardens worthwhile?
Absolutely! We fell in love with this garden! We found it richly deserving of its 2 labels: “remarkable garden” and “remarkable trees”. The visit, punctuated by explanatory panels, enables visitors to understand the issues involved in studying and conserving species. We learned a lot about Mediterranean and exotic plants. We recommend this visit, which will enable you to observe 2,500 trees and shrubs representing over a thousand species.
This is one of the best places to visit in Antibes.
What you can see
The Gustave Thuret bust
If you take the path to the right of the entrance, you’ll soon come across the sculpted bust of botanist Gustave Thuret (1817-1875). Originally from Normandy, he was seduced by Antibes and decided to set up a villa and garden dedicated to the introduction of exotic plants. With almost 2,691 species in 1875, the garden has become an open-air laboratory, an annex of the Jardin des Plantes in Paris. On the botanist’s death, the garden became the property of the state, which turned it into a national laboratory for higher education and research.
Splendid umbrella pines
You’ll notice that the botanist’s sculpture is surrounded by splendid umbrella pines. Take the time to admire their superb foliage! Perhaps you’ll be able to observe the phenomenon of “tree shyness”. Thanks to an explanatory panel, we learned that the ends of the branches of the so-called “shy” trees don’t touch!
A 19th-century cave
After passing through a small bamboo grove, you come upon a 19th-century grotto. We were very surprised to see this cave, which seemed quite deep, in this garden dedicated to research!
A beautiful Canary arbutus
This arbutus tree, with its red-tinged trunk, made a particularly strong impression on us. We found it really beautiful with its sinuous, leaning branches. It reminded us of our trips to the Canaries!
A superb Echium nervosum
In addition to trees, you’ll also find shrubs and beautiful flowers in the garden. As far as we’re concerned, we fell in love with this “Echium Nervosum” from Portugal. This lilac-hued species belongs to the Boraginaceae family. We had seen them in the Madeira archipelago, where they are endemic!
Acacias
You’ll be able to see a number of species from the Protaceae family, shrubs from warm climates with a wide variety of shapes. A large area is then devoted to acacias, as shown by this superb “Acacia Anceps” from Australia, with its yellow flowers.
Palms and cycads
Before leaving the garden, we admired some impressive palm trees. They are a must for a garden dedicated to exotic species, as are cycads. This order of plants includes some 350 species with palm-like leaves, but generally smaller than palms. They grow naturally on every continent except Europe! So it’s good to see that some have acclimatized to our climate in this botanical garden.
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The Villa Thuret Botanical Garden in Antibes: how to get there
Where is the garden?
- The garden is located in chemin Gustave Raymond, in the Saramatel district, between Cap d’Antibes, Juan-les-Pins and Plage de la Salis.
- It’s a 30-minute walk or 10-minute drive from Juan-les-Pins and Le Vieil Antibes.
Access by car and parking
The botanical garden is located in a residential area. This makes parking easier than in Old Antibes. The nearest parking lot (10-minute walk) is the Crouton parking lot. It is free. A 20-minute walk will take you to the free Garoupe parking lot. If you prefer, you can also park in Juan-les-Pins’ secure pay parking lots.
OUR TPS FOR RENTING YOUR CAR IN Provence
- Compare prices on our preferred platform: DiscoverCars – one of the best rated sites.
- Choose a car that is powerful enough (the roads are steep) but compact (some passages are narrow).
- Think of thecomplete insurance (some roads are tortuous and narrow).
- There is a lot of demand, book it early.
Public transport access
The garden is a 5-minute walk from the “Chemin de la Salis” stop on line 2, which takes you to downtown Antibes. We recommend that you consult the transport network map on the official website here.
Visiting difficulties
The garden paths are flat, but slightly stony. It is therefore not accessible to people with reduced mobility. Toilets are available for visitors, as is an information leaflet in English, French, Italian and German.
Visit the Botanical Gardens of Villa Thuret: practical advice
Schedules and prices
- Winter opening hours: Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 5:30pm.
- Summer opening hours: Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm.
- Closed weekends and public holidays.
Self-guided tours are free of charge.
How long
Allow 1h30 to 2 hours for the visit, depending on your interest in botany.
Best moment
We advise you to visit in the morning to minimize the number of visitors, especially during the summer months. Then why not take advantage of the beaches of La Salis or Juan-les-Pins? For more ideas, read our article on what to do in Antibes.
Direction of visit
There’s no imposed meaning. We started our visit by taking the path on the right as we entered, but you can tour the garden in the opposite direction by taking the path on your left.
Eating out
The garden is close to Cap d’Antibes, with its many fine restaurants, and to Juan-les-Pins, with its wide range of restaurants. To find out which one to choose, read our article on the best restaurants to eat in Antibes!
Hotels
Antibes is an ideal place to spend the night, close to Cannes and Nice. Here are our recommendations for your stay:
WHERE TO STAY IN Antibes
Option 1: near the ramparts
Close to the ramparts, to enjoy the charm of the old town and all the restaurants.
Hôtel la Villa Port – See prices, photos and availability
On the beach side (Ponteil and Salis) with views of the ramparts and mountains.
Hôtel La Jabotte – See prices, photos and availability
In Juan-les-Pins, in the heart of the peninsula.
Hôtel La Villa Cap d’Antibes – See prices, photos and availability
