{"id":7160,"date":"2023-12-22T12:37:04","date_gmt":"2023-12-22T11:37:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/provencelovers.fr\/visit-botanical-garden-villa-thuret-antibes\/"},"modified":"2026-03-26T16:15:55","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T15:15:55","slug":"visit-botanical-garden-villa-thuret-antibes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/provencelovers.fr\/en\/visit-botanical-garden-villa-thuret-antibes\/","title":{"rendered":"Botanical garden of Villa Thuret (Antibes): visit + photos"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Looking for greenery? Contrary to popular belief, it’s possible to recharge your batteries in the heart of nature on the C\u00f4te 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.<\/p>\n\n

Here are our practical tips<\/strong> for planning your visit to the Villa Thuret Botanical Gardens in Antibes.<\/p>\n\n

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This guide is completely independent<\/strong>, based on our experiences. We visited the region anonymously, making our own choices and paying our bills in full.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n

Is a visit to the Villa Thuret Botanical Gardens worthwhile?<\/h2>\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n

This is one of the best places to visit in Antibes.<\/a><\/p>\n\n

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WHERE TO STAY IN Antibes<\/span><\/h5>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Option 1: near the ramparts<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Near the city walls, where you can enjoy the charm of the old town and all the restaurants.Hotel la Villa Port<\/strong> – prices, pictures and availability<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Near the beaches (Ponteil and Salis), with views of the ramparts and the mountains.Hotel La Jabotte<\/strong> – prices, pictures and availability<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Juan-les-Pins, in the heart of the peninsula.Hotel La Villa Cap d’Antibes<\/strong> – prices, pictures and availability<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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See our complete selection of the best hotels in Antibes<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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See all accommodations available on your dates >>.<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n

What you can see<\/h2>\n\n

The Gustave Thuret bust<\/h3>\n\n
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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.<\/p>\n\n

Splendid umbrella pines<\/h3>\n\n
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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!<\/p>\n\n

A 19th-century cave<\/h3>\n\n
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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!<\/p>\n\n

A beautiful Canary arbutus<\/h3>\n\n
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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>!<\/p>\n\n

A superb Echium nervosum <\/h3>\n\n
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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<\/a> archipelago, where they are endemic!<\/p>\n\n

Acacias<\/h3>\n\n
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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.<\/p>\n\n

Palms and cycads<\/h3>\n\n
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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.<\/p>\n\n

The Villa Thuret Botanical Garden in Antibes: how to get there<\/h2>\n\n

Where is the garden?<\/h3>\n\n