What Are the Most Beautiful Botanical Gardens in the World?

Posted by Brian Sparks|October 27, 2023

When you visit a botanical garden, you get to learn so much more about the science of these individual plants while also admiring their beauty. Because of the popularity of island gardens, the team at HawaiianIslands.com thought it would be a great idea to reflect on all of the most beautiful botanical gardens state by state and around the globe.

HawaiianIslands.com researched the top botanical gardens in each destination and looked at reviews from highly reputable sources. They mainly focused on botanical gardens where the garden was the main attraction and there weren’t numerous other attractions within the garden.

The botanical gardens with the highest reviews made it to the top of the list, along with the gardens with the highest percent of “beautiful” mentions in the reviews.

Key Findings

North Carolina’s Sarah P. Duke Gardens and Maine’s Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens have the highest percentage of great and excellent reviews at 97%. That means only 3% of each garden has average or below-average reviews.
Out of the most beautiful, Mississippi’s Mynelle Gardens Arboretum & Botanical Center has the highest percentage of visitors who rated the garden center 3 stars and below or thought it was below average at 34%.
In Europe, Scotland, London, and France all held a spot for the most “beautiful” garden in the continent. Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh in Scotland steals first place with 26.6% of its reviews mentioning the word “beautiful.”

The beauty of each state is that they all have a little something different to offer in the garden department. Some states have large sculptures and archways to showcase the different range of plants and flowers, while others have smaller areas with ponds and lit pathways. Some have more desert-based plants while others have mountain wildflowers. Luckily, travelers love to visit new destinations that offer something different than the last.

Learn more about the report here. You can also check out the infographic below.