Central Botanical Garden

The Central Botanical Garden of the Academy of Sciences was founded in 1932 and covers around ninety hectares in eastern Minsk, which makes it one of the largest botanical gardens in Europe by area, laid out with an arboretum, systematic beds, ponds, a rose garden and glasshouses holding tropical and subtropical collections. Its lilac collection is the one people come for: several hundred varieties flower in late May, and the garden fills for those two or three weeks. Roses follow through the summer. The glasshouses are visited separately and hold cacti, palms, orchids and an aquatic house. It adjoins Chelyuskintsev park and is used as much as a green space as a scientific collection.

What you actually see

• The lilac collection - hundreds of varieties flowering in late May.
• The rose garden - the summer planting after the lilacs.
• The glasshouses - the tropical, cactus and orchid collections.
• The arboretum - the tree collection across the grounds.

When to go

Late May for the lilacs, which is the garden's peak and its busiest fortnight; June to September for the roses and the rest of the planting. The glasshouses work year round with their own hours and tickets.

Honest expectations

The lilac season is short and extremely crowded. Glasshouse entry is charged separately. The garden is large and involves a lot of walking. Winter reduces it to bare trees and the glasshouses.

Nearby

Central Minsk lies west; the National Library is east.