Reykjavik Botanic Garden

The Grasagardur was founded in 1961 in the Laugardalur valley and holds around five thousand plant species and varieties in outdoor collections, which is a large number for a garden at this latitude and is partly the point: much of the planting is a long-running test of what will grow in Iceland, including the Icelandic native flora collection and beds arranged by region of origin. There are perennials, a rose garden that surprises people, an arboretum and a rock garden. Entry is free and it is open all year, with a greenhouse cafe that has become a fixture. The valley around it holds the city's main pool and sports grounds.

What you actually see

• Around five thousand species - a large collection for the latitude.
• A test of what survives here - much of the planting is experimental.
• Icelandic native flora - collected and labelled in its own section.
• A greenhouse cafe - the garden's social centre.

When to go

June to August for the planting; open free all year. Two hours.

Honest expectations

Outside the short growing season much of the garden is bare, and the summer itself is brief. It is a city garden rather than a large botanic institution. The cafe is busy at weekends. Paths are gravel and wet after rain.

Nearby

Laugardalslaug pool is next door; central Reykjavik is fifteen minutes west.