Jardim Botânico Tropical

The Jardim Botânico Tropical was laid out from 1906 as a colonial garden - its original purpose was research into crops from the Portuguese territories in Africa, Asia and Brazil, and the plantings reflect that: palms of many species, dragon trees, bamboo, cycads, coffee and tropical fruit, arranged in about seven hectares behind walls immediately beside the Jerónimos monastery. There is an Asian garden with a Chinese-style gateway brought from the 1940 Exhibition of the Portuguese World, and peacocks and ducks wander the paths. It belongs to the University of Lisbon now and functions as a research collection and a public garden. What makes it worth the ticket is that it sits at the centre of the busiest tourist area in Portugal, twenty metres from queues of hundreds, and is almost always nearly empty.

History

The garden opened on 25 January 1906 under a royal decree of King Carlos, as a centre for the study of tropical plants from Portugal's overseas territories. It merged with the Colonial Agricultural Museum in 1944, joined the Institute for Tropical Scientific Research in 1974, was classified as a National Monument in 2007 and became part of the University of Lisbon in 2015 (Wikipedia, Lisbon Tropical Botanical Garden).

The landscape

• The palm collection - many species grown from the former colonial territories.
• The Asian garden - a Chinese-style gateway kept from the 1940 exhibition.
• The peacocks - birds wandering the paths and shaded lawns.
• The quiet - near-empty grounds beside the busiest queues in Portugal.

When to go

Year-round; spring and autumn are best for shade and flowering. One to two hours. Closes earlier in winter.

Practical notes

Some sections are unkempt and parts have been closed for works. Labelling is patchy. The garden's colonial origin is barely addressed on site. Ticketed, unlike Lisbon's public parks.

Nearby

The Jerónimos monastery is next door; the Belém tower is along the waterfront.

Key facts