The World’s 100 Best Botanical Gardens · 2026
The Best Botanical Gardens in the Nordics
2 of the 100 venues in The World’s 100 Best Botanical Gardens 2026 are in the Nordics, in 2 countries. The highest placed is Gothenburg Botanical Garden in Gothenburg, Sweden, at number 8 in the world.
Two gardens, both free
Gothenburg Botanical Garden lies on hilly ground next to a nature reserve with forest trails. It has a rock garden with a waterfall, a Japanese dell and a rhododendron valley, and entry is free with a voluntary donation. The Arctic-Alpine Botanic Garden in Tromsø grows arctic and alpine plants from Norway and from mountain regions around the world on slopes that look out to mountains and sea. It is also free, a visit takes one to two hours, and the flowers peak in July.
Venues
Best by region
- The NordicsGothenburg Botanical GardenGothenburg, SwedenN° 8
- EuropeBodnant GardenTal-y-Cafn, United KingdomN° 5
- AsiaRoyal Botanic Gardens, PeradeniyaKandy, Sri LankaN° 6
- The Middle EastDubai Miracle GardenDubai, United Arab EmiratesN° 13
- North AmericaThe Butchart GardensBrentwood Bay, CanadaN° 2
- The CaribbeanHunte’s GardensSaint Joseph, BarbadosN° 17
- Latin AmericaJardim Botânico do Rio de JaneiroRio de Janeiro, BrazilN° 28
- AfricaJardin d’Essai du HammaAlgiers, AlgeriaN° 1
- OceaniaRoyal Botanic Gardens MelbourneMelbourne, AustraliaN° 15