> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://roadme.io/blog/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Zurich’s Two Botanical Gardens: Which One to Visit - URL: https://roadme.io/blog/zurich-two-botanical-gardens-which-choose/ - Published: 2026-10-24T02:11:08.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-24T02:11:08.000Z - Author: RoadMe - Tags: Itineraries, #zurich Zurich has two botanical gardens, and the useful distinction is what you want from the visit. The Old Botanical Garden at Pelikanstrasse 40 is a central green pause with mature trees, a hill and a historical medicinal-herb garden. The newer university garden at Zollikerstrasse 107 suits a dedicated plant visit, combining outdoor collections with distinctive domed display houses. These are separate addresses, not adjoining sections of one park. Both offer free admission, while grounds and buildings follow different opening arrangements. Choose the newer garden for tropical-house plants and arrive within the display-house hours. Choose the old garden when a quieter interval fits an existing city-centre walk. Visiting both is possible, but there is no need to treat them as an obligatory pair. ## Choose the role of the garden in your day > Use [RoadMe](https://roadme.io/?ref=roadme.io) to build a personalised plan for the whole trip around interests and pace. A garden can be a short pause or the day's main nature visit, with travel and rest given their own time. As an initial planning allowance, consider around thirty minutes to an hour for the old garden and roughly ninety minutes to two hours for the newer garden with its display houses. These are editorial suggestions, not measured walking times or compulsory durations. You can remain with one tree or choose only part of the grounds. Free entry removes a purchasing decision; it does not create a duty to complete every path. If you are already exploring central streets, travelling to the newer garden changes the day: it adds a separate journey and the approach from the chosen stop. That is worthwhile when plants are the purpose. If you only want a green seat before another appointment, the old garden usually answers that need better. Fit with the rest of the day can matter more than the number of species advertised. Decide this with travelling companions before setting off. Someone expecting a short rest may not enjoy an extended study of labels, while an enthusiastic gardener may want more than a passing look. Agree on a first stopping point and enough flexibility to shorten the visit. A successful shared outing need not produce the same level of interest in every person, provided the proposed format is understood. ## The old garden: mature trees in the city centre The Alter Botanischer Garten, at Pelikanstrasse 40 by the central Schanzengraben area, was established in 1837\. Its mature and unusual trees give it a different character from a newly planted flower display. Notice branching, trunk size, shade and the relationship between open and enclosed spaces. Flowers can be rewarding, but a visit need not depend on catching a particular period of blossom. The hill once formed the zur Katz defensive bulwark. This earlier use explains an important part of the setting: a site that once served the city's defences became a place for plants and public recreation. You do not need a detailed military reconstruction to enjoy this layer of history. Simply noticing the rising ground helps show how one urban site can acquire another purpose over time. Keep the route modest: enter, walk among trees, continue uphill if conditions and energy suit, and pause before leaving. You do not have to reach every corner. Wet surfaces or tired legs are good reasons to shorten the circuit. A central park on a hill should not be assumed level or equally easy from every entrance. Select the part that works for your companions rather than forcing a complete loop. ![Illustration of a traveller observing leaves in an imagined herb garden without touching plants](https://roadme.io/blog/content/images/2026/10/roadme-image-6310.webp) ## The Gessner Garden and the old Palm House The Gessner Garden at the highest part honours Zurich naturalist and city physician Conrad Gessner, who lived from 1516 to 1565\. Its medicinal plants introduce knowledge from the sixteenth century. A familiar herb can take on another meaning here: something understood through the history of observing, describing and classifying nature, rather than merely a kitchen ingredient or an ornamental border plant. Historical use does not amount to present medical advice. Read the information and compare leaf shapes without tasting or collecting anything. With a child, choose a straightforward question such as how two neighbouring leaves differ. That creates an observation rather than a test of Latin vocabulary. The point is to look closely and connect a plant with its interpretation, not to identify every specimen correctly. The octagonal Palmenhaus began as a wood-and-glass structure in 1851 and was replaced by a cast-iron version in 1877\. Today it is used predominantly for concerts, theatre and exhibitions. Do not expect the same everyday tropical-collection experience as in the newer garden's domes. Building access follows its own arrangements, and the university specifically lists closure of the Palm House from October to the end of April. The old garden itself has daytime seasonal gate hours. Check the exact address and date before an early-morning or late-afternoon visit. Outdoor public access does not mean twenty-four-hour entry, and open gates do not establish that the Palm House is open. If a particular indoor event is the reason for coming, confirm that programme separately from the ordinary park visit. ## The newer garden: make plants the main visit The Botanischer Garten der Universität Zürich at Zollikerstrasse 107 lies in Riesbach, above the eastern lakeside area. It opened in 1977 on the former park grounds of Villa Schönau. It is a university garden serving research, teaching and public understanding of plants. Attractive planting is only one part of its purpose: living collections make it possible to compare forms and the conditions to which plants are adapted. Choose a manageable question instead of trying to inspect the whole living collection. How do plants store water? What difference can you see between large leaves associated with wet conditions and more compact forms in dry regions? No specialist terminology is needed to begin. Look first and then read the information for a particular specimen. A visible difference provides a useful starting point for learning rather than an intimidating list. The grounds are uneven. The operator warns that the hilly topography and gravel natural paths can be challenging for wheelchair users, while also identifying routes without steps, ramps and a public lift from accessible parking spaces to the cafeteria. Ask about the entrance and route to the particular section you want. Specific guidance is more helpful than either a blanket claim of full access or assuming no visit is possible. Gardens also change through the year. Flowers, leaves and outdoor activity do not remain at the appearance shown in a summer photograph. In colder weather, structure, bark and evergreen forms may become the main interest outside. Choose a few things actually present rather than treating the visit as a search for an image from another season. The university's current notices are the place to check temporary restrictions. ## The domed houses have their own timetable Three conspicuous domes are the newer garden's best-known feature. Display houses introduce plants of tropical and dry regions, allowing close comparison of growing forms. Look at leaf scale, stems and growth habits. These are maintained environments supporting collections, rather than an untouched tropical forest. A photograph of one specimen on an older page does not guarantee that plant will be accessible during your particular visit. The regular display-house opening is daily from 09:30 to 16:45\. Outdoor gates may stay open longer, so arriving while the garden is still open does not guarantee access to the domes. Allow a comfortable margin before closing instead of approaching the entrance at the final minute. Technical work or special operating changes can alter what is available, making current university announcements worth checking before a dedicated journey. The houses provide interest on a cool day, but the entire outing is not indoors. The approach from transport and movement around the garden include outdoor sections. Suitable shoes and a rain layer help in wet weather; inside a warm humid environment, removing an outer layer may be more comfortable. Keep a bag close so that it does not catch plants or obstruct other people on the path. ![Illustration of a traveller among broad leaves in an imagined domed display house](https://roadme.io/blog/content/images/2026/10/roadme-image-6311.webp) ## Grounds hours and practical visiting rules For the newer garden, regular outdoor hours from April to October are 07:00–19:00 on weekdays and 08:00–18:00 on Saturdays, Sundays and general public holidays. From November to March, they are 08:00–18:00 on weekdays and 08:00–17:00 on weekends and holidays. The houses follow the shorter timetable above. Check exceptions and the season applying to your date, particularly for an early or late visit. The university stresses that a botanical garden is not a playground. Children under twelve must be accompanied by adults. Slow looking and a few brief questions can make a good family visit, while vigorous play belongs in another suitable place. Dogs are not admitted, with an exception for certified assistance dogs. Knowing this before departure is easier than changing the entire plan at the gate. Do not collect plants, sample fruit or leave permitted paths for a photograph. A familiar everyday name is not permission to touch a specimen. Stop where others can still pass before using a camera. A living collection is for observation rather than obtaining your own samples. The same consideration makes a short visit comfortable for other visitors and helps the staff maintain the collection without interruption. ## Should you combine both gardens? > With [RoadMe](https://roadme.io/?ref=roadme.io), distribute the whole trip around interests and pace: one garden can be the main walk and the other a short pause on another day. Leave space for meals and rest between visits. Combining the sites is worthwhile when the contrast itself interests you: a historical central park and a university plant collection with houses. This is not a continuous stroll within one estate. Allow a separate walk or public-transport journey and check the current connection using both addresses. An old tram number in an archived leaflet should not replace the timetable for the day you travel. If doing both, give the newer garden a place within display-house hours and add the old garden only when gate times and energy fit. The reverse order can also work if sufficient time remains before 16:45 for travel and unhurried viewing. Two rushed arrivals are not necessarily better than one attentive visit. If the transfer feels like the main activity, spread the gardens across different days. ![Illustration of a traveller resting on a bench beside water in an imagined botanical garden](https://roadme.io/blog/content/images/2026/10/roadme-image-6312.webp) Choose the old garden for a central green interval, the newer one for plants from different climates and the domed houses. Good weather supports outdoor wandering, while a cool day makes the houses' timetable particularly relevant. In either case, decide the character of the visit before chasing complete coverage. The garden can then offer the rest, observation or new understanding that brought you there.