From peonies in Pennsylvania to ornate Moorish terraces, the world is dotted with gardens that feel like living dreams—and 2025 brings fresh contenders. These 18 stunning landscapes—from intimate courtyards and tropical paradises to grand historic estates—showcase nature’s artistry at its best.
Wander with me as we explore each groomed oasis, soak in its story, and maybe find your next travel-worthy escape.
1. Keukenhof Gardens, Netherlands
Seven million flower bulbs burst into a kaleidoscope of color each spring at this Dutch masterpiece. Nicknamed the ‘Garden of Europe,’ Keukenhof spans 79 acres of meticulously designed flowerbeds, winding streams, and peaceful ponds.
For 2025, garden designers have created special displays celebrating the 80th anniversary of Dutch liberation with breathtaking tulip arrangements in red, white, and blue.
The garden’s newly expanded butterfly house now features rare tropical species alongside the traditional Dutch blooms.
2. Gardens by the Bay, Singapore
Futuristic ‘supertrees’ soar up to 16 stories high in this botanical wonderland where technology meets nature. The metal structures, covered with over 162,900 plants, light up in dazzling displays each evening against Singapore’s skyline.
Recent additions include a new biodiversity garden showcasing endangered Southeast Asian plant species and interactive climate exhibits.
The Cloud Forest conservatory has been expanded with a multi-level waterfall and mountain ecosystem featuring plants from high-elevation regions around the world.
3. Butchart Gardens, Canada
From abandoned limestone quarry to world-renowned garden paradise, Butchart tells a story of transformation.
Located near Victoria on Vancouver Island, these 55 acres showcase themed gardens including the dramatic Sunken Garden, fragrant Rose Garden, and tranquil Japanese Garden. The garden’s 2025 centennial celebration brings new night lighting installations and expanded seasonal displays.
Master gardeners have introduced rare heritage plant varieties throughout the property, connecting visitors with botanical history while innovative water conservation systems demonstrate sustainable gardening practices.
4. Villa d’Este, Italy
Renaissance grandeur meets hydraulic ingenuity at this 16th-century Italian masterpiece. Cascading terraces descend the hillside adorned with hundreds of fountains that operate entirely by gravity—no pumps required!
The garden’s famous Avenue of a Hundred Fountains has been fully restored for 2025, with water features functioning as originally designed. New guided tours explore the sophisticated Renaissance water engineering that powers the spectacular jets and fountains.
Recently uncovered mosaic pathways have been restored, revealing intricate patterns that complement the garden’s mathematical precision.
5. Kenrokuen Garden, Japan
Centuries of careful cultivation have created this perfect embodiment of Japanese garden principles. Located in Kanazawa, Kenrokuen achieves the six attributes considered essential for ideal gardens: spaciousness, seclusion, artifice, antiquity, water features, and panoramas.
The garden’s famous yukitsuri (snow suspensions)—ropes arranged in conical shapes to protect pine trees from heavy snow—create stunning winter sculptures. Newly restored tea houses offer traditional ceremonies amid seasonal beauty.
For 2025, special nighttime illuminations highlight ancient stone lanterns and reflection ponds throughout all four seasons.
6. Majorelle Garden, Morocco
Electric cobalt blue buildings stand in striking contrast against exotic cacti and palms in this Marrakech oasis. Created by French painter Jacques Majorelle and later saved by fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent, this garden celebrates both artistic vision and botanical diversity.
The garden’s collection of rare desert plants has expanded with new species from similar climate zones worldwide. Flowing water features provide cooling respite from Moroccan heat while the vivid blue architectural elements create a dreamlike atmosphere.
A newly opened pavilion houses rotating exhibitions on North African botany and sustainable desert gardening.
7. Brooklyn Botanic Garden, USA
Urban renewal blooms in this 52-acre sanctuary where cherry blossom festivals draw thousands each spring. The garden’s diverse collections include a native flora garden, a Shakespeare garden filled with plants mentioned in his works, and a fragrance garden designed for the visually impaired.
Recent innovations include climate-adaptive planting strategies and expanded water conservation systems. The newly completed urban meadow project demonstrates how native grassland ecosystems can thrive in city environments.
For 2025, interactive plant identification technology allows visitors to learn about specimens instantly through their smartphones.
8. Nong Nooch Tropical Garden, Thailand
Elephant-shaped topiary and intricate Thai architecture create a fantastical landscape at this 500-acre wonderland near Pattaya. Beyond ornamental gardens, Nong Nooch houses one of the largest palm collections in the world with over 1,100 species.
The garden’s newly expanded orchid nursery showcases Thailand’s rich diversity of native species alongside preservation efforts.
Daily cultural performances celebrate Thai heritage while educational programs highlight conservation efforts for endangered plant species. For 2025, a new canopy walkway allows visitors to experience the garden from treetop level.
9. Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, South Africa
Indigenous flora thrives against the dramatic backdrop of Table Mountain at this Cape Town treasure. Established in 1913 to preserve South Africa’s unique plant heritage, Kirstenbosch showcases plants from the Cape Floral Kingdom—one of six floral kingdoms worldwide.
The Centenary Tree Canopy Walkway (nicknamed ‘Boomslang’ after a local snake) lets visitors stroll among treetops. Recent expansion of the medicinal garden highlights traditional plant remedies used by indigenous peoples.
For 2025, new water-wise demonstration gardens showcase sustainable landscaping techniques for drought conditions.
10. Château de Versailles Gardens, France
Royal opulence stretches across 2,000 acres at this testament to geometric perfection. André Le Nôtre’s 17th-century design for Louis XIV embodied power through symmetry, with grand perspectives, ornate fountains, and meticulous parterres.
The garden’s famous Grand Canal reflects the château’s façade while countless sculptures depict classical mythology. Recent restoration work has returned the bosquets (grove gardens) to their original glory.
For 2025, the Musical Fountains Show incorporates new technology while remaining faithful to baroque traditions, synchronizing water displays with period music.
11. Longwood Gardens, USA
Once the estate of industrialist Pierre du Pont, this Pennsylvania wonderland combines European garden traditions with American innovation across 1,077 acres. The newly reimagined Main Fountain Garden performs spectacular water shows choreographed to music and lights.
Longwood’s conservatory complex houses 4,600 different plant species in 20 indoor gardens. The garden’s commitment to sustainability includes organic practices throughout the property and innovative stormwater management systems.
For 2025, the expanded Meadow Garden demonstrates how native grassland ecosystems support crucial pollinator populations.
12. Kew Royal Botanic Gardens, England
Scientific research meets horticultural beauty at this UNESCO World Heritage site near London. Home to the world’s largest collection of living plants, Kew’s 326 acres include magnificent glasshouses, a treetop walkway, and landscapes spanning global ecosystems.
The iconic Palm House, a Victorian masterpiece of iron and glass, houses tropical specimens from around the world. Recent restoration of the Temperate House has revitalized the world’s largest Victorian glasshouse.
For 2025, the newly expanded Children’s Garden encourages hands-on exploration of plant science through interactive displays.
13. Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, USA
Hurricane-resistant landscapes showcase Florida’s subtropical splendor across this 83-acre Miami oasis. Named for plant explorer David Fairchild, the garden houses rare tropical fruit collections, rainforest exhibits, and one of North America’s finest palm collections.
The Wings of the Tropics conservatory flutters with exotic butterflies amid flowering vines and tropical blossoms. Innovative climate research programs study plant adaptation to rising temperatures and changing weather patterns.
For 2025, the expanded rare fruit pavilion allows visitors to taste unusual tropical fruits during seasonal harvest events.
14. Desert Botanical Garden, USA
Spiny sentinels reach toward azure skies in this celebration of arid-land plants. Located in Phoenix, Arizona, the garden showcases 50,000 desert-adapted plants along five thematic trails, demonstrating how beauty thrives even in harsh conditions.
The garden’s collection includes rare and endangered cacti from around the world. Seasonal wildflower blooms transform the desert landscape with surprising bursts of color.
For 2025, new night lighting installations create dramatic shadows from sculptural succulents while expanded butterfly habitats demonstrate the desert ecosystem’s surprising biodiversity.
15. Huntington Botanical Gardens, USA
Sixteen themed gardens spread across 120 acres of this cultural oasis near Los Angeles. The legendary Japanese Garden features a moon bridge and ceremonial teahouse, while the Desert Garden displays one of the world’s largest collections of cacti and succulents.
The Chinese Garden, Liu Fang Yuan (Garden of Flowing Fragrance), represents traditional Suzhou-style landscaping with pavilions overlooking a lake. Recent additions include expanded Mediterranean and California native gardens demonstrating water-wise landscaping.
For 2025, the new research conservatory showcases rare plant preservation efforts.
16. Singapore Botanic Gardens, Singapore
Tropical splendor meets colonial heritage at this UNESCO site established in 1859. The garden’s crown jewel, the National Orchid Garden, houses over 1,000 orchid species and 2,000 hybrids in a spectacular hillside setting.
The recently expanded Jacob Ballas Children’s Garden encourages hands-on exploration of plant life. Historic buildings throughout the property showcase Singapore’s botanical research legacy.
For 2025, the new Ethnobotany Garden demonstrates how indigenous Southeast Asian cultures have used native plants for medicine, food, and crafts throughout history.
17. Monet’s Garden at Giverny, France
Painterly vision blooms to life in the garden that inspired Impressionist masterpieces. Claude Monet designed this living artwork with two distinct sections: a flower garden near his pink stucco house and the famous water garden with its Japanese bridge and water lilies.
Seasonal displays maintain Monet’s color theories with plantings designed to bloom in complementary color schemes. The iconic Japanese bridge, covered in wisteria, creates the scene immortalized in countless paintings.
For 2025, expanded flower beds recreate previously lost sections of the original garden based on historical photographs and Monet’s own garden notes.
18. Inhotim, Brazil
Contemporary art installations emerge from tropical landscapes at this groundbreaking botanical garden and outdoor museum. Located in Brumadinho, Brazil, Inhotim spreads across 140 hectares of botanical gardens with native Atlantic Forest species and plants from every continent.
Monumental sculptures and art pavilions appear throughout the property, creating surprising encounters between nature and human creativity. The palm collection includes rare and endangered species from around the world.
For 2025, newly commissioned environmental art installations address climate change through interactive experiences set amid the lush landscape.