APRIL 2023
It wasn’t on my itinerary, but Hielke discovered by accident that Dublin is home to some of the most beautiful glasshouses in the National Botanic Gardens. When I saw the pictures, I had to visit this stunning garden! Luckily, we got to visit on the most glorious, sunny day, which is a rarity in Dublin. I fell in love with Dublin’s botanic garden and I think you will too!
Practical information
The National Botanic Gardens of Ireland are located in Dublin, just a few kilometers out of the city center. There are several bus connections that run from the city center which will take you about 30 minutes. I promise you it will be very worth it! There is no entrance fee for the botanic gardens, they are open daily throughout the whole year, except for Christmas Day. The botanic garden has some spectacular greenhouses, so there is something to see most of the year. There is a little tea room on the premises where you can have tea, coffee & cakes.
Our experience at the National Botanic Gardens
If you visit during the summer months you will be greeted by these amazing sunflowers!
My favorite part of the National Botanic Gardens are the enormous glasshouses. You might remember my visit to Kew Gardens in London, where I also fell in love with the glasshouses. In Dublin you cannot go up the stairs in the glasshouses, but besides that they are just as pretty as the ones in Kew. You will find several sorts of glasshouses throughout the gardens, some featuring palms, cacti, bougainvillea and orchids.
What is also amazing about the botanic gardens is that they are not very popular among tourists, drastically reducing the number of visitors. We did encounter locals and some school groups, but overall it wasn’t busy at all.
The other parts of the gardens bloom according to the season. We visited in August and there were lots of flower patches in bloom, as well as the rose garden. I can imagine spring being a particularly lovely time to visit with all the giant magnolias and cherry blossom trees.
