Melbourne is full of beautiful parks and gardens. And perhaps the most iconic one is Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne. Home to over 8,500 plant species from around the world, this green paradise is also host to a number of events and experiences throughout the year, such as Moonlight Cinema in summer and Lightscape in winter. It also won the gold at the Qantas Australian Tourism Awards in 2022. And it seems that we’re not the only ones who love it. A study run by Insure and Go looked at the highest-rated gardens for plant-loving travellers to visit around the world. They looked at the reviews of over 100 of the world’s most well-known gardens, focusing on places that were rated four stars or higher. And the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne was the fourth highest-rated garden on the list, and the top garden in Australia.
Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne
This beautiful green space in Melbourne has been around for over 170 years. Stretching over 38 hectares, this botanic wonderland has an abundance of plants from around the world, including a collection of rare and threatened species. There’s plenty of cool spaces to explore around the gardens, including Fern Gully, Guilfoyle’s Volcano and the Australian Forest Walk.
In this particular study by Insure and Go, 96.9% of reviews for Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne were four stars or higher. This made it the fourth highest-rated garden on the list. Sydney came in 12th on the list, with a 96.4% of positive reviews. Meanwhile, the Adelaide Botanic Garden was 15th on the list at 96%.
Top Highest-Rated Gardens in the World
1. Boyce Thompson Arboretum, Arizona, USA
2. Plas Cadnant Hidden Gardens, Anglesey, Wales
3. Missouri Botanical Garden, Missouri, USA
4. Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
5. Jardí del Túria, Valencia, Spain
6. Bodnant Garden, Tal-y-Cafn, Wales
=6. Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, Pennsylvania, USA
8. National Orchid Garden, Singapore
=8. Trebah Garden, Cornwall, England
=8. Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden, Hawaii, USA
=8. Longwood Gardens, Pennsylvania, USA
12. Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney, Australia
The study also wanted to know which countries were the best places to visit for plant enthusiasts. They looked at over 50 countries that are home to at least ten botanical gardens, and ranked them based on the number of plant species, the Google search data, the Instagram data for relevant hashtags and the total area of each country.
This created a ‘Botanical Bliss’ score, and Australia came in 6th on the list. The top five spots were taken out by the UK, Japan, USA, India and Malaysia.
You can find more details about the study here.