The botanical garden of Bayonne, a place full of charm

It's not the most well-known spot in Bayonne, but it's definitely worth a visit. The Bayonne Botanical Garden offers a unique perspective on this beautiful Basque city. Besides the magnificent flowers, shrubs, trees, and plants, the views of the ramparts and Bayonne Cathedral are breathtaking! Come and enjoy a family stroll in nature right in the city center, just minutes from Sainte-Marie Cathedral.

THE BOTANICAL GARDEN, A SPACE TO STROL IN BAYONNE

Nestled within the city walls, the Bayonne Botanical Garden invites you to relax and explore. Designed in a Japanese style, artfully blended with Basque influences, it offers 3,000 square meters of gardens, as well as a pond, bridges, walkways, and a waterfall. A wide variety of flowerbeds are arranged in terraces, giving the garden an interesting perspective. A stroll with family or friends will take you on a journey through different countries thanks to the diverse trees and plants, such as albizia, agapanthus, cyccas (a prehistoric fern), Mexican sage, and Japanese maples. A small bamboo grove will make you feel far removed from the city center.

Unlike traditional botanical gardens, in Bayonne's garden, the landscape designers and municipal workers who created these displays chose to group the flowers by color or scent, rather than by family. A thousand plants, species, and varieties, mostly perennials and some quite rare, can be found here, such as opulent and colorful peonies, dodecatheons (a herbaceous plant with pretty bell-shaped petals), and pachystergias with their lovely white flowers in dense thickets. Each plant has a label to help you identify it. The shrubs begin budding in spring, and the first flowers appear in April, offering beautiful displays of color that last all summer. From September onward, the autumnal colors arrive with beautiful shades of orange, as seen, for example, on the Japanese maples.

The view upon arrival at the Botanical Garden

A garden located in a historic site in Bayonne

Lacking green spaces in the heart of Bayonne, the city chose to establish its botanical garden on a bastion of Vauban's fortifications. Inaugurated in 1990, the garden is located between the War Memorial and Bayonne Cathedral. You'll need to climb a few meters to reach it. Once there, you'll have a magnificent view of the Cathedral from almost the entire garden. With its hanging garden feel, it's a pleasant place to stroll. While the garden isn't vast, every space is used and beautifully presented. A sense of calm and tranquility emanates from this natural haven.

For the garden's creation, the city of Bayonne made a point of using recycled materials such as stones and paving stones. Designated an EVE (Ecological Plant Space), the botanical garden uses no pesticides and watering is carried out judiciously. Nectar-rich plants were chosen to encourage the presence of pollinating insects, particularly bees.

View of the historic ramparts and the cathedral in the distance

Also visit Bayonne Cathedral.

The animals have taken up residence in the botanical garden

Since the site opened, turtles have been basking on stones placed in the water, much to the delight of young and old alike. Birds, insects, and lizards are also abundant in the garden, and you can observe them during your visit. Looking into the main pond, you'll see large Chinese koi carp with red, orange, and white scales. They live there alongside Florida turtles. Several aquatic plants are also worth admiring, such as the papyrus, which you'll see blooming in spring and summer.

The house is another must-see in the botanical garden. Inside, a permanent exhibition of informative panels highlights the ecological practices implemented by the gardeners. Every year, a Garden Day is organized towards the end of April, offering a chance to learn more about the thousand or so plants.
Entry is free and the complete visit can take between 1 and 2 hours, depending on the time spent observing the plants that adorn this beautiful place.