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Attractions

Botanical Garden in Vienna – my personal sanctuary in the heart of the city

30. July 2025 · author: ivan · 7 min reading
beč.rs

I didn't even know that one peaceful morning, in which I just wanted to "walk around the Belvedere", would become one of those memories that stick to the body and remain somewhere between senses and thoughts. So, without a plan or expectations, I entered the Botanical Garden of the University of Vienna for the first time. And I didn't come out the same.

Vienna is full of gardens - sumptuous, carefully designed, imperial. But this garden… it was not made to impress with its size. It's not even set up for perfect tourist photos. Instead, it offers you something much deeper - silence, knowledge and a gentle encounter with nature in its most open form.

Where is this silence actually?

The botanical garden is located right next to the Belvedere complex, at Rennweg 14. You don't need a map, you don't need a guide - just walk through the gate, and out of a world (asphalt, tourists, trams) you step into another: the world of chirping, bamboo alleys and trees that have survived wars and time.

What's most beautiful - the entrance is free. It is open all year round, from sunrise to sunset. There are no commercial stands, no shops, no cafes. Just you and 11,000 plants that have been standing there for decades, hundreds of years.

A little history - how did it all begin?

The botanical garden was founded by Empress Maria Theresa in 1754, which makes it one of the oldest botanical gardens in Europe. The idea at the time was simple, but powerful: to create a place where students of medicine and botany could learn about medicinal plants.

Imagine - back then, while carriages and baroque music rang through Vienna, young doctors walked along these paths and learned how to recognize a plant that heals, one that poisons, and one that simply smells beautiful. Some of them became famous botanists - such as Nicolaus von Jacquin, whose name is still attached to the numerous types of plants that he first classified here.

How does it look today?

Today the garden covers about 8 hectares, and is divided into thematic units: there are tropical plants, alpine species, cacti, medicinal plants, even a small bamboo bridge that leads to the most hidden corner of the garden.

One of the most fascinating parts is the greenhouses - built at the end of the 19th century. Although not all are open to the public, one section – the tropical greenhouse – can be visited, and is an experience in itself. The humidity, thermal layers, the smell of the earth and wild flowers teleport you directly to the Amazon.

I stayed there much longer than I planned. I watched as the droplets slid down the glass and a large Gunnera cast a shadow over an entire bench. And I thought - how often do we even get the chance to sit under a giant leaf that looks like a dinosaur umbrella?

Special plants that always bring me back

My favorite area is the section with medicinal plants. Everything is neatly marked there, each plant has its own board - in Latin, German and often English. It was there that I saw the tea plant live for the first time, which my grandmother always used to make tea when we had a stomach ache. Its name is Achillea millefolium – yarrow grass. And yes, it really grows here, right next to rosemary and sage.

Somewhere there is a Ginkgo tree, perhaps one of the oldest in the garden. I always stop under it and look at the heart-shaped leaves, and think about its resilience. Ginkgo is the only tree that survived the atomic bomb in Hiroshima. And here it is, here in Vienna, swaying quietly and testifying to perseverance.

Events that change the view of botany

The botanical garden is not only a place for walking - it is also an educational center. The university organizes workshops, tours, exhibitions, even a "Plant Night" when the garden is lit up with lanterns and guides tell stories about nocturnal species.

Every year in April, the "Raritätenbörse" - a fair of rare plants - is held. It is a real paradise for gardeners, but also for those who just like to look at the unusual shapes and colors that plants can have.

When is the best time to visit?

For me - spring is irreplaceable. Then everything starts to bloom, and the garden literally smells like a pharmacy and a perfumery in one. The morning is ideal - around 8:00 or 9:00, before the sun is hot and before the families and school groups arrive.

Autumn has its own magic - golden leaves, peace in the air, and the last flushes of blossom before winter. In winter it is quiet, secluded, but still open - and then you can hear every noise and see every bird.

My moment of silence

Once, during an autumn walk, I sat down on a wooden bench near the greenhouse. No one around me. Only the rustling of leaves, the smell of the earth and a blackbird persistently hopping past me. I didn't have a book, I didn't have a phone. I just watched the world change before my eyes, unpretentiously and modestly. And that was the moment that reminded me - silence is not empty. It is filled with nature, history and self.

How does the Botanical Garden differ from other Viennese gardens?

It is almost impossible to walk in Vienna without running into a garden, park or imperial alley. There are the sumptuous Schönbrunn with its symmetry and labyrinths, then Volksgarten with roses that smell from May to July, Burggarten which seems to cry out for canvas, and of course – Stadtpark, home of the golden waltz and even more golden Johann Strauss.

But the Botanical Garden is something else. You don't come here to take photos for Instagram, but to go inside. In yourself, in the plant world, in a rhythm that is not digital. There is no crowd. No noise. There is no feeling that you have to see something. You just go... and notice.

And while Schönbrunn impresses you with its grandeur, the Botanic Garden heals you with silence.

Practical things that can help you

If you are planning to visit, here is some useful information:

I like to bring a thermos with tea and a book, and then tuck myself into the bench by the greenhouse. There is a pine tree there, which is all twisted - as if it was dancing. It's my favorite corner.

Who is the garden ideal for?

Honestly, if you are new to Vienna and looking for your place - go to Botanička. There you can hear your own thoughts more clearly than anywhere else.

When is it the most beautiful?

There is no bad time to come, but here is my personal calendar:

Finally: why should you go?

Because it is free and priceless.
Because the garden does not invite you to do something "do", but simply be.
Because knowledge is there, in every sign, but also wisdom - in the silence between the plants.
Because no one will sell you anything, no one will rush you, no one will take your photo.
You will just sit down and be part of a system that has existed for centuries, quietly and dignified.

And maybe, just like me, you come across hair that jumps around you, or a tree that remembers more than people.

Do you have a favorite place in Vienna where you find peace? If you have been to the Botanical Garden - write to me which is the most beautiful corner. If you haven't, let me know when you're going. Maybe we'll meet somewhere between bamboo and yarrow. 🙂

Written by: Jagodinka Jovanović from Vienna