Atlantic Botanical Garden

The Atlantic Botanical Garden is a plant museum inaugurated in April 2003, designed to study, conserve and publicise the flora and vegetation of the North Atlantic. It is the first Botanical Garden in the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula and stands out for its modern and non-generalist approach, based on specialised collections of flora. Its lines of work focus on the promotion of activities and services, in the scientific, educational, tourist and cultural fields, aimed at the conservation and dissemination of plant and natural heritage.
The Visit
The Botanical Garden is a 25-hectare project, of which 19 are already open to the public. In its design, the existing values of the land were taken advantage of, incorporating into the collections the Historic Garden of La Isla and two magnificent natural forests that had survived the urban expansion of the city of Gijón: the Alder of the Peñafrancia River and La Carbayera de El Tragamón, an exceptional forest of centenary oaks. The collections are completed with exhibitions in several buildings, including a traditional Asturian farmhouse (the Quintana de Rionda) and the exhibition pavilion dedicated to Carlos Linneo, as well as a beautiful children’s area (El Bosque del Cuélebre) and a fun laurel labyrinth.
Plan your visit
The Botanical Garden is a living museum that offers a different nod to nature in each season. To discover the Garden in depth, we recommend participating in the guided tours included in the ticket price. But if you opt for the free visit, it is possible to follow one of the recommended routes that, due to their different duration, allow you to adapt the stay to the time and needs of each visitor. In addition, the visit to the Botanical Garden can be combined with that of other facilities in the city, such as Laboral City of Culture and the Aquarium.
Botanical Collections
The Atlantic Botanical Garden has six main collections. The collections of living plants are organised into four thematic areas that use the Atlantic Ocean as a common thread: the Cantabrian Environment, the Plant Factory, the Island Garden and the Atlantic Itinerary. In addition, the Botanical Garden maintains and manages two biodiversity collections: the Germplasm Bank and the Herbarium
Cantabrian Environment
In the Cantabrian Environment, ecosystems typical of the Cantabrian Sea are recreated, such as forests, high mountain habitats and other typically coastal habitats.
The Vegetable Factory
The collections of the Plant Factory are dedicated to the plants present in our daily lives, such as food, medicines, fabrics or religious symbols.
The Island Garden
The Historic Garden of La Isla is a romantic garden from the late nineteenth century that integrates the beauty of ornamental flora with the symbolism of water.
The Atlantic Itinerary
The Atlantic Itinerary is dedicated to the plant landscapes (Biomes) of both shores of the North Atlantic. Currently, the Temperate forests of Europe and the recreation of the Boreal, European and American biomes are visitable.
The Germplasm Bank
The Germplasm Bank preserves seeds of priority species for conservation in Asturias, as well as species that indicate natural habitats of interest.
The Herbarium (JBAG)
The Herbarium is a basic resource for the knowledge of Iberian flora. It houses historical material by Father M. Laínz, an outstanding Spanish botanist of the twentieth century.
 
Research and conservation
The scientific vocation of the Atlantic Botanical Garden is to contribute to the sustainability of the planet’s natural resources through the study and conservation of plants and the ecosystems that depend on them. To this end, the City Council of Gijón/Xixón has a collaboration agreement with the University of Oviedo. Check out all the information about the members of the scientific team and their main lines of work, and access the documents on their research activity.