HomeBotanic Gardens
Address: College Park, Botanic Avenue, BT7 1LPEntrance to the park is via Botanic Avenue, Stranmillis Embankment and University Road. Take any Metro no. 8 and get off at Queen's University. You can also take Metro no.7 and get off at College Park. If you are walking to the park from Belfast City Hall, go along Bedford Street, Dublin Road and University Road and follow the signposts.
Botanic Gardens will be closed on Saturday 15 June due to the Big If Belfast event. This is a ticket only event.
About the gardens
Botanic Gardens is an important part of Belfast's Victorian heritage and a popular meeting place for residents, students and tourists.It contains two important buildings, the Palm House and the Tropical Ravine, as well as a children's playground, a bowling green, walking routes, a rose garden and assorted tropical plants, mature trees and flower beds. The park is often used for events, as well as band recitals, concerts and opera performances.
The park is supported by the Friends of Botanic Gardens group which meets on the first Thursday of each month. New members are always welcome.
You can find out more about the park by viewing the video clip and picture gallery on this page. You need to have Adobe Flash Player 10 installed on your computer to use these features. Press the 'play' button to begin watching.
In July 2011 and 2012, Botanic Gardens was awarded the Green Flag Award , which recognises the best open spaces in the UK. It is one of ten of our parks, cemeteries and open spaces to receive this award.
Opening hours
All our parks open at 7.30am daily. Closing times vary according to the time of year - check full opening hours for parksEvents
The park hosts regular events, including band performances and family fun days. Details of these are listed in our park events section.Contact details
For more information, call 028 9031 4762 or 07767 271683 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 4.30pm only) or email mcneilla@belfastcity.gov.ukBotanic Gardens has also been assessed by Disabled Go to check how accessible it is to people with disabilities.
Facilities
Park features include the Palm House, Tropical Ravine, an alpine garden, bowling green and pavilion, children's playground, giant bird feeders, flower beds, rockery, rose garden, shrub borders, specimen trees and sculptures.Sports facilities
Botanic Gardens contains a bowling green. It is open from 11am to 4pm, Monday to Friday (winter) and 11am to 9pm, Monday to Saturday (summer).To book or cancel an activity or facility, call 028 9046 0444 (Monday to Thursday, 9am to 12pm and 2pm to 4pm, and Friday, 9am to 12pm). You can also call the bowling pavilion directly on 028 9023 4533. You can also email outdoorbookings@belfastcity.gov.uk
Walking routes
Located in the heart of south Belfast, and near to Annadale Embankment, Botanic Gardens is popular with both walkers and joggers.- Download walking route for Botanic Gardens (PDF - 521KB)
Virtual tour
A panoramic tour of Botanic Gardens is available from the Virtual Visit website. You will need to have Javascript enabled to view the tour.History
Botanic Gardens was established in 1828 by the Belfast Botanic and Horticultural Society in response to public interest in horticulture and botany. Originally known as the Belfast Botanic Garden, the site contained exotic tree species and impressive plant collections from the southern hemisphere, many of which can still be seen in the park.Unfortunately for the Society, the gardens proved expensive to run and many shareholders felt that the park's horticulture was compromised by financial issues. The site was eventually sold to the Belfast Corporation (now the council) and it re-opened as a public park, known as Botanic Gardens, in 1895.
Today, the park is popular with residents, students and tourists and is an important venue for concerts, festivals and other events.
The Palm House is one of the earliest examples of a glasshouse made from curved iron and glass. It shows how advances in glasshouse technology allowed horticulturists to grow exotic plant species during the Victorian period.
The building was designed by Sir Charles Lanyon, who also helped design parts of nearby Queen's University. The foundation stone was laid in 1839 and the two wings were completed in 1840 by leading ironmaster Richard Turner. The dome was added in 1852.
Like the Palm House, the Tropical Ravine shows how technology allowed gardeners to cultivate unusual species in a greenhouse environment. The ravine was built by the park's head gardener, Charles McKimm, and his staff and was completed in 1889. It now contains flowering vines, tree ferns and a variety of exotic plants.
