Jardin Exotique de Roscoff

Who this place suits

With family

9/10

As a couple

9/10

With friends

8/10

Solo

9/10

With a dog

9/10

Reduced mobility

6/10

These scores are calculated from what the page records: official rating, facilities, difficulty, duration and location. They are a guide, not a substitute for contacting the venue, especially about accessibility.

About

On barely 1.6 hectares facing the bay of Morlaix, the Jardin Exotique & Botanique de Roscoff brings together more than 3,500 plant species, mostly from the southern hemisphere: South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Chile, Mexico, the Canaries and Madeira. Proteas, aloes, agaves, banksias and tree ferns grow in open ground, beside the Channel. The paths wind, climb and hide behind hedges: you never see the whole garden at once, and it feels much bigger than it is. The secret lies in the climate more than the heat. Almost surrounded by the sea, the Roscoff coast has mild summers but very little frost: according to the garden, it usually does not freeze at the foot of the rock, and rarely drops below -5 °C in the upper part. The granite of Roc’h Hievec stores the heat of the day and releases it at night, while blocking the east wind; hedges divide the rest of the garden into small sheltered rooms. The plants are not arranged by continent but by their needs for sun, water and shelter, to create a landscape that looks natural. It all began in 1986, when the Département bought the Roc’h Hievec rock to protect it. Louis Kerdilès, the town gardener, cleared it and made the first plantings; Daniel Person, a protea enthusiast, pushed for a real collection. The GRAPES association was founded in 1987, later sponsored by the Jardin Exotique de Monaco, and still runs the garden. Other plots were added in the 1990s, and admission became paid in 1995, with professional gardeners joining the volunteers. It is also a garden for acclimatisation and conservation. New species are tested here every year, and the landscape changes from one season to the next. The Conservatoire des Collections Végétales Spécialisées recognises two National Collections here, South African Protea and Restionaceae, as well as approved collections of Aeonium, Crassula, Echeveria and Melianthus. Some of the plants grown here are threatened, or even extinct, in the wild. A cold greenhouse shelters cacti and succulents, which fear the damp of the Breton winter more than the cold. Awarded the Jardin remarquable label by the Ministry of Culture, the garden was first runner-up for the 2025 Prix de l’Art du Jardin. In the centre, 78 steps lead to the top of the rock, 18 metres high, with a view over the bay of Morlaix and the Bloscon harbour. The route also passes waterfalls and ponds, a scent garden and a southern-hemisphere vegetable garden created in 2017, and ends at the plant nursery, which is free to enter.

What you will see

• More than 3,500 plant species on 1.6 hectares, mostly from the southern hemisphere: South Africa, Australia, Chile, the Canaries.
• Roc’h Hievec, an 18 m rock at the heart of the garden: 78 steps for a view over the bay of Morlaix.
• Two National Collections recognised by the CCVS: South African Protea and Restionaceae.
• Approved collections of Aeonium, Crassula, Echeveria and Melianthus, including plants extinct in the wild.
• Aloes, agaves and succulents in the rock gardens, delicate cacti in a new cold greenhouse opened in July 2025.
• Tree ferns from Oceania, Chilean fire trees, Australian banksias and tall eucalyptus.

Practical information

Address

130 route de Traon Erc’h, 29680 Roscoff

Parking

Small garden car park; otherwise the stadium or the Bloscon marina, 5 minutes on foot. Roskobus stop at the stadium in summer.

Pets

Allowed on a lead.

Accessibility

About 60% of the garden is accessible by wheelchair and pushchair. The top of the rock (78 steps) is not. Reduced-mobility price: €3.

Best time

April to June for a first visit; March for proteas and banksias; summer and early autumn for succulents.

Frequently asked questions

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