A Classical Garden and Woods

The 12-hectare Botanical Garden is divided into two parts: the Classical Garden and the Woods. The Classical Garden is distinguished by its neoclassical style, with stonework walls, wrought iron gates, ponds and statues.

It is spread over six terraces. On the upper terraces, a number of conifers stands out, with various araucarias, cypresses and an imposing sequoia. In the Tropical Corner, palm trees, banana trees, bird of paradise flower and ferns take us to a tropical forest.

We descend to the intermediate terraces, home to one of the garden's most emblematic trees - an Australian fig tree - with its enormous crown supported by aerial roots. We stroll along Avenida das Tílias, wide and leafy, flanked by beautiful centenary trees.

On the lower terrace, we discover the oldest part of the garden, the Central Square, built between 1773 and 1791. Today, symmetrically placed in concentric flowerbeds around the lake, we see magnolias, cherry trees, rose bushes and maple trees. It is also here that we find two of the oldest trees in the garden, recognisable by their being outside the alignment of the beds, the cork oak and the Japanese cedar.