Anyone overwhelmed by a yearning for tropical forests and exotic plants should visit one of Germany's many botanical gardens, leaving the miserable concrete jungle behind and discovering the fascination of strange and often mysterious flora and fauna. Botanical gardens are not just places where visitors can immerse themselves in alien worlds of exotic beauty, but also provide an environment for studying rare and endangered species of plant which are collected and recultivated under the close supervision of experts.

The Palmengarten botanical gardens with their famous 'glass palace' were founded by a group of innovative citizens in the 19th century. The gardens are a green oasis in the heart of the city and a popular destination for locals and visitors alike. In the gardens you can see almost every example of exotic flora growing around the world. The Tropicarium, an ensemble of 14 greenhouses featuring modern glass architecture, houses a wealth of tropical and subtropical species. The world's various climatic zones are perfectly simulated here, from the lush green rainforests and monsoon forests to the sultry mangroves and dry desert with giant prickly cacti. The pièce de résistance is the 18-metre-high palm house, the oldest and most famous building in the gardens. The iron structure was designed by architect Friedrich Kaysser and built between 1868 and 1869. The gardens created by a group of citizens were opened in 1871 and the city took control of the 21-hectare site in 1931. “Botany for everyone” has been the theme of hundreds of guided tours and lectures here ever since.
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This green gem in the German capital is more than 300 years old. An agricultural show garden was laid out on the site of the current Kleistpark on the orders of the great Elector in the middle of the 17th century. At the end of the 19th century, it had outgrown this site and was relocated to Dahlem. Covering an area of 43 hectares, it is one of the world's largest and most important botanical gardens. There are 22,000 species of plants for visitors to discover in these captivating, listed gardens. In addition to a medicinal garden, there are also 16 architecturally fascinating hothouses and tropical greenhouses to explore. At the Botanical Museum, visitors can learn a wealth of secrets that nature does not readily divulge.
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These gardens in Stuttgart are a delightful combination of exotic plants and modern zoo keeping. Built in 1850 for King Wilhelm I of Württemberg, the Wilhelma zoological and botanical gardens are now one of Germany's most bio-diverse zoos with a cross-section of animals from all of the earth's climatic zones. The collection of plants, which covers around 5,000 different species, is also exquisite. The appearance of the park changes constantly with the seasons, so that visitors can always enjoy a wealth of new impressions. Another highlight is the famous aquarium, which covers a range of natural landscapes from a Black Forest stream to the Amazon rainforest and a South Pacific island.
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