Five beautiful gardens to visit in France and Spain
Some gorgeous places to include in your itinerary
The Gardens at the Palace of Versailles, France Perhaps the most famous gardens in France, the gardens at the Palace of Versailles are a masterclass is stunning symmetry. Developed by 17th-century designer Andre Le Notre at the request of Louis XIV, you’ll find parterres, groves, an orangery and symmetrical paths, all punctuated with beautiful sculptures and fountains. To maintain the design, the garden is replanted once every century.
Monet’s Garden at Giverny, France
The backdrop for some of Monet’s most iconic paintings, Giverny features a flower garden (Clos Normand) at the front of the house and the Japanese-inspired water gardens at the back. Monet treated the gardens as a piece of art, using beautiful blocks of colour and a limited range of flowers, including agapanthus, nasturtiums, irises, poppies, peonies and, of course, water lilies.
The Garden at Chateau Villandry, the Loire, France Created in the 1900s in the grounds of a spectacular 16thcentury chateau by Joachim Carvallo, the gardens of Chateau de Villandry are some of the most visited in France. They feature a formal French-style section, as well as a water garden and ornamental gardens. Don’t miss the Jardin du Soleil, which is split into three sections: the sun room with mostly orange and yellow flowers, the cloud room with blue and white plants, and the children’s room with apple trees.
The Alhambra Gardens, Grenada, Spain
Water features heavily in the design of Grenada’s magnificent Alhambra gardens, with fountains and pools bringing a sense of coolness to counteract the heat of southern Spain.
There are many gardens to explore in each part of the Alhambra complex, from the rectangular courtyard gardens in the Generalife and the landscaped symmetrical planting in the Lindaraja Courtyard.
Madrid Botanical Garden, Spain
Set in the heart of the city on the banks of the Manzanares river, this eight-hectare site is split into seven outdoor sections and five greenhouses, with over 90,000 plants and flowers to explore. Designs range from a Japanese-style garden to mid-nineteenth-century Romantic English, as well as Spain’s largest herbarium with over a million specimens.
AFrench company and maritime transport leader, Brittany Ferries is celebrating 50 years of sailing to fabulous destinations this year and looking to the future more than ever.
From the outset, the company took the bold decision to offer a new style of transport combining destinations, services and above all a unique concept of travel by sea. Over the years it has continued to pursue the aim of satisfying passengers by offering them a different travel experience and revealing the gems of its destinations. The fleet of 10 ships currently serves four countries: the UK, France, Spain and Ireland, and 12 ports.
As a company involved with local communities, Brittany Ferries cannot conceive the future other than by taking a global ethical approach to respecting the environment. This is why it is committed to a future that is as environmentally responsible as possible.
The delivery of Salamanca in February 2022 is a good illustration of these commitments. As the first vessel in the fleet to be powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG), a more environmentally friendly fuel, it began operating on routes to Spain in the spring of this year. The next ships expected for the fleet, including the Santoña in 2023, will also be LNG or hybrid, which will significantly reduce CO2 emissions.