Located on the northern edge of Angers, Terra Botanica is a real oasis of greenery, relaxation and discovery for young and old alike... A haven where you can reconnect with nature, understand and so better protect it. Imagine you’re in the heart of a huge, lush garden where more than 500,000 plants grow. From April to November, you can visit the superb rose garden, go in search of the Treasure of La Pérouse alongside two Angers botanists, or walk in the footsteps of the dinosaurs with your 4D glasses on!
At Terra Botanica, you choose whether your visit is an eventful adventure or rather a gentle, magical stroll through the heart of the plantlife.
Terra Botanica, a unique themed garden in France
When weather conditions allow, you can spot the park from the city, thanks to its vast orange gas balloon floating above the trees, an ideal way to discover Terra Botanica and its surroundings from the sky. With its 22 hectares of nature, this temple of plants is a theme garden coupled with a true amusement park.
Thanks to the Angers City Pass 72 hours, you can visit the Terra Botanica park, Château d'Angers, the Galerie David d'Angers or one of the 23 other sites or tourist visits included in this great-value smart pass.
Terra Botanica, an experience to enjoy all year round
Since it opened in 2010, Terra Botanica has continued to evolve and reinvent itself. Today, you need at least a day if you want to explore its fifty themed gardens, attractions and activities. And if you're won over, you can come back whenever you want thanks to the Season Pass: throughout the year, the experience changes according to changes to the plants and events on the agenda...
The incredible botanical diversity of Terra Botanica
Overlooking the Lower Angevin Valleys – a Natura 2000 site classified for its fauna and flora – the park lets you discover plants from all over the world through extremely varied spaces. While you can visit King René's vegetable garden or vineyards, you may also prefer to learn more about its aquatic plants, Asian gardens or carnivorous plants. All these possibilities are divided into five different worlds: The great explorations and its plant discoveries, Getaway in Anjou, dedicated to local vegetation, The origins of life, which plunges us back into the primary era, Unusual plantlife and its plants like no other, and last but not least, The mysteries of the forest, where we learn all the secrets of the trees.
Terra Botanica, through the seasons
With each season, the gardens are decked out with different colours and scents which reflect the great variety of plants in the park... So, while the rose garden is a must in spring, the Waterless Garden is a must during the summer. Here, you can discover Afghan sage, scrubland euphorbia, Pacific chrysanthemums... And to the sound of cicadas, you can shelter from the sun in the shade of olive and arbutus trees to smell the lavender. We also recommend you embark on the Botanical Odyssey, a magical trip over the water where you pass through a refreshing mist in the shade of sublime Japanese maples. On board the pretty boats, you’ll learn more about the botanical history, such as the Turquant “pommes tapées” (flattened dried apples).
Terra Botanica: attractions for the whole family
While the Angers plant park is a perfect destination for botany fans, it’s also ideal for an outing with family or friends, thanks to its numerous attractions and activities! Visit the immense butterfly greenhouse where you can see colourful specimens hatching; pass between different climates, from the wettest to the coldest, in Pushing the Extremes; aerial course in walnut shells where you pedal to the tops of the trees; immersed in the tales of our childhood by following the Peddler of Dreams; discover the secrets of amber with the Amber Rush… Anything is possible!
Guided activities and app to understand it all
Don’t miss the guided activities either: the Roots of Life commented tour to learn everything about the history of plants from the primary forest or tea tasting (Tea time) in the Japanese Garden. We recommend you get the useful Terra Botanica app: it tells you about the content of each activity and all the practical aspects of the park!
Terra Botanica and its wide programme of activities
Throughout the season, the Terra Botanica team invites you to the park for some extremely varied encounters. On the agenda, you’ll find Easter activities, botanical conferences, concerts, themed weekends, the Autumn Festival in Halloween colours and, of course, the “Envolées Végétales” programme throughout the summer. The Terra Botanica summer festival has become an unmissable event over the years. A dozen free, lively evenings are in store: gourmet dinner, 80s evening, evening under the stars, the Domingo with its electronic music... Special moments in the heart of the park!
The essentials for planning a visit to terra botanica
Every day, a thousand things happen in the theme park. When you arrive, the best option is to consult the programme for the day on the sign at the entrance. It will tell you the opening times of the main attractions and specific events planned. For a quick overview of the park or for an easy-going day, the little train tour is perfect. As well as taking you to every corner of the park, it can be useful for identifying places you want to explore on foot!
New features not to be missed
Each new season is an opportunity for the park’s creative teams to offer new attractions and new spaces. In 2023, on the botanical side of things, look out for land art during your exploration of Terra Botanica. Here, you’ll find the Tree Hugs, plant hands embracing the trees, by artist Monsieur Plant, as well as the immense creatures of the Ubinam collective. Can you find the flying fish and giant earthworm?!
A creation not to be missed
Another key creation of the year: The Bird Canopy. With this new space, the Mysteries of the Forest world is expanding by 5000 m2. Perhaps you already know the Giants' Journey, which reveals the secrets of the trees and invites you to observe them up close thanks to a series of rope bridges? Now, in this same place, the Bird Canopy lets you discover the birds from the Angers region and their role in the forest. On the programme? Giant slide in a 15-metre-high structure, zip lines and augmented reality that puts you in the skin of a bird in mid-flight... The song of the yellow oriole and the flight of the terns will hold no more secrets for you: you’ll feel like you've grown wings!
Park attractions to choose as a family
Terra Botanica has been designed for all ages: you can enjoy it at 5 years old, 13, and also as an adult! Parents, set off on an adventure with your teenager in front of a 4D film in the At the Origins of Life space, watch your little ones having endless fun in the World of Little Elves, and let yourself be carried away by the magic at the Cale de Radoub show! To help make your choice, feel free to ask the park teams for advice or explore the app.
Learn to protect the environment
And then, to learn while having fun and pass on your taste for ecology and protecting nature, go to the Vegetable Garden, Waterless Garden or Smart Garden... In this latter space, you can learn to garden naturally, without chemicals, to best preserve biodiversity. Armed with their wheelbarrows, aprons and garden tools, the little ones can have fun with games and puzzles ... and they’ll love it!
Discover Terra Botanica by night
If a day of exploring isn't enough, just come back in the evening! Terra Nocta is the night version of the park: a unique experience. Every evening from 14 July to 31 August and during the All Saints' Day holidays, as well as every Saturday in September and October, this magical journey offers a series of poetic images featuring hundreds of luminescent ferns. Mixing shadow and light, the magic of the place is revealed to visitors after dark in a sound and vision stroll through the Plant Odyssey and Mysteries of the Forest. A memorable moment!
Take a break and grab something to eat
To recover from the excitement and recharge your batteries during your tour, four places to eat are scattered throughout the gardens. With a restaurant, bistro, three snack bars and an ice cream parlour, the plant-based theme park has different options for everyone. And if you feel tired, lots of comfy corners have been designed for you: take a break on large cushions near the entrance, take a nap in the hammocks hidden away next to the Mysteries of the Forest, read a book in a deckchair not far from the rose garden... A great way to spend a lovely day, full of adventures and fresh air.
