Europe’s Garden Gems: A Train Hopper’s Guide
I’ve been having a rough few months (more on that in another post), and there’s something about wandering through a beautiful garden that just… helps. Maybe it’s the reminder that growth happens in cycles, or maybe it’s just the fresh air. Either way, I found myself plotting a European garden escape recently, and I thought I’d share my findings with you guys.
The best part? You can hit most of these spots by train – which means less carbon guilt and more time to stare out windows dramatically while pretending you’re in a music video. Win-win.
Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh: Worth the Journey North
I took the train from London to Edinburgh last spring on a whim. Honestly, I was just running away from a deadline, but what I found was exactly what I needed. The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh is a massive 70 acres of plant therapy spread across this gorgeous hillside.
Don’t miss the Chinese Hillside area if you’re feeling overwhelmed by life choices – something about the arrangement of bamboo and rhododendrons brought me an unreasonable amount of calm. The glasshouses are incredible too, though I definitely got way too emotional about some rare orchids. (No, I will not elaborate.)
What I love about this garden is how it feels both perfectly maintained and somehow wild at the same time – kind of like trying to keep your life together while secretly being a mess. Very relatable.
Vienna’s Gardens: Imperial Extra™
After my Scottish garden therapy, I hopped on the Prague to Vienna train, which cuts through some seriously picturesque countryside. If you’re feeling especially broody, this is prime staring-out-the-window territory.
Let me be straight with you about Schönbrunn Palace Gardens – they’re extra AF in the best possible way. When I first walked through, I kept thinking, “This is what happens when royals have too much time and money,” but I couldn’t help being impressed. The place is MASSIVE (1,200 acres!) and every inch feels designed to make you go “damn.”
The maze is genuinely fun (I got lost for 20 minutes and made friends with a French family who were equally directionally challenged), and the view from the Gloriette is worth the uphill walk, even if you’re seriously out of shape like I was.
For something less “I’m royalty, peasant,” check out Augarten. It’s a bit more quiet, has lovely rose gardens, and doesn’t make you feel like you should be wearing a powdered wig lol.
Versailles: The OG Garden Flex
I’ve got a love-hate relationship with Versailles. On one hand, it’s the ultimate example of “I have more money than you’ll ever see in your lifetime.” On the other hand… It’s absolutely stunning.
The garden stretches FOREVER (800 hectares), with these perfect geometric patterns that triggered my “I can’t even keep my houseplants alive” anxiety. The Grand Canal is impressive, and watching the fountains operate on the same mechanisms from the 1600s gave me a weird existential moment about human ingenuity.
Hot tip: Go early, or you’ll be sharing your contemplative garden moments with approximately ten thousand tourists taking selfies.
Keukenhof: The Tulip Explosion
If you’ve ever wondered what millions of tulips all in one place look like, Keukenhof is it. I timed my visit badly and ended up there on what felt like the busiest day of all time, but even with the crowds, it was totally worth it.
It’s only open for a few weeks each spring, which creates this weird FOMO situation where everyone descends at once. But it is truly beautiful, as cliché as that may sound.
It was also a short of bittersweet reminder of the impermanence of things – these flowers bloom for such a short time, and then they’re gone. Kind of like that perfect travel day when everything aligns, ya know?
Kew Gardens: London’s Green Escape
When London gets to be too much (which, for me, is approximately every three days), Kew Gardens is my escape plan. It is absolutely massive (300+ acres) and is all sorts of magical.
The Victorian glasshouse is my favorite spots in there, especially the Palm House and its steamy tropical vibes. I spent a whole afternoon there with a 35mm film camera, watching water stream down the glass while staying dry and cozy among the palm trees.
The Treetop Walkway gives you this bird’s-eye view that somehow puts life’s problems into perspective. Something about being above the trees makes your worries seem smaller – at least until you have to deal with them again.
The Truth About Garden-Hopping
But here’s the thing about visiting these gardens that fancy travel magazines won’t tell you: sometimes you’ll feel overwhelmed by all the beauty, sometimes you’ll just be annoyed by crowds, and sometimes you’ll be hot and grumpy and wondering why you paid money to look at plants in the first place.
But then comes the magic moment – surrounded by flowers, watching light filter through leaves, feeling at peace – when you remember why you came. These places have outlasted wars, depressions, and countless human dramas. They’ll be here long after our current problems fade away.
And honestly? Sometimes, that’s exactly the perspective we need.
Let me know if you’ve been to any of these or have more garden recommendations I should check out. Because ya girl is always looking for new places to overthink her life haha.
Amélie is a health and wellness junky. Certified yoga instructor with Yoga Alliance in the Vinyasa and Ashtanga styles, she has a Yoga Instructor Certification – Level I (300 hours) and Yoga Instructor Certification – Level II (200 hours) under her belt. She also has a certified Open Water Diver certification with PADI and SSI Scuba Schools International Freediving Level I certification with SSI Scuba Schools International. She’s been vegan for over 15 years and is obsessed with anything wellness-related.