Within Amsterdam there are many relaxing gardens hidden behind museums or apartment block courtyards, but this one is located around the corner from Zuidas - Amsterdam’s concrete jungle in the South of the city. Like most university botanical gardens, this one began as a way to aid in research and education. It was established in 1967 mainly for the Biology faculty but it has grown to become a green escape for students and public alike. It is no longer used for official educational purposes, instead it is now managed by green-thumbed volunteers and is free to access for anyone who wants to wander around the gardens.
Originally named Hortus Botanicus Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, it changed to the name Botanische tuin Zuidas (Botanical Garden Zuidas) in 2016 due to the ever growing Zuidas surrounding it. It operates in a small space for a botanical garden, around 1 hectare, but it fosters around 6000 species. Anything from a peaceful Chinese miniature garden to the largest cacti collection in The Netherlands. They even have a spot for any illegal plants that were confiscated from the Schiphol airport.
There is a cute café onsite where you can enjoy a drink on the terrace and a cute shop with all sorts of botanicals on offer. The knowledgeable volunteers can guide you towards plants that would work best for your living situation and you can even order rare plants for pickup at a later point. One of the greenhouses operates as a butterfly house, the perfect mini tropical oasis to warm up, especially with the damp chilly spring we have been having here.
The gardens/greenhouses are available to rent for events, apparently, according to a friend who went to the VU, some end of year VU parties are held here. Perfect place to dance away all the exam stresses of the previous year.
P.S. Thank you to Mamale for reminding me about these lovely gardens, which I used to visit all the time when we first moved here but had forgotten about <3 It is really nearby the Amsterdamse Bos as well, if you find yourself visiting there, this is a really easy activity to tack onto your plant-filled day!
If you want to learn more about their plant preservation work and curation of the gardens, every first Wednesday of the month there is a guided tour group, which you can sign up for on their website.
Hours:
Monday-Friday: 9am-5pm
Closed Weekends
Thank you so much for being here <3
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