Thuret Botanical Gardens: an outstanding site in Cap d’Antibes
Scientific research site open to the public
Botanic research with a special emphasis on plant acclimatisation has been conducted at Villa Thuret, in Cap d’Antibes, since 1857. It was created by Gustave Thuret, a French botanist with a special interest in algae, and was the first privately funded research laboratory in France. Thuret, assisted by Edouard Bornet, conducted acclimatisation trials on numerous exotic plants, in collaboration with the Paris Museum. His work has continued under the direction of his successors, Charles Naudin and Georges Poirault. In addition to the scientific results produced, both now and in the past, the introduction of these exotic species helped create the landscape of the Cote d’Azur as we know it and boosted the popularity of Mediterranean horticulture.
For Georges Sand, the loveliest of gardens
Scientists were not the only ones to visit Gustave Thuret’s garden - it was also popular with diplomats and artists. In 1868, in “Letters of a Traveller”, Georges Sand wrote that it was “...The loveliest garden I have ever seen...”
In 1878, Villa Thuret was bequeathed to the French nation and was later made a permanent part of an institute of research and higher education. The research laboratories and the various collections (herbarium, library and botanical garden) are currently managed by the INRAE
Visiting the Thuret Botanical Gardens
90 Chemin Raymond, Cap d’Antibes
Gardens open Monday to Friday from 8.30am to 5.30pm in winter and from 8am to 6pm in summer.
Group visits, prior booking only.
Bookings: +33 (0)4 92 38 64 70 / thuret-paca@inrae.fr
Free admission for private individuals
