Marimurtra Botanical Garden (Blanes)

Marimurtra Botanical Garden (Jardí Botànic Marimurtra) is a cliff-top garden in Blanes, the first town of the Costa Brava coming from Barcelona, at Passeig de Carles Faust 9, about 0.7 km east of the town centre and the port. The German industrialist Karl Faust began it around 1920; today it covers some sixteen hectares with about three thousand species growing in the open air, and its best-known corner is a long flight of steps down to the Linnaeus temple above the sea (catalunya.com). Entry is paid, and the main path takes about an hour. It suits anyone who likes plants or sea views; skip it if steep paths and steps are a problem.

Quick facts

• Names: Marimurtra Botanical Garden; in Catalan Jardí Botànic Marimurtra; also written Mar i Murtra; in Spanish Jardín Botánico Marimurtra.
• Where: Passeig de Carles Faust 9, 17300 Blanes (La Selva, Girona), on the hill east of the port (Spain.info).
• Coordinates: 41.6768, 2.8017 (main entrance, OpenStreetMap).
• Founded: around 1920, by Karl Faust (Carlos Faust in Spanish sources).
• Size: about 16 hectares, with some 3,000 species in the open air (catalunya.com); Spain.info and a catalunya.com family feature give more than 4,000 species.
• Research: Faust also founded the International Station of Mediterranean Biology, a research centre attached to the garden.
• Visitors: more than half a million in some years, according to catalunya.com.
• Entry: paid; tickets can be booked on the garden’s own website. We could not open that site, so no prices are given here.
• Contact: +34 972 330 826, marimurtra@marimurtra.cat (Spain.info).

Access and parking

On foot from Blanes: the entrance is about 0.7 km in a straight line from the centre of Blanes and 0.4 km from the ruined castle of Sant Joan on the same hill. The street to the garden climbs from the town; catalunya.com notes that the chapel of Nostra Senyora de l’Esperança stands on the street that goes up to the garden (catalunya.com, Blanes).

By car: OpenStreetMap shows a small car park right beside the entrance and a larger paid car park, named Port, with 220 spaces about 220 m away by the harbour. A free car park is mapped next to the castle of Sant Joan, about 400 m from the entrance. Spaces by the garden are few, so in summer plan on the port car park and a walk uphill.

By train and bus: Blanes station, on the Rodalies R1 line from Barcelona, is about 2.7 km from the garden in a straight line and well outside the centre (catalunya.com). OpenStreetMap shows no bus stop within about 400 m of the entrance; from the station, take a local bus or a taxi into town and walk up.

By boat: from spring to summer, Dofi Jet Boats runs a regular boat line from Blanes beach along the coast to Lloret de Mar and Tossa de Mar (catalunya.com), so you can combine the garden with a trip up the coast.

What to expect

Marimurtra is a scientific botanical garden laid out on a steep slope above the sea. Its stated mission is to increase and spread knowledge of Mediterranean plants and landscapes and to preserve threatened flora. Many of its plants came from scientific expeditions abroad; the rest arrived through exchanges with other botanical gardens. The beds are arranged by scientific criteria but also for their look, and short poems are placed in some quiet corners (catalunya.com).

The collections are mainly Mediterranean and subtropical. Spain.info points out the cacti and other plants from the arid regions of southern Africa and Central America, as well as plants native to Catalonia. A catalunya.com feature describes a walk that goes from desert and subtropical areas to temperate and Mediterranean ones (catalunya.com).

The best-known sight is the long stairway down to the Linnaeus temple (Templet de Linné), a small temple on the cliff with a view over the coast. Spain.info also mentions a large pond. OpenStreetMap marks several named viewpoints in the garden: the Mirador de Frič near the entrance, and the Mirador de Ramon Margalef and Mirador de Carlos Pau further along the cliffs. A bust of Karl Faust stands near the entrance.

Practical details

• Opening hours: not confirmed from the garden itself. OpenStreetMap contributors recorded 09:00–18:00 daily in August 2026 and 09:30–17:00 daily in October 2026, which suggests shorter hours out of summer. Check the official website before you go.
• Time needed: about an hour for the main path (catalunya.com); allow longer if you stop at every viewpoint.
• Season: open all year, according to catalunya.com.
• Tickets: booking for individual and family visits is on the garden’s website (Spain.info). Group visits are booked by email at reserves@marimurtra.cat.
• Food: we could not confirm a café inside the garden; the centre of Blanes, with restaurants on the seafront, is about 0.7 km away.

Accessibility and safety

Best time to visit

The garden is open all year, and the months outside high summer are the most comfortable for the climb. In July and August go early, both for the heat and because the small car park by the entrance fills quickly. Blanes holds its festa major from 21 to 28 July, with the Costa Brava International Fireworks Competition (catalunya.com), so the town is busiest then.

Nearby alternatives

• Blanes town guide, 0.7 km away: the port, Sa Palomera rock and S’Abanell beach.
• Pinya de Rosa Tropical Garden, 1.2 km away: an estate of about fifty hectares with almost 7,000 tropical plant species, begun in 1945 by the engineer Fernando Rivière de Caralt and declared a Landscape of National Interest in 2003 (catalunya.com). We could not confirm its current opening.
• Santa Clotilde Gardens, 2.6 km away: a terraced garden of the 1920s on the cliffs above Sa Boadella beach in Lloret de Mar.
• Water World Lloret, 4 km away: Lloret de Mar’s summer water park.
• Camping Alannia El Pinar, 3.2 km away: a campsite behind S’Abanell beach in Blanes.
• Tossa de Mar, 11.8 km away: the walled Vila Vella above the bay.

Distances are in a straight line from the garden entrance.

FAQ

How do I get to Marimurtra Botanical Garden?

Walk up from the centre of Blanes, about 0.7 km, or drive to Passeig de Carles Faust 9. Blanes has a Rodalies R1 train station from Barcelona, about 2.7 km from the garden, and boats from Blanes beach run along the coast in spring and summer.

Is there parking at Marimurtra?

There is a small car park beside the entrance. OpenStreetMap shows a 220-space paid car park by the port about 220 m away and a free car park by the castle of Sant Joan about 400 m away.

How long does a visit take?

The main path takes about an hour, according to catalunya.com. Allow more time for the Linnaeus temple stairway and the viewpoints.

Do you need tickets for Marimurtra?

Yes, entry is paid. Tickets for individual and family visits can be booked on the garden’s website; group visits are booked by email.

Is Marimurtra suitable for wheelchairs?

The garden is on a steep slope with long flights of steps, and we could not confirm a step-free route. Contact the garden before you visit.

Sources and freshness