Botanical Garden

The Botanical Garden

The Saint-Nazaire audio-guided tour invites you to a pause at the Botanical Garden, a green haven open onto the Loire estuary.

An English-style garden open onto the estuary

Laid out at the end of the nineteenth century by a Nantes landscaper at the request of the city, this English-style garden was conceived as a place for walking, with wide lawns, winding alleys and rare trees. Set on a former stabilised dune, it opens directly onto the Loire estuary. More than three hundred plant species coexist there, including hundred-year-old trees, Atlantic and Mediterranean species, a rose garden and pergolas. The place is also charged with memory: one finds there a granite arch coming from a former chapel, as well as a stele in tribute to the victims of the accident that occurred during the construction of the liner Queen Mary 2, in 2003, when the collapse of a gangway cost the lives of sixteen people. This tragedy deeply marked the city and remains engraved in its collective memory.

What there is to see

The Botanical Garden offers a peaceful setting of lawns, alleys and rare trees, open onto the sea. One strolls there between rose garden, pergolas and hundred-year-old trees, in a mixture of biodiversity and history. It is a haven of peace in the heart of the city, conducive to walking and rest, with a view over the estuary.

Practical information

The Botanical Garden is on Boulevard du President Wilson, in Saint-Nazaire, facing the Loire estuary. The entrance is free; it is generally open during the day, according to seasonal hours to be checked on site.

When was the Botanical Garden created?

At the end of the nineteenth century, by a Nantes landscaper, on a former dune open onto the Loire estuary.

What does the stele of the garden commemorate?

It pays tribute to the sixteen victims of the collapse of a gangway during the construction of the Queen Mary 2, in 2003.