Stadtgärtnerei/ City Gardens

A tropical oasis close to the centre of Zurich where around 250,000 plants and thousands of cut flowers are grown annually for the city of Zurich.

 It has been well below zero for the past few weeks in Zurich and we have been desperately hunting out new, warm places that are manageable with twin toddlers. I can't believe it has taken us six years of living here to discover the Stadtgärtnerei. This place is amazing! The city gardens are comprised of two huge greenhouses full of tropical and sub-tropical plants. There are also toucans, terrapins, loads of tropical birds and even some Koi carp to look at.

Located pretty close to the centre of Zurich, in Albisreiden, everything is on the ground floor so provides easy access for double strollers and wheelchairs. There is no cafe but there's a big seating areas for picnics and the coffee machine is good (grinds real coffee beans. Yes, this is important to me!). There are also few vending machines with healthy snacks for children. Entrance is free and the gardens are open seven days a week.

 I actually visited the gardens a few years ago for their annual tomato seedling market, but the buildings were undergoing extensive renovation at the time. The seedling markets are definitely worth a visit if you are interested in growing your own vegetables. The tomato seedling market is in April and there is usually a Mediterranean vegetable market in May.  The gardens are worth a visit when the weather warms up - the tulip display is particularly impressive.

 

Manageable with twins?
I just about managed this place alone with my two year olds. If they are still at the stage of destroying everything in sight then it's a definite no-no with so many plants around but if they can follow simple instructions then there is not much danger. The areas with water have barriers and the place is small enough that it's hard to get lost.




www.stadt-zuerich.ch/stadtgaertnerei


Opening TimesDaily from 09:00 - 17:30

Address
Stadtgärtnerei Zürich
Sackzelg 27
8047 Zürich
Phone: +41 44 492 14 23
gsz-stadtgaertnerei@zuerich.ch
www.stadt-zuerich.ch/stadtgaertnerei