Photos: Chabe01, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 Alexander Baranov from Montpellier, France, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0 Christian Ferrer, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo credits
Photos: Chabe01, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 Alexander Baranov from Montpellier, France, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0 Christian Ferrer, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Jardin des Plantes, France's oldest botanical garden
Your local guide
Antoine Bousquet
View profile
Highlights
- Trees planted not long after 1593
- A classification system centuries old
- A garden founded to train doctors
- France's oldest botanical collection
- A quiet, green corner of the old town
About this tour
This session looks at Jardin des Plantes, from a grove of some of the oldest tree specimens in France to terraced beds still organised by a centuries-old classification system. You see why the garden was founded specifically to train medical students and how little its basic layout has changed since. It is a calm, outdoor session built around one of the city's oldest institutions.
We move at walking pace through the beds, stopping longer wherever a specimen or a view is worth it. Questions come in throughout, since the history and the planting both invite them. A short note on the garden's founding follows the call.
This suits anyone who prefers a quiet, green session over a busy square. It also works well as a calmer add-on to a longer old town walk.
Included
- Live video walk with a local guide
- Questions to your guide all the way
- A short list of places to visit later
Not included
- Internet connection
- Travel to the city
Itinerary
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Welcome and sound check 5 min
The guide joins the video call, checks the picture and sound with you, and gives you a quick sense of Montpellier before heading out.
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The oldest specimens 21 min
The camera looks at a small grove of trees planted not long after the garden was founded in 1593, some of the oldest specimens of their kind in France. I explain why the garden was founded specifically to train medical students.
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The terraced beds 21 min
Further in, you see terraced beds still organised by plant family, a classification system that has shaped the garden's layout for centuries. I point out how little the basic structure has changed despite the collection growing enormously.
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Your questions 9 min
Time to ask anything about Montpellier: prices, safety, food, or whatever you are curious about.
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A short list to keep 4 min
Before you go, the guide sums up with a few things worth remembering: a dish to try: Muscat de Frontignan and Antigone, worth a slower look.
Good to know
- A stable wifi or mobile connection makes the picture smoother than a shaky one.
- Any phone, tablet or laptop with a camera works. You watch, the guide does the walking.
- Times are shown in Paris time, so check the time where you are before you book.
- The session is not recorded, and recording it yourself is not allowed. Feel free to take your own notes.
- Ask questions any time, out loud or in the chat. The guide will pause to answer.
- Sessions run in small groups, up to 12 people, so there is room for everyone to ask something.
Questions about this tour
What will the session cover?
The guide walks through Montpellier, showing you The oldest specimens and The terraced beds live on camera, plus whatever else you would like to see.
What happens if my connection drops?
Rejoin with the same link within a few minutes and the guide will catch you up on anything you missed.
Can I ask the guide questions during the session, or is it a fixed script?
Anything, any time. Sessions leave room for your own questions throughout, not just at the end.
How it works
- You get one join link after booking.
- Join from any device: phone, tablet or laptop.
- We meet on Google Meet; the link comes with your booking. I carry my phone through the garden while we talk.
Times shown in Paris time (CET)
Cancellation
Flexible
- Cancel up to 24 hours before the start: full refund.
- Cancel less than 24 hours before the start, or no-show: no refund.
- If the guide cancels or the date does not reach its minimum group: full refund.
- Cancel in My Account → Bookings; the refund is calculated from the start time in the tour's local time.
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Next: Fri 6 Nov · 12 seats left From 19,00 €
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