City Park & Botanical Garden (St. Gallen)

St. Gallen's Stadtpark, the city park, lies on a gentle slope just west of the old town, and the botanical garden forms part of it. It is the main green space near the centre, a place where office workers eat lunch, students read and families take children to play. The park also houses a cluster of cultural buildings, which makes it a natural combination of green space and museum quarter. The cantonal art museum, the natural history museum and the historical museum stand beside it, and the city's theatre is on the edge of the grounds, so a visit can mix a walk among plants with an hour inside.

The botanical garden is organised into themed areas that present plants from different parts of the world. Visitors can walk among Alpine plants, which are adapted to high altitude and cold, as well as Mediterranean shrubs, plants from other temperate regions and a selection of exotic species grown under glass. The glasshouses allow tropical and subtropical plants to be shown through the winter, and they usually include orchids, ferns, succulents and cacti, with displays that change through the year. Labels give the names of plants, which makes the garden useful for anyone who wants to learn, and for those who simply like to look.

The outdoor part of the park is laid out with lawns, mature trees and paths in the English landscape tradition, with a pond, a shaded arboretum and a variety of shrubs and flower beds. There are benches along the paths and quiet corners where visitors can sit, and open lawns that are used for picnics and games on sunny days. The planting changes with the seasons, with bulbs and blossom in spring, shady greenery in summer and coloured leaves in autumn, so the park is worth visiting more than once.

The city park is also a good spot for families, since it has space for children to run, and its position beside the museums provides alternatives in poor weather. The Natural History Museum, for example, shows the fauna and geology of eastern Switzerland, while the art museum has a collection of nineteenth and twentieth century works. From the park it is a short walk to the old town and the abbey district, with its cathedral and library, so the visit fits neatly into a day of sightseeing.

Entry to the garden and glasshouses is normally free, though opening hours vary by season and the glasshouses may close earlier than the park, so check the city's website before you plan. The park suits walkers, plant lovers, families and anyone looking for a quiet break from the old town. Allow an hour for a relaxed walk through the garden, longer if you visit a museum. Spring and early summer are particularly good for flowers, and the glasshouses offer a warm, green refuge on a cold winter day.