Marimurtra Botanical Garden

A botanical garden above the Costa Brava

Marimurtra occupies the cliffs of Blanes, where paths through planted collections open onto views of the Mediterranean. The garden was the project of Carl Faust, a German-born businessman who settled in Catalonia and devoted himself to building a place for botanical study. He began assembling the site in the early 20th century and turned fully to the garden in 1924; the centenary of that work was marked in 2024.

The visitor route is arranged as three distinct gardens. One brings together plants from arid regions of the Americas and Africa; another includes palms, useful plants, and ethnobotanical areas; the third focuses on Mediterranean vegetation, cycads, and aquatic environments. The collections are not simply decorative. The Carl Faust Foundation manages the garden with an emphasis on maintaining living collections, supporting research and conservation, and sharing knowledge about plant life.

Where the landscape is part of the collection

At Marimurtra, the sea is never far from the garden path. Lookouts and the Linnaeus Pavilion frame the coastline, while the changing plant environments give the visit a clear rhythm from one section to the next. That combination makes the garden appealing to both plant enthusiasts and travelers seeking an unhurried outdoor stop on the Costa Brava. It is a place to follow the plants and the story of Faust’s scientific ambition, then pause at the edge of the cliffs to take in the coast.