National Botanic Garden of Wales

Top choice in Swansea, The Gower & Carmarthenshire


Concealed in the rolling Tywi valley countryside, this lavish complex opened in 2000 and is still maturing. Formerly an aristocratic estate, the garden has a broad range of plant habitats, from lakes and bogs to woodland and heath, with lots of decorative areas and educational exhibits. The centrepiece is the Norman Foster–designed Great Glasshouse, a spectacular glass dome sunken into the earth. The garden is 2 miles southwest of Llanarthne village, signposted from the main roads.

Themed spaces include a historic double-walled garden, a Japanese garden and an apothecaries' garden, and there are fascinating displays on plant medicine in a recreated chemist shop. The 110m-wide Great Glasshouse shelters endangered plants from Mediterranean climes sourced from all over the world. A new addition is the Birds of Prey Centre, home to more than 20 British raptor species and the site of falconry demonstrations (£3.50), and tours and kids' events are regularly offered.

This estate once belonged to Sir William Paxton, the man responsible for the transformation of Tenby into a tourist resort. His grand manor house, built in the 1790s, burnt down in 1931, but you can still see the outline of the foundations, and the old servants' quarters, which are pretty impressive in themselves. The original Regency-era landscaping, comprising a chain of decorative lakes, is undergoing restoration expected to reach completion in 2020. On the hill in the distance, look out for Paxton's Tower, a castle-like structure once used for entertaining.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Swansea, The Gower & Carmarthenshire attractions

1. Aberglasney Gardens

4.57 MILES

Wandering through these formal walled gardens feels a bit like walking into a Jane Austen novel. They date originally from Elizabethan times, have evolved…

2. Dinefwr

6.5 MILES

This idyllic, 324-hectare, beautifully landscaped estate, immediately west of Llandeilo, incorporates a deer park, pasture, woods, an Iron Age fort, the…

3. Carreg Cennen

9.19 MILES

Dramatically perched atop a steep limestone crag, high above the River Cennen, are the brooding ruins of Wales' ultimate romantic castle, visible for…

4. Garn Goch

11.22 MILES

You're likely to have the impressive remains of Garn Goch to yourself. One of the largest Iron Age sites in Wales, it comprises a smaller hill fort…

5. Dolaucothi Gold Mines

16.46 MILES

Set in a beautiful wooded estate, this is the only known Roman goldmine in the UK. The exhibition and the mining machinery above ground are interesting,…

6. Red Kite Feeding Centre

16.5 MILES

A multitude of majestic birds of prey swoop in daily for their afternoon meal of manky meat scraps at this remote feeding centre. You're likely to see…

7. Dylan Thomas Birthplace

17.14 MILES

The bad boy of Welsh poetry was born in this unassuming Uplands house and it's here that he wrote two-thirds of his poetry. The house has been lovingly…

8. Glynn Vivian Art Gallery

17.39 MILES

The seemingly never-ending refurbishment of Swansea's main art gallery was still in progress when we last visited. By the time you read this, the elegant…

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting:
    {
      "url": "wales/llanarthne/attractions/national-botanic-garden-of-wales/a/poi-sig/1221422/1341234",
      "destination": "Swansea,-The-Gower-&-Carmarthenshire",
      "continent": "Europe",
      "country": "Wales",
      "region": "Swansea,-The-Gower-&-Carmarthenshire",
      "position": "superzone"
    }