Rendez-vous aux Jardins 2026 on the French Riviera: emblematic gardens and accommodation

Key highlights of Rendez-vous aux Jardins 2026, June 5–7, 2026 – French Riviera and Europe

• Dates: Friday June 5, Saturday June 6 and Sunday June 7, 2026 (Friday is dedicated to school groups, Saturday and Sunday to the general public).
• Scale: over 2,800 parks and gardens opening their gates simultaneously across France and several European countries.
• Organiser: a national event orchestrated by the French Ministry of Culture, firmly established in the cultural calendar since its inception in 2003.
• 2026 theme: “The five senses in the garden: sight.” An invitation to rediscover gardens through visual perception – chromatic compositions, perspectives, plays of light, and landscape staging.
• Access: free of charge for almost all participating sites.
• French Riviera towns involved: Antibes, Juan-les-Pins, Cannes, Grasse, Nice, Menton, and the Principality of Monaco. For the updated list of participating gardens in the Alpes-Maritimes, visit the official Ministry of Culture website.

 

Why Rendez-vous aux Jardins deserves a dedicated weekend
Because the French Riviera has been, since the 19th century, an open-air botanical laboratory. English, Russian and American winter residents brought their landscape architects, acclimatised exotic species, and designed exceptional gardens in the villas that punctuate the coast. In early June, the light is soft, roses are at their peak, orange blossoms scent the air, and the Mediterranean is already warm. For anyone looking to explore three or four remarkable gardens in three days, this is the ideal window.

 

The 2026 theme: “Sight,” a landscape invitation
By choosing “sight” as the first sense to honour in its cycle dedicated to the five senses in the garden, the Ministry of Culture places landscape composition at the heart of this edition. Expect lectures, guided tours, photography and watercolour workshops: discover gardens anew by looking for vanishing lines, colour echoes, and the framings that a landscape architect designed for you one or two centuries ago. A theme that resonates particularly on the French Riviera, where the tiered topography multiplies viewpoints between sea and mountain.

 

Our selection of emblematic gardens to discover on the French Riviera

Whether they open their gates exceptionally for Rendez-vous aux Jardins or welcome visitors year-round, these sites form the core of the Riviera’s horticultural heritage. We present them from west to east, starting from Golfe-Juan.

 

The Gardens of the International Perfume Museum – Mouans-Sartoux (15 min from Golfe-Juan)
An annex of the MIP in Grasse, this 3-hectare garden brings together the region’s emblematic perfume plants: centifolia rose, jasmine, tuberose, iris, violet. Each plot tells a stage of the perfumer’s craft. One of the rare gardens in the world designed as an open book on olfactory raw materials.

 

Villa Thuret – Antibes (15 min from Golfe-Juan)
Founded in 1857 by botanist Gustave Thuret and now owned by INRAE, this villa hosts 2,500 species and is one of Europe’s foremost scientific sites for the acclimatisation of exotic plants. Free access during the week, and particularly recommended during Rendez-vous aux Jardins for guided tours led by the researchers themselves.

 

Villa Eilenroc and its park – Cap d’Antibes (20 min from Golfe-Juan)
11 hectares of Mediterranean garden overlooking the sea, designed around a 19th-century villa by Charles Garnier (the architect of the Paris Opera). Rose garden, olive grove, pine forest: a condensed version of what the Riviera does best in aristocratic landscaping.

 

Parc Phoenix – Nice (40 min from Golfe-Juan)
7 hectares in the heart of Nice, organised around Europe’s largest greenhouse (25 metres high). Tropical forests, basins, palm groves, cactus collections: a concentrated world of botany accessible to families.

 

Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild – Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat (45 min from Golfe-Juan)
Nine themed gardens (French, Spanish, Florentine, Japanese, exotic, lapidary, Provençal, rose garden, garden of Sèvres) deployed on a promontory between Villefranche and Beaulieu. Villa Ephrussi is probably the most photographed garden on the Riviera – and for good reason: its French-style terrace facing the sea is one of the founding images of the Côte d’Azur landscape.

 

Villa Grecque Kérylos – Beaulieu-sur-Mer (45 min from Golfe-Juan)
An early 20th-century reconstruction of an ancient Greek villa by the archaeologist Théodore Reinach. The garden extends the architecture: stone pines, olive trees, pomegranates, oleanders, papyrus – a Hellenic composition conceived as the plant extension of the house.

 

Princess Grace Rose Garden – Monaco (50 min from Golfe-Juan)
Over 8,000 rose bushes of 300 varieties planted in tribute to Princess Grace by her husband Rainier III. Full bloom during June: a breathtaking olfactory and visual spectacle, fitting perfectly with the 2026 theme.

 

Serre de la Madone – Menton (1 h 15 from Golfe-Juan)
The work of Lawrence Johnston, creator of the famous Hidcote Manor Garden in the British Cotswolds. Acquired by the Conservatoire du Littoral, the Serre de la Madone hosts an exceptional botanical collection in a terraced garden – plants from Asia, South Africa and South America. For many landscape architects, this is the cult garden of the Riviera.

 

Val Rahmeh Botanical Garden – Menton (1 h 15 from Golfe-Juan)
Managed by the French National Museum of Natural History, Val Rahmeh hosts 1,700 tropical and subtropical species thriving in Menton’s microclimate. Notably home to the extremely rare Sophora toromiro, extinct in the wild on Easter Island.

 

Biovès Gardens – Menton (1 h 15 from Golfe-Juan)
A green corridor in the city centre, lined with orange and lemon trees, the traditional setting of the Lemon Festival in February. During Rendez-vous aux Jardins, the Biovès regularly host ephemeral landscape creations.

 

Villa Maria Serena – Menton (1 h 15 from Golfe-Juan)
Located at the warmest point in mainland France, the villa hosts an exceptional collection of palms and tropical plants just metres from the Italian border.

 

Where to stay: “La Bâtisse en Blanc” in Golfe-Juan, private mansion and guestrooms

 

Located in Golfe-Juan, equidistant from Cannes, Antibes and Nice, La Bâtisse en Blanc offers an ideal base for exploring the Riviera from garden to garden. It is a Belle Époque private mansion restored in keeping with its original architecture, enhanced with discreet contemporary touches:

• Preserved antique floor tiles and Italian frescoes
• Deluxe rooms, suites and private outbuildings with minimalist decor
• Palace-grade linen, Clarins toiletries, personalised concierge service
• Mediterranean garden, swimming pool, rooftop and bar
• Breakfast served in the garden or in your room

 

Distances from La Bâtisse en Blanc:

• Nice Côte d’Azur Airport: 28 km (25 min)
• Golfe-Juan Vallauris train station: 800 m (walking distance)
• Cannes Palais des Festivals: 6 km (15 min by car, 6 min by train)
• Antibes centre: 8 km (15 min)
• Grasse: 20 km (30 min)
• Nice: 30 km (40 min)
• Monaco: 50 km (50 min)
• Menton: 60 km (1 h 15)

 

Transport:
The Marseille–Ventimiglia TER regional line serves Golfe-Juan Vallauris, with stops in Cannes, Antibes, Nice and Menton. Golfe-Juan to Nice takes about 40 min, Golfe-Juan to Menton about 1 h 10. A stress-free and eco-friendly way to travel the coast between gardens.

 

Information and bookings
To plan your Rendez-vous aux Jardins weekend at La Bâtisse en Blanc, visit the official La Bâtisse en Blanc website or contact us directly at virginie@labatisseenblanc.com. On June 5, 6 and 7, 2026, let your eyes lead the way.