The most beautiful gardens in France

• Exceptional gardens enjoying an excellent reputation, which are open to a wide public

• Recommended by all the major guides

• Maintained to perfection by professional gardeners

• Open every day from Easter until All Saints' Day

• Offering a quality welcome guaranteed by private management.

Pictograms used on the website

 
Below you will find a list of the pictograms used on the pages of the gardens. To find out what a pictogram means, hold your mouse over the image for a second.
 
 Accessible to people with limited mobility
 Airport / Aerodrome nearby
 Children's playground
 Shop
 Parking area for camper vans and caravans
 Dogs admitted when kept on lead
 Group visit
 Audio guide
 Room hire
 Free bus parking
 Open 7 days out of 7
 Shady picnic areas
 Sale of flowers and plants
 Restaurant
 Tearoom
 
 

« THE MOST BEAUTIFUL GARDENS IN FRANCE »

is an association governed by the French law of 1^st July 1901, whose headquarters is at 11 rue Arsène Houssaye 75008 Paris, c/o Sermadiras Conseil.
 

The aim of this non-profit making association is to promote and develop by all possible means the parks and gardens belonging to or managed by the members of the Association. The lifespan of the association is fixed at 50 years from its publication in the Journal Officiel, (the official gazette of the French Republic). It may be extended by a decision of an extraordinary general meeting.
 

The association is made up of three categories of members: founder members, active members and benefactor members: :

• Founder members, are the individuals who took the initiative of creating this association.
• Active members, are the individual and legal entities approved by the board of directors who are actively involved in the operations of the association and in achieving its aim.
• Benefactor members are the members, either individual or legal entities, who through their financial aid contribute to ensuring that the association prospers. This title confers on the individuals who have obtained it the right to participate in the general meetings without voting rights.

 

In order to be founding members or active members, the following qualifications are required :

• The parks and gardens must be operated under private management by a founding or active member, or must be the private property of a founding or active member,
• the parks and gardens operated must enjoy a recognised reputation and must be listed in the major tourist guides with a significant rating,
• the parks and gardens operated must be open to the public at least from Easter to All Saints’ Day,
• the parks and gardens operated must be maintained by professional gardeners,
• the parks and gardens operated must constitute a significant element of the offering available to visitors.

 

Each founding member or active member of the association must pay an annual subscription which is determined by the members of the board of directors. Only founding or active members have the right and are eligible to vote.
 

The founding members are :

• Madame Muriel Negre representing la Bambouseraie d'Anduze,
• Monsieur Patrick Sermadiras representing les Jardins du Manoir d'Eyrignac,
• Monsieur Henri Carvallo representing le Château de Villandry,
• Monsieur Henri François de Breteuil representing le Château de Breteuil,
• Monsieur Bruno Monnier representing la Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild,
• Monsieur Jean Charles de Vogüé representing le Château de Vaux le Vicomte.

 

Membership

To become a member of the Association it is necessary to :

• fill in a membership form
• have paid a subscription
• be approved by the board of directors with a majority of members’ votes.

 

To find out more, please download the statutes of the association (in Word format in french) by clicking here or contact-us