Museo Botanico
Museum of the Padua Botanical Garden, opened in 2023, on the history of the garden founded in 1545 and its heritage of herbaria and old books.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The Museo Botanico is part of the Botanical Garden of the University of Padua, founded in 1545 for the cultivation and study of medicinal plants and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1997. The new exhibition space opened to the public in February 2023 and occupies about 500 square metres in the modern complex of the garden.
The route tells the story of the Garden from its foundation to the 20th century, relating botany to medicine and presenting a selection of the university's historical heritage. The displayed items include the historical herbarium, which holds about 800,000 dried specimens of plants, algae, fungi and lichens, and about 16,000 vials with seeds of food, medicinal and ornamental species.
The visit is completed by 19th-century teaching plates, models of fungi, wood sections, old editions of botany and medicine works, a reconstruction of the spezieria (apothecary's shop), the restored Teatro botanico, where a film about herbaria is screened, and interactive stations.
Highlights
- Herbarium gallery with the historical herbarium
- Vials with seeds of food and medicinal species
- Old editions by Vesalius, Mattioli and Alpini
- Reconstruction of the apothecary's shop
- Teatro botanico with a screening on herbaria
- Interactive stations on the history of the Garden
- Founded
- 2023
- Operated by
- Università degli Studi di Padova
- Visitors per year
- approx. 1,200
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €12 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €8people aged 65 and over, teachers, residents of the province of Padua, Alumni and Amici members, holders of the Arte Terme Card and other categories listed by the Garden |
| Children & teens | €6free up to age 4 · Reduced youth ticket €6 for ages 6 to 25. |
| Seniors | €8Reduced rate from age 65. |
| Visitors with disabilities | freecompanion free · Free admission for people with disabilities and one companion. |
| Students & apprentices | €6Reduced rate for young people up to age 25; free admission for students and staff of the University of Padua. |
| Groups (10+ people) | €10 per personTourist groups of 10–30 people, with telephone booking; school and university groups €5. |
| Families | €30Two adults with up to three children under 18; additional members pay the rate for their own category. |
| Full ticket from March to October | €15Ages 26 to 64; from November to February €12. |
| Reduced ticket from March to October | €10From November to February €8. |
| Integrated ticket for 3 sites (Museo della Natura e dell’Uomo, Orto Botanico, Palazzo del Bo) | €30Valid for six months, one entry per site. |
| Annual adult pass | €35 |
Rates valid from 1 September 2026. The audio guide is included in the ticket. Free admission also for journalists, licensed tourist guides, ICOM and ANMS members and children under 5.
Accessibility
- Partially wheelchair accessible
- Elevator: no information
- Accessible restroom: no information
- Accessible parking: no information
- Service dogs welcome
- Tactile models & exhibits: no information
- Sign language tours: no information
- Easy-to-read materials
- Audio description: no information
The garden is accessible to wheelchair users from the ticket office; the main paths and the Museo Botanico are barrier-free. The entrance to the 19th-century greenhouses has 6 steps, and the historic paths between the quarters of the Renaissance garden are not wheelchair-accessible. Wheelchairs are available on request at the ticket office (not bookable in advance). A guide in augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) is available in digital format. Guide dogs are admitted; small dogs only in carriers.
Kids & families
Great for kids & families
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 4 |
|---|---|
| Family ticket | €30 · Two adults with up to three children under 18; additional members pay the rate for their own category. |
- Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
- Hands-on stations
- Stroller-friendly
- Baby changing facilities
Children's audio guide (Audiopen kids), interactive stations and a family ticket. Baby-changing facilities in the toilets near the ticket office and on the ground floor of the foyer. Most areas can be reached with pushchairs.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
Santo / Prato della Valle
From Padua railway station by tram to the Santo or Prato della Valle stop (every 10 minutes).
By car
Parking available
Paid parking in Piazza Rabin (€1 per hour, entrance from Via 58° Reggimento Fanteria Brigata Abruzzi) and blue parking spaces around Prato della Valle (€1.10–€1.70 per hour); free parking in Via Piovese (exit 12 of the Tangenziale Est, then bus 5 or 16) and in Via Bembo (exit 11, then bus 3).
For access support and parking information for people with disabilities, you can call +39 049 827 3939.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
- Museum shop
Bookshop of the Botanical Garden.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| Audio guide | yes |
| Good to know | The audio guide is included in the ticket; guided tours by reservation are also available, as well as a children's audio guide (Audiopen kids). |
