Jardín Botánico-Histórico La Concepción

What makes it special

La Concepción is laid out as an English landscape garden, with fountains, statues and winding paths that disappear into dense subtropical planting. In the middle of the garden, a waterfall drops between the huge leaves of Monstera deliciosa.

The wisteria pergola, from the Heredia ironworks, is one of the most beautiful iron pergolas in Spain. Planted around 1857, the wisteria has climbed the figs and palms beside it to almost 20 metres. In flower, the lilac clusters are scented.

A dam at the top of the estate feeds the streams and ponds, and the water runs down every day through channels and small lakes to a lake at the bottom of the slope.

The palm collection is among the most varied in Europe. One olive tree is more than four hundred years old, twice the age of the garden, and was moved here from Vélez-Málaga.

Visiting

Walking in from the gate, you follow the Avenue of Palms to the wisteria pergola, the best-known sights of the historic garden. The historic garden also has the Nymph pond and its stream, and a classical-style bench in front of the Museo Loringiano.

The plant collections surround the historic garden: a cactus and succulent garden, a sensory garden, the palms, the vineyards and the olive groves. La Vuelta al Mundo en 80 Árboles is a walk past trees from around the world, and along it you can see part of an old irrigation channel from the farm that stood here first.

Higher up, the Forest Route climbs to the dam at the top of the estate. The Mirador Histórico gives a wide view over the city of Málaga.

Guided or on your own

You can walk the garden on your own, with an audio guide, or join a guided visit. Paseos con Encanto is a 90-minute guided walk through the garden's botanical highlights, run at weekends all year except in summer.

Night visits start at 9pm and last an hour and a half, showing the garden under special lighting, and they also go inside the Casa Palacio to its salons, old library and chapel. Themed visits mark dates such as the wisteria flowering. Book any of them by phone, WhatsApp or email through the garden.

Tips

Entry is free on Sunday afternoons, from 2pm between October and March and from 4.30pm between April and September. The café beside the entrance serves breakfast, lunch and an afternoon snack, so you can eat before or after your walk. Dogs are welcome on a lead.