The best garden holidays for green-fingered travellers
From the Cotswolds to , we’ve selected the best places for a garden tour
Love exploring beautiful gardens? We’ve rounded up the best green-fingered garden holidays and tours, from the Cotswolds to The Dordogne.
On these wonderful garden tours around the UK and Europe, you can soak up the subtropical gardens of the Isles of Scilly and explore the picture-perfect English country gardens of Kent and Sussex.
Whether you’re after a spring holiday with gorgeous gardens in bloom or a late summer getaway to explore glorious gardens after the crowds have dispersed, we’ve got you covered with our selection of incredible horticultural escapes.
Luckily, you don’t need to know your hyacinths from your hydrangeas to enjoy one of Good Housekeeping’s garden holidays, as many include the company of expert guides who’ll tell you all you need to know.
Add in the guided tours and Q&As from experts such as Countryfile’s Adam Henson and you’ll return home with increased knowledge and appreciation of all things green.
Our hand-crafted itineraries bring together some of the finest horticultural displays in Europe. Check out our best garden holidays in the UK and Europe for 2025.
And for even more green-fingered getaways, have a browse of our full collection of garden holidays on our holiday website.
Learn the secrets of the English Country Garden with Sarah Raven
Enjoy a quintessential garden holiday in Kent, aka the Garden of England on a fantastic trip with one of the most respected garden designers, Sarah Raven. Named after its sheer abundance of orchards and hop gardens, the southeastern county and bordering Sussex are jam-packed with some magnificent gardens to explore.
A highlight of any trip to Kent is Sissinghurst Castle, home to possibly Kent's most famous gardens. The Grade I parkland was created by poet and author, Vita Sackville-West, and her husband, Harold Nicolson, who were particularly charmed by the views of the estate from the top of the castle's Elizabethan Tower. You'll also get to meet designer Sarah Raven and listen to a special talk.
When? June 2025
Discover the gardens of the delightful Dordogne
The Dordogne is a postcard-perfect part of France nestled between the Pyrenees and the Loire Valley. It’s full of atmospheric medieval villages, vast palace gardens and historic walled cities where time seems to have stood still. Among the finest gardens in the Dordogne are the Marqueyssac gardens, where more than 6km of shaded pathways are lined with hand-pruned shrubs and dotted with belvederes, rockeries, waterfalls and greenery.
You’ll visit the Marqueyssac gardens on Good Housekeeping’s tour of the Dordogne. The tour also takes you to the remarkable village and monastery of Rocamadour, the medieval town of Sarlat and nearby Carcassonne, one of France’s most impressve walled citadels, with cone-topped turrets and cream-coloured battlements.
When? April - October 2025
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Visit Monet's garden and see the paintings it inspired with an expert
A trip to the Musée de l'Orangerie in Paris is a must for any lover of art and gardens. This is where you'll find Monet’s two-metre-tall murals Les Nymphéas, inspired by his gardens in Giverny. On Good Housekeeping's holiday you'll admire these paintings as a wonderful prelude to exploring some of northern France’s loveliest gardens, including Giverny of course.
You'll also explore Monet’s gardens in Giverny, which have been maintained as they were when he was at the height of his career, along with his house. You'll be joined at Giverny by gardening expert Paula McWaters, who'll give a talk and Q&A on the gardens prior to your visit.
When? July 2025
Escape to the heavenly Cotswolds countryside
The Cotswolds are considered by many to be England’s most enchanting pocket of countryside. With their gently rolling hills, honey-coloured cottages, stone bridges over gently flowing rivers and cosy country pubs, it’s hard to disagree. There is also a huge range of gorgeous gardens to explore here, from cute cottage gardens to the sprawling grounds of stately homes.
Good Housekeeping’s five-day Cotswolds adventure will show you some of the best, including Sudeley Castle & Gardens, Sezincote Garden, Painswick Rococo Garden and Batsford Arboretum. A highlight will be a visit to Adam Henson’s Cotswold Farm Park, where the TV farmer will give a private talk over lunch before a short tour of the farm.
When? September 2025
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Go garden Scilly on the UK’s most southwesterly archipelago
With their white-sand beaches, crystal-clear waters and spectacular gardens, the Isles of Scilly are often confused with somewhere more tropical. While the archipelago off the southwest of England has five inhabited islands, this trip is based on the main island of St Mary’s. From your base at The Atlantic Hotel, you’ll take boat trips over to the other islands to witness some of their famous wildlife, including dolphins, whales and the Atlantic grey seals.
Another highlight of the trip is a day tour of Tresco, where you’ll discover Tresco Abbey Garden, a 19th-century garden built in the grounds of a monastery. Known as ‘Kew without the glass’, this beautiful botanical garden grows legions of subtropical plants and rare species from more than 80 countries. You’ll be joined for part of the tour by Julian Branscombe, chief executive of the Isles of Scilly Wildlife Trust.
When? September 2025
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