Angoli urbani — uncrowded destinations

Ary Scheffer's Garden: The Musée de la Vie Romantique in Pigalle

At 16 rue Chaptal, Ary Scheffer's hôtel with its courtyard and garden. George Sand mementoes, a free collection and a tea room in Pigalle.

Jun 28, 2026

City of London, London, United Kingdom

Churches and cathedrals

St Dunstan-in-the-East: the garden inside a bombed church, London

Among the skyscrapers of the City of London, the ruins of a Wren church destroyed in the Blitz are today a free public garden.

Jun 28, 2026

Montjuïc, Barcelona, Spain

Wild nature

The cactus garden of Montjuïc: the Jardins de Mossèn Costa i Llobera in Barcelona

On the seaward side of Montjuïc, in Barcelona, 800 species of cactus on terraces overlooking the port. Free admission, almost always empty.

Jun 28, 2026

Barri Gòtic, Barcelona, Spain

Archaeological sites

The four columns of the Temple of Augustus, hidden in a courtyard of the Barri Gòtic in Barcelona

At Carrer del Paradís 10, in Barcelona's Gothic Quarter, four 2,000-year-old Roman columns stand in the courtyard of a building. Free admission.

Jun 28, 2026

Alameda de Osuna, Madrid, Spain

Wild nature

El Capricho, the romantic garden of the Duchess of Osuna on the edge of Madrid

Madrid's only romantic garden: a lake, a temple to Bacchus and a Civil War bunker. Open only at weekends, free admission.

Jun 28, 2026

Spaarndammerbuurt, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Castles, palaces and monuments

Het Schip: Amsterdam's Ship-Shaped Housing Block

Michel de Klerk's Expressionist masterpiece in Amsterdam's Spaarndammerbuurt: social housing shaped like a ship, now a museum you can actually visit.

Jun 28, 2026

Jordaan, Amsterdam, Netherlands

City corners

Sint Andrieshofje: the secret courtyard of the Jordaan in Amsterdam

Behind a small door on the Egelantiersgracht, the second-oldest hofje in Amsterdam: a corridor of blue tiles and a silent garden.

Jun 28, 2026

Malá Strana, Prague, Czech Republic

Wild nature

The Vrtba Garden in Prague: the terraced Baroque hidden behind a door on Karmelitská

Behind an anonymous door in Malá Strana, the Vrtba Garden climbs in terraces up Petřín: statues by Braun, frescoes by Reiner and a view over Prague.

Jun 28, 2026

Döbling, Vienna, Austria

Wild nature

Vienna's Hidden Japanese Garden: Ken Nakajima's Setagaya Park

An authentic Japanese garden hidden in Vienna's Döbling district: ponds, a tea pavilion and maple trees, born from a twinning between Vienna and Tokyo.

Jun 28, 2026