Domaine du Rayol, The Mediterranean Gardens

Rayol-Canadel-sur-Mer, France, France

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The Domaine du Rayol, also known as Le Jardin des Méditerranées (Garden of the Mediterranean), is a protected natural estate of 20 hectares located at the foot of the Massif des Maures mountains facing the Îles d'Hyères in Rayol-Canadel-sur-Mer in the Var department of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur on France's Mediterranean coast, between Le Lavandou and Saint-Tropez.

The property was purchased in 1989 by the Conservatoire du littoral after escaping numerous real estate development projects, and landscape architect Gilles Clément was commissioned to reinvent the gardens as a "Jardin des Méditerranées" that serves as an invitation to travel through Mediterranean landscapes from around the world.

Of the 20 hectares, 13 hectares consist of natural maquis (Mediterranean scrubland) and 7 hectares are developed garden spaces, with 5 hectares specifically designed as "ambiance gardens" recreating the world's Mediterranean biome landscapes including South Africa's fynbos, Chile's matorral, Australia's mallee and kwongan, California's chaparral, and Provence's pine forests.

The site also includes landscapes with more arid or subtropical climates from Mexico, New Zealand, Asia, and subtropical America, featuring plants and vegetation from California, Chile, South Africa, Australia, the Canary Islands, and the Mediterranean basin. The Domaine is open to the public every day year-round (except December 25th), with opening hours starting at 9:30 AM and closing times varying by season from 17:30 in winter to 19:30 in summer, and offers guided visits included in the admission price.