The Saussurea Botanical Garden

At the Pavillon du Mont Fréty, above Courmayeur, the Saussurea botanical garden lies at 2,173 metres, facing the Mont Blanc massif. It is one of the highest botanical gardens in Europe.

A garden born in 1984

The garden was created in 1984 and opened in 1987. It is named after Saussurea alpina, a plant itself named in honour of Horace-Bénédict de Saussure, the Geneva scientist who climbed Mont Blanc in 1787. It covers 7,000 square metres.

Nine hundred species

About 900 species can be seen, arranged by geographical origin. The garden spends eight to nine months a year under three to four metres of snow, so it opens only in summer.

Getting up there

It is reached from the Pavillon intermediate station of the Skyway Monte Bianco cable car, or on foot by trail no. 20 from La Palud, a walk of two to two and a half hours.

Address : Località Pavillon du Mont Fréty, 11013 Courmayeur (AO)

Telephone : +39 333 4462959

Email : info@saussurea.it

Official website : www.saussurea.it

Opening : about 20 June to 20 September, 9:00 to 17:00 (to be confirmed). Access by Skyway Monte Bianco (Pavillon station) or on foot by trail no. 20 from La Palud (2 to 2.5 hours).

Admission : please enquire; the Skyway ticket is needed to go up by cable car.

Please check before your visit: hours and prices can change from one season to the next.

Main photo: Elena Tartaglione, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Maps: personal work by Marc Badjou.