The garden of the Brest National Botanical Conservatory

The genesis of the Brest Botanic Garden dates back to the 1970s. Jean-Yves Lesouëf, a botanist, dreamt of a place where all the world's plants could live in perpetuity. His dream came true during trips to Spain and the Seychelles, where he became aware of the disappearance of certain plants. "To lose a wild plant is to lose millions of years of evolution, and that's irreversible," he says.

So he came up with the idea of creating a sort of Noah's Ark for plants, the world's first botanical garden to conserve plants in danger of extinction. This Eden nestled near steep slopes, cliffs and a stream.

Over the years, the garden has grown and strengthened its conservation mission. It became a favourite spot for scientists and botanists. Around the plants, a single thread runs: the Vallon stream. It winds its way through the garden and up the high cliffs. As you follow the stream, you'll discover the bamboo grove, Mediterranean plants and eucalyptus.

Once you've pushed open the garden gates, you'll arrive at the reception pavilion, where you'll find a few explanations in your pocket. There's also a permanent exhibition to help you get to grips with the issues and dangers. The tour begins outside, where you can see a number of species surrounded by panoramic views of the harbour.

After the outdoors, it's on to the tropical greenhouses, where you're guaranteed a change of scenery: as you stroll around, you'll come across more than 4,000 different, rare and fragile species. The various tropical greenhouses plunge visitors into an exotic and exotic world. In all, four greenhouses house a huge concentration of plants.

The visit continues in one of the garden's most emblematic greenhouses: the subtropical greenhouse. Here, for example, you can learn all about the endangered hibiscus and tropical geraniums.

Visitors can then enter the tropical greenhouse, where the climate is much drier and warmer (around 25°C). Here, you'll be lulled to sleep by a jungle-like soundtrack of birdsong, all the while remaining in Brest! This greenhouse has all the hallmarks of a tropical rainforest. Here you can discover the reflesia arnoldii (an endangered plant from Indonesia).

The journey ends with the carnivorous plants.

Editor's tip: the flora is so rich that we advise you to opt for a guided tour with an expert. He'll tell you some amusing anecdotes about the history of endangered plants.