Domaine du Rayol – around the world in a garden by the sea

South African fynbos, Chilean matorral and Californian chaparral on the same slope on the Var coast. Gilles Clément's Jardin des Méditerranées brings together landscapes from all the world's Mediterranean climates – and has an underwater trail.

Where the coastal road between Saint-Tropez and Le Lavandou drops down towards the sea in Rayol-Canadel-sur-Mer, there lies a garden that takes you around the world in a couple of hours. Domaine du Rayol covers twenty hectares of land in a valley that runs down to the water, with views towards Île du Levant. Seven of the hectares are landscaped and open to visitors. Here, plants from South Africa, Chile, Australia and California grow side by side with Provence's own maquis.

01Alfred Courmes and the Belle Époque dream

According to Domaine du Rayol's own description, Alfred Courmes, born in Bormes-les-Mimosas, bought around forty hectares of maquis in the Vallon du Figuier valley in 1908 as his retirement home. In 1910, the farmhouse and a pergola in the antique style were built, designed by the architect Guillaume Tronchet. Between 1912 and 1919, the Hôtel de la Mer was erected, and in 1925 the Villa Rayolet.

02Henry Potez and the Art Deco era

Courmes died in 1934, and his widow Thérèse sold the property to the aircraft engineer Henry Potez. His financial director was Abel Chirac, father of a future French president. In the 1940s, the architect Raoul Minjoz gave the house an Art Deco character, and by 1948 nearly 400 exotic species grew in the garden. According to Wikipedia, Potez also added a staircase from the pergola down to the sea, and Maison de la Plage was built in 1949.

Insider tip

Open every day except Christmas Day.

03Fifteen years of conflict and the rescue in 1989

In 1974 Potez left the estate, which was bought by an insurance company with plans to build. The locals formed the association Les Amis du Rayol to stop it. The battle lasted fifteen years. In 1989, the Conservatoire du littoral, the state authority that protects France's coastlines, bought the entire estate and commissioned the landscape architect Gilles Clément to create a new garden.

04Gilles Clément and the Jardin des Méditerranées

Gilles Clément is a gardener, horticulturist and author of more than twenty books. He received the Grand Prix du Paysage in 1998, taught at the school of landscape architecture in Versailles, and held the Collège de France's chair of artistic creation in 2011–2012. He is behind the concepts of Jardin planétaire, Jardin en mouvement and Tiers paysage. According to the estate, he still comes here two or three times a year to advise the gardeners.

The idea at Rayol is to display landscapes from all the parts of the world that have a Mediterranean climate: South African fynbos, Chilean matorral, Australian mallee and kwongan, Californian chaparral, and Provence's own maquis and forest. To these are added landscapes from neighbouring climates – the arid and subtropical Americas, an Asian garden with bamboo, and tree ferns from New Zealand. Wikipedia also lists a garden from the Canary Islands.

05Underwater trail in the sea

The garden doesn't end at the shore. In summer, you can explore the sea garden with a wetsuit, fins, mask and snorkel, for adults and children from eight years old. Children from four years old can take part in the activity Les pieds dans l'eau after booking. At Maison de la Plage there is a permanent exhibition about life in the sea.

06The visit and Café des Jardiniers

Around 95,000 people visit the domaine every year, spread throughout the year. Guided tours are included in the entrance fee, and an audio guide is available in French, English and German. In the middle of the garden, in the old farmhouse from 1910, lies Café des Jardiniers, which serves seasonal food from local producers and is open all year round. The domaine is run by the non-profit association Association du Domaine du Rayol, which finances around 85 per cent of its operations through entrance fees and activities.

07Further along the Var coast

Rayol is located on the Corniche des Maures, and the road heading east leads to Saint-Tropez and Ramatuelle. More destinations can be found among our Riviera guides on metromode.co.

For a weekend. For a lifetime.