Quimper continues the tradition of acclimatisation gardens started by the great navigators of the 16th century who brought back plants from the farthest corners of the world from their expeditions.
Between rue Elie Fréron and rue des Douves, protected by the eastern rampart of the city, the garden of the Retreat extends over nearly half a hectare. Enclosed by walls, it is protected by the city and its nearby traffic. The garden has three distinct areas: the palm garden, the tropical broadleaf plants and the dryland plants.
Located just a stone's throw from thetourist officeThe visitor is suddenly transported to another world, to other latitudes.
From the top of the ramparts of the old fortified town, lush palm trees and a multitude of subtropical plants can be seen, as in a real Saharan oasis teleported to the heart of Finistère.
Further on, it is a portion of Mexican desert that has been reconstituted between the closed walls of the splendid garden of the Retreat, one of the three large parks of Quimper, with its yuccas, its agaves, its aloes which emerge from a carpet of small pink pebbles