Argotti Botanic Gardens & Resource Centre

Argotti Botanic Gardens and Resource Centre is a working botanic garden run as part of the University of Malta, set on Triq Vincenzo Bugeja in Floriana, the elegant suburb that lies between Valletta and the rest of the island. It is listed in our directory of museums in Malta, although it is better thought of as a living collection than a conventional museum.

For a UK visitor it offers something different from the usual Valletta sightseeing: a green, research-minded space where plants from the Mediterranean and beyond are grown, studied and used to teach.

A garden with a university behind it

Argotti's development as a botanic garden goes back to the early nineteenth century, when the first Chair of Natural History was established at the university. Today it belongs to the University of Malta, which counts roughly four hundred years of history on the island and teaches in English. The main campus is in Msida, with further campuses in Valletta, Marsaxlokk and Gozo.

Floriana itself is worth a slow walk. Its wide squares, bastions and gardens make a calm contrast with the busy streets of the capital, and Argotti fits naturally into that pattern of green space beside fortification. A first-time visitor should allow time to look at labelled plants, compare the Mediterranean species with those grown in British gardens, and enjoy the quiet.

That academic setting shapes the garden. It is a place where students and researchers work with living plants, and where the wider public can learn how botanists record, protect and study the flora of the islands.

Collections and the national herbarium

Argotti looks after the national herbarium, the country's reference collection of preserved plant specimens, kept for study and identification. The living collection is varied and includes a Mediterranean section, which is the part most likely to interest visitors who want to recognise the herbs, shrubs and trees seen along Malta's rural roads and cliffs.

The centre's own pages are organised into About us, Visit Argotti, Garden highlights, Plant collections, Opportunities, Products and Our team, which gives a sense of how much goes on beyond a simple stroll.

Teaching, research and schools

Argotti works with several university departments, among them Biology, Conservation and Built Heritage, Architecture and Urban Design, and the Institute of Earth Systems. Research projects have looked at plant conservation, ecology and the bioactive extracts that plants produce.

The gardens have also served as an open classroom for primary and secondary schools, so families with children may find the setting welcoming and educational. Anyone curious about the opportunities listed on the centre's pages can ask about them, whether the interest is study, research or simply a guided look around.

Visiting Floriana

Floriana is a few minutes from the capital, so Argotti combines easily with a day in Valletta. Our Valletta guide covers the main sights, and the Upper Barrakka Gardens and St John's Co-Cathedral are close by. If you want to understand the history of the city's builders, read about the Knights of Malta.

To stay within easy reach, browse hotels in Valletta. For wider planning, see things to do in Malta and the weather guide, which helps you choose the best months for a garden visit. A morning among the plants and an afternoon in the capital make an easy, unhurried day. Prehistoric sites such as the Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum are also in our directory, within a short drive.

Getting in touch

The centre is at Triq Vincenzo Bugeja, Floriana. Opening times and ticketing are not published in the material we hold, so it is sensible to ask before travelling, particularly if you are planning a visit with a group or want to see the herbarium.

Use the VisitMalta.co.uk enquiry form on this page and we will pass your message to the business.