The English-style La Concepción Botanical Gardens have been around for 150 years and are located north of the city centre - one of the few tropical gardens in Europe. With more than 5000 plants of some 500 tropical and subtropical species, the gardens are noted for their wide variety of palms (more than 50 different species). Created by a rich city family as an estate for playing on, in 1990 it passed into public ownership and was extended and opened to the public in 1994.
