Jaÿsinia, Botanical garden on limestone slopes in Samoëns, France.
Jaÿsinia is a botanical garden on limestone slopes in Samoëns that spreads across roughly 3.7 hectares on a hillside. It holds around 8,000 mountain plants from five continents arranged along about 3 kilometers of walking paths.
The garden was established in 1906 by Marie-Louise Cognac-Jaÿ, founder of the Parisian department store La Samaritaine, on a hillside where she herded goats as a child. This personal connection shaped her decision to create this botanical space.
The garden is named after its founder and visitors experience it as a place where mountain plants and old structures coexist naturally. Walking the paths, one encounters both flora and historic buildings arranged across the hillside.
The garden is open daily from May through October, with longer hours during summer months and shorter times in late fall. From November through April, visits occur under different conditions, so checking opening times beforehand is important.
Medieval ruins sit scattered among the plant collections, including a 12th-century castle and a 1687 chapel. These historical remains are woven into the garden design and feel like organic parts of the landscape.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
