On a tour of the Tropicarium, you can travel around the world in a matter of minutes—all in a climate-neutral way, without flying. You’ll discover plants from a wide variety of tropical climates and vegetation zones, ranging from deserts to rainforests. In the semi-desert section, you’ll be captivated by many water-storing plants, including the giant globes of the mother-in-law’s seat cacti. In the humid tropics, large-leaved plants like the torch ginger thrive luxuriantly. And without much effort, we roam through mountain and cloud forests at an altitude of 3,000 meters, where tree ferns and coffee bushes grow. Or perhaps we’ll send you to where the pepper grows.

Guided tours for all ages
Duration: 60 to 90 minutes
Location: Tropicarium
Meeting point: In the garden, in front of the entrance building at Siesmayerstraße 63
 

On a stroll through the tropics of every continent, we explore various types of crops. We use them in the kitchen, as medicinal plants, or as raw materials. We’re all familiar with these products, but what do the plants themselves look like? Where do they come from, how are they grown, and what makes them special? In Frankfurt’s tropics, you can see them up close and experience them with all your senses.

Guided tour for all ages
Duration: 60 to 90 minutes
Location: Tropicarium
Meeting point: In the garden, in front of the entrance building at Siesmayerstraße 63
 

At the Tropicarium, each exhibition hall features specific climate and vegetation zones. Consequently, the plants in each zone have a very different appearance. In the desert, the landscape is dominated by water-storing plants—often with a gray-blue sheen—that have small or greatly reduced leaves. In the rainforest, on the other hand, plants with enormous leaves dominate. What’s the story behind the mangrove, and which plants thrive particularly well in the humid mountain and cloud forests? And why are there so many epiphytes and lianas in the rainforest? On a journey from the desert to the rainforest, we’ll learn about the various survival strategies of tropical plants—because plants are simply clever.

Guided tour for middle and high school students and interested adult groups
Duration: 60 to 90 minutes
Location: Tropicarium
Meeting point: In the garden, in front of the entrance building at Siesmayerstraße 63
 

This tour is all about tea, how it’s prepared, and its various ingredients. The focus is on the tea plant (Camellia sinensis), the basis for a wide variety of teas. Camellias, which are related to tea, also thrive in the immediate vicinity. Teas are also enhanced with other botanical ingredients such as vanilla, cinnamon, and cardamom. You’ll get to know tea and the plants that grow alongside it, and learn fascinating facts about how tea is enjoyed in different cultures.

What are the differences and what do they have in common? What do camellias have to do with the history of tea’s introduction, and what legends exist about tea and camellias? Discover exciting and delicious insights from the world of tea.

Guided tour for adults and interested teenagers
Duration: 90 minutes
Location: Tropicarium (and outdoors, if weather permits)
Meeting point: In the garden, in front of the entrance building at Siesmayerstraße 63

 

We’ll explore the fascinating world of cocoa and chocolate. In our 90-minute workshop, we’ll embark on an exciting journey from the raw, bitter cocoa bean to sweet chocolate. We’ll also learn about the biology of the cacao tree—which you can explore up close at the Tropicarium—as well as growing conditions and the secrets of the divine cacao. In the hands-on portion, we’ll experience the art of chocolate making and create our own chocolate spread from cocoa beans, which we’ll enjoy right there on the spot. An experience for all the senses.

Allergy Notice: In our cocoa workshop, we will taste and work with chocolate and cocoa-containing products. These may contain wheat, gluten, eggs, tree nuts, milk, nuts, and soy, among other ingredients.

Duration: 90 minutes
Location: Tropicarium and workshop room
Price for school groups: €50 per group plus admission
Price for private groups: €100 plus admission
Meeting point: will be provided upon booking

 

A stroll through the Botanical Garden is like a trip around the world. Outdoors, we get a sense of the vegetation of temperate zones with their typical plant species. Marvel at the Central European beech forest as well as North American and Asian forests. The massive specimens of the giant sequoia and the ancient redwood are truly fascinating. In summer, the calcareous grasslands and the alpine garden display their full splendor of blooms. A highlight of the garden is the Senckenberg Medicinal Plant Garden. Here you can learn which herbs are used to treat which ailments. Designed to be very close to nature, the Botanical Garden, with its many different biotopes, also offers an ideal habitat for animals such as insects, birds, and amphibians. Keep your eyes open—there is so much to discover here.

Guided tours for all ages
Duration: 90 minutes
Location: Botanical Garden
Booking period: March through October (during the Botanical Garden’s opening hours)
Meeting point: Botanical Garden entrance, Siesmayerstraße 72
 

Our trees are still bare, but the first early-blooming plants are beginning to emerge from the ground and stretch their blossoms toward the sun. How did they spend the winter, and why do they bloom as soon as it gets a little warmer outside? What do plants actually need to grow? Many early bloomers have underground storage organs like bulbs and tubers. We’ll go on a discovery tour through the garden and track down daffodils, tulips, and crocuses. Who can identify these pretty spring plants? Perhaps the first bees are already visiting the flowers. Early bloomers and their specially adapted way of life in the forest habitat are the focus of this workshop. Equipped with a knife and magnifying glass, we’ll examine the structure of tubers and bulbs. To commemorate this exciting spring expedition, we’ll finish by coloring pictures of early bloomers with our favorite colors.

Duration: 90 minutes
Location: Botanical Garden
Booking period: March and April
Price for school groups: €50 per group (max. 15 children), max. 2 groups at a time
Meeting point: Botanical Garden entrance, Siesmayerstraße 72
 

At the Tropicarium, Frankfurt’s tropics, we immerse ourselves in the world of Christmas spices: in India we find the cinnamon tree, on the Spice Islands the nutmeg tree, along the Amazon the cacao tree, and in Australia the macadamia nut tree. Enjoy the aroma of various spices for Christmas baking or mulled wine, and get to know some of the plants that provide us with classic treats for the St. Nicholas plate.

Guided tour for adults and interested teenagers
Duration: 60 to 90 minutes
Location: Tropicarium
Booking period: November through January
Meeting point: In the garden, in front of the entrance building at Siesmayerstraße 63
 

Have you always wanted to experience the Palmengarten’s Tropicarium after dark? Now’s your chance!
Spend an exciting evening hour in the Palmengarten’s Tropicarium. Stroll through Frankfurt’s mysteriously dimly lit tropics when, after regular hours have ended, you have the Tropicarium all to yourself. Join one of our guides for a very special tour through our greenhouses. In an exclusive, peaceful atmosphere, we’ll explore the Tropicarium—from the desert to the rainforest—in mixed groups of up to 15 people, guided by the light of our flashlights. Palm fronds cast mysterious shadows, and suddenly, fascinating flowers or fruits appear, glowing in the light of the flashlight. Let everything impress you in a completely different light.

For safety reasons, we ask that you do not bring large bags or backpacks. Larger luggage may need to be stored in the enclosed entrance area of the Tropicarium at the start of the tour. And don’t forget: Bring your own flashlight—it will make the atmosphere even more magical!

Guided Tour for Everyone (recommended for ages 8 and up; children must be accompanied by an adult)
Duration: 60 minutes
Location: Tropicarium
Booking period: October and during Winter Lights
Price for private groups: €100 (plus admission; additional costs may apply for bookings outside regular opening hours)
Meeting point: In the garden, in front of the entrance pavilion at Siesmayerstraße 63