Alcázar Garden

So so beautiful! Definitely walk over this way and look at the stunning view if you’re at the park. Would be a great place to take pictures also.

The Alkazar garden at Balboa Park is a simple but lovely place behind the colonade. I wish the fountains were running. They never on when i'm there. There isn't much seating so this is nice place for a quick stroll.

We loved here. Must see!!!

Cute little garden with a mini fountain. Public toilets are closed by. Be aware… you are better off finding some trees as it will probably be way more hygienic than the washrooms within the parking…

It's a beautiful garden when the flowers are in full bloom. It does get pretty busy during the day and on the weekends. You'll see many portrait/wedding photographers taking photos. I recommend visiting in the later evening during the weekday for a more peaceful experience.

I absolutely love this spot so much! It’s a hidden gem in the vast networks of gardens and plazas within the entirety of Balboa Park. I’m a landscape architect and such a nerd for landscapes so I did some research on this garden. Here’s some history on Alcazar Garden. It was named because its design is patterned after the gardens of Alcazar Castle in Seville, Spain, lies adjacent to the Art Institute and Mingei Museum. It is known for its ornate fountains, exquisite turquoise blue, yellow, and green Moorish tiles and shady pergola. This formal garden, bordered by boxwood hedges, is planted with 7,000 annuals for a vibrant display of color throughout the year. The garden has been reconstructed to replicate the 1935 design by San Diego architect Richard Requa. I also recommend coming here at night as there is phenomenal landscape lighting setting the mood and the vibe for a mystical evening experience.

beautiful and fantastic place to visit with family,friedns,etc... love this place a lot and highly recommended although I felt like became a princess at mid age :D

Pretty good little garden to pass by or take pictures. It's mainly a garden to pass through though not to sit and play

Beautiful location with not a ton of foot traffic to get photos professionally done. I was so happy we came on a beautiful sunny day (although a bit chilly). There was enough shade from the trees to where our photos weren't too bright from the sun as well.

This garden reminds me of a small labyrinth! Hidden, not many people ever come by this. It's a peaceful place to sit and read, eat, or rest.

I have been to Balboa park probably 50 times now and never realized this little portion was called Alcazar garden. It is a nice little area, especially when plants and flowers are blooming and the fountains are going. But for the last few years it seems like it is not as well kept, fountains not on, or intermitently, and flowers and plants not as well kept as they used to be. It is still ok but it used to be more beautiful. There is a nice view of the museum of man tower and there is a cool mosaic sculpture from Queen Califa's magical circle garden in Escondido. Definitely worth a few minutes to stop and check out if you are visiting Balboa park.

On my most recent visit to Balboa park we happened upon this stunning garden while walking to the Museum of Art. It is located directly behind the Mingei International Museum. And is adjacent to a parking lot with handicapped spaces. Very convenient for the physically challenged. I found myself just wanting to hang out here instead of going to the museum we'd planned on. Beautiful flower colors combined with a peaceful layout of hedges, majestic trees and fountains. Plus the view is spectacular, a must see. Alcazar Garden was named a National Historic landmark in 1988. The garden design is inspired by 14th century Royal Alcazar gardens of Seville, Spain.

Walked through this peaceful garden while my son napped. It wasn't too crowded during the 30-45 minutes we spent here. There is seating through out the walkway which is really nice. All the seating has beautiful art work on it! Super well manicured. I've never seen this garden before, but so happy we stumbled upon it when we did. There is some shading along the edges. Fountains are so peaceful. When the bells start to go off it just adds to the atmosphere of the garden. Small but mighty .

Alcazar Garden was one of my favorite stops in Balboa Park and was glad I made it a destination. It's a great walk with just the right number of paths and you can finish it up quickly then walk through the art museum. It's such an effortlessly peaceful place. It's a place you'd want to sit and have a picnic in if it didn't ruin the vibe for everyone else. So, seriously don't ruin the vibe for everyone else-but on another serious not it's small enough that no one is going to wander around playing ASMR on speaker or something. Alcazar Garden is one of those places that's ALMOST un-TikTokable where you have to put your phone away to fully enjoy it. I'm sure there will be someone who manages to turn it into some clip but until it does go there and relax.

One of my favorite areas in Balboa Park. This garden is so pretty and reminds me of Sevilla Spain . Love the water fountains there too.

Quite a lovely little spot within Balboa Park! I literally stumbled upon the garden early this morning -- there was one other couple there doing a photoshoot with a photographer. Charming little spot that's worth a peak in. Very tidy. 2021: 14/100

I read that the Alcazar Garden is modeled after a garden in Seville, Spain, so I loved that immediately once you step into the garden, you get that feeling of being transported somewhere new. Spain, it is. Once you walk around the garden, all of the large to small details are carefully crafted, so as to remind you of its inspiration. We came here while walking around Balboa Park and saw that there was this garden on the map, so made an effort to find Alcazar Garden. Yet, if we had not known about it, we may have missed that there was this garden at the Park, since it's hidden. Do make an effort to visit here though when you're at Balboa Park! It's free and most importantly, beautiful. My favorite part of the garden were the box hedges, that reminded me of growing up in France. Also, the fountain in the center of the garden has beautiful ceramic tiles, which just has that European flair. Take your time through the garden to observe and bask in the well-manicured landscape that whisks you to another country.

I guess call me an uncultured swine, but even after reading the history/background about this garden, the garden itself was a bit lackluster, at least from what I saw today. The geometric hedges were nice, but the flower beds didn't seem to be at their prime. Unlike the flower beds from years ago (looking at past pics), the flower beds today just weren't really remarkable and had no overall pattern to them. Still a nice small stop if you're already at Balboa Park and you can get some nice photos of it with the California Tower in the background, but I wouldn't recommend going out of your way to go to it. I guess I'm just pretty critical about this place because there are other spots in Balboa Park that are more intriguing to see. Totally free.

Yesterday was the first time I stopped inside the Alcazar Garden - I had no idea it was based on the gardens of a castle in Seville, Spain. I liked seeing the planting areas and the fountains on the path. The gazebo/overhang area looks really nice - if anything, it lends a romantic air to the place. I like finding these hidden gems in Balboa Park; I can see myself coming here after a stressful day at work to quietly sit and gather my thoughts. Oh yeah, and it's FREE!

An interesting city park should have some garden formations and Alcazar Garden is one formation you can see with shaped bushes with patterns. It's in the middle of the museum stretch. It's European style gardening here in San Diego. It's nice. If you were walking around, you wouldn't notice that it's Alcazar Garden. It adds a feature to the park.

This is one of my favorite gardens to visit whenever I'm in balboa park. I also visit every garden in the park, but this one is one of my faves. Everything is always in bloom. Similar to the San Diego zoo where the flowers come from different parts of the world, and so there's bound to be something blooming every day of the year. This garden is very well kept, the annuals are always so very pretty... even before blooming. The environment, being balboa park, is also very beautiful as well. 1,440 acres of architectural and horticultural wonder, and this little garden is huge in personality! The only downfall of this garden? The location of it. Not many people know of its existence. Which is very sad. It's off to the side of the main road near the Prado, if you're facing towards the California tower it'll be to your left. It's also parallel to the entrance of the old globe theatre. It's a quaint garden, and definitely worth a visit.

It didn't seem like everything was in bloom when I was there, but there were still beautiful plants. It was a nice little getaway next to the busy main strip of Balboa Park.

Among my most favorite urban escapes, this gorgeous garden is a relaxing and beautiful walk. It is filled with a variety of botanical beauties hidden away!!

This is a small but perfect to sit and relax under the beautiful trees around the garden!

If you have ever been to been to Spain and are obsessed with all things Iberian, like I am, then the Alcazar garden has to be included in your cruise through Balboa park. It's on the periphery of the pedestrian section of Balboa and isn't as heavily trafficked as other areas of the park. But I feel Balboa park is worth an entire day of exploration in San Diego, and the Alcazar should not but missed. It's fairly small compared to many of the other Balboa gardens and is quite different in the sense that it's not all about plants. It's in the style of a formal Moorish garden (a la the Alcazar in southern Spain) which melds architecture, geometry, tiles and landscaping into one cohesive unit. It's very meditative and quite. Had my restless companion not been so determined to move on, I could have whiled away the time picnicing, relaxing, sunning, and contemplating the meaning of the universe.

I like this place. I took a lot pictures here very nice I and my family had a great time together

A lovely little garden to sit and reflect, it's off the beaten path so you may have it to yourself at times. It's not a huge party spot, it's just a nice area to take a deep breath and enjoy manicured hedges.

This small quaint garden is modeled after the Alaczar gardens in Seville, Spain. The building to the side of it is modeled after a church in Guadalajara. How more awesome and beautiful can you get? I love coming here and strolling. Its laid out in a planned garden grid, with 4 main planting areas bordered by hedges, and 2 fountains. There is also a gazebo/overhang area as well. There is some seating. There is pretty spanish tile. This garden is small. It is MODELED after, but not an exact replica of the gardens in Seville. It is small and tucked away in a corner of the park. If you make it to Balboa Park, make sure you stop in here!!!

A beautiful stretch of hedge gardens at the start of the Cabrillo Bridge, dotted with fountains. Very quiet and pastoral and, even when the park is packed, usually a good place to quietly sit and read a book.

I thought visiting the Botanical Building was quick, but this was a ridiculously fast visit of two minutes. Described like the "gardens of Alcazar Castle in Seville", it is not. It's one small grid of hedges. The garden was also being replanted.