Halifax Public Gardens

Amazing experience among the fall leaf colors and perfect weather. The public gardens are exceptional given Halifax’s size, and well worth the visit. While the dahlia garden was a highlight, the entire grounds and even the little coffee shop were all very pleasant to walk around and check out. Highly, highly recommend a stroll through the gardens when you’re in downtown Halifax.

The Halifax Public Gardens are absolutely beautiful! The variety of flowers, the colorful landscapes, and the well-kept walking paths make it such a relaxing place to visit. I loved the mix of history, nature, and charm—you can really take your time strolling around and enjoying the peaceful environment. It’s the perfect spot to unwind, take photos, or just sit and enjoy the scenery. A true gem in the middle of the city!

One of the most beautiful spots in Halifax. The gardens are well maintained and peaceful. The flowers and trees are stunning in every season. The paths are easy to walk and perfect for a quiet stroll. It’s a great place to slow down, take photos, and enjoy nature right in the city.

Beautiful gardens within the city. Very nicely maintained gardens with a variety of different plants, flowers, and trees. Several different small ponds with wandering paths through the grounds. They had a special exhibit of dahlia flowers with multiple varieties planted and a few informational signs posted about the dahlias. The best part was that there was a coffee shop/cafe within the garden grounds and public restroom facilities.

Well kept, free, easy parking, walking paths as well as guided tours. Coffee shop inside a historic building. We loved the flowers! Several benches to sit and enjoy

This experience is not to be missed. The absolute most amazing and vibrant collection of flowers, shrubs and trees. Beautifully designed and coordinated. Walk at your own pace, easily accessible for all levels of mobility. Not crowded or noisy with plenty of seating. No play ground, dog friendly but bring a bag & gloves, no food sources and I didn’t see rest rooms.

Another gorgeous Halifax spot. This garden is right in the center of downtown, and is quite big. Very well maintained, great for a walk on a nice sunny day. Wildlife is mostly ducks.

Quaint park in a very scenic downtown Halifax. While I’m accustomed to similar and much bigger parks like it in Toronto, there’s just a unique charm about it. It might be all the friendly faces I saw throughout. Everyone smiled or said hello.

What an excellent tour through the Public Garden's! It was originally made for royalty. The gardens were established in 1847 and depict a Victorian era garden. In fact the pathway was just large enough for two women to walk side by side in hooped skirts. Open 24/7. No fee to enter.

Peaceful & Picturesque - A Must-Stroll Spot in Halifax The Halifax Public Gardens is a beautiful, peaceful escape right in the heart of the city--and best of all, it's completely free! It's the perfect spot to take a slow stroll, soak in the scenery, or just sit and unwind. The gardens are immaculately maintained, full of vibrant flowers, winding paths, and charming little features. It's also an ideal reading spot--quiet, shaded, and totally serene. Whether you're looking to relax or snap some stunning photos, this is a must-visit stop while in Halifax.

STUNNING. The Halifax Public Garden was the highlight of my trip to Halifax. It's manicured to near perfection. It's a MUST to visit if you are in the area!

Beautiful free public park with public restrooms. Great spot for engagement, wedding, and grad photos. There are ties and dedications to various kings and queens. There are many different spots to sit and enjoy the beauty around you. There are benches, lakes, fountains, and plenty of green lawn space. Worth a visit when you are in town for a nice stroll or maybe even picnic.

HOW GORGEOUS! Amazing place to walk, sit and enjoy the beautiful weather and the gorgeous flowers. These gardens, ponds and grounds are beautiful.

This is a fantastic place! They have kept it nice since the 1800s and you can totally tell it is well cared for. There is a visitor center in a historical house built in 1847 that you can enter well. The park is open. The park closes 1/2 hour before sunset. Photograph in the park, but you may not get married in the park. I find that an interesting rule.

This garden is absolutely stunning and picturesque. We saw many couples coming here to shoot their wedding/engagement photos with their bridal crews. It's so impressive how meticulously the gardens are decorated and well-maintained. Information, some people weren't wise enough to understand and appreciate the efforts that had put into this place and vandalized the trees in 2022. Some of those plants and trees cannot be revived again and this is so sad!

It's the .middle of September, and the park is full of flowers. We enjoyed walking through the park. Strolling would be more correct. I would love to go back for a longer visit.

This garden is the perfect way to spend a relaxing evening afternoon or any time of the day. It's free and well taken care of. I found absolutely no trash which is amazing for a free garden and the garden is just so well planned. Everywhere you look is a beautiful garden. I also would an imagine this is a great way to have a picnic or read a book. Come and enjoy this wonderful garden you won't regret it trust me. Just don't bring your dog( they're not allowed in) !

Stunning! A stroll through these English style gardens during the month of September was the highlight of our visit to Halifax. The dahlias were out in all of their glory and everyone was busy taking photos and hawking at their size and intricate designs. Many were much larger than my whole hand. The dahlia gardens were all thoughtfully labeled making it easy to identify the large variety. The gardens feature plentiful shade, a cafe with porch seating, clean bathroom facilities and duck ponds. Bikes and joggers are not allowed in this park. Picture it as more of a strolling type of setting. For a moment, you could have fooled me into believing I was in the English countryside based on the brisk air and calm nature of the whole experience. Don't leave Halifax without going here!

It is so wonderful Halifax has a place like this in the City. Halifax is a wonderful city, it was my second time visiting and it has always been one of my favorite cities on the Eastern coast of Canada. We met up with a friend there and my younger son loved feeding the ducks. Such a peaceful place to walk and explore.

Free! Gorgeous gardens! We were on a comprehensive bus tour of Halifax (from a cruise ship) and I just loved these gardens. The wrought iron is beautiful and the plantings (maintained by 10 gardeners) are wonderful. We were there just in time to see the end of the dahlias- which were superb. Even at the end of September there were lovely blooms. I loved the bandstand- which is near the classical figures of Diana, Ceres and another goddess I can't remember. There is a little stream running through the park with very cute details- like a small church and some statues. There are ducks and red squirrels. There's a tea room in the old cottage on the side of the property. We spent a lovely hour here just wandering around and taking pictures and sitting on a bench. If I lived in Halifax I'd bring a coffee here and just soak in the beauty (there's a Starbucks just down the street and other coffee places as well.) I loved that there is a red oak here planted by Queen Elizabeth's parents and when she came to Halifax she came to the gardens to see the tree! Some of the trees were vandalized and girdled- but they are trying to save them. They think a disgruntled park employee did the damage- and what an awful think to do to such stately trees. I recommend this spot highly.

We stopped by this public gardens as it was also a good and convenient stop on our Hop On Hop Off bus tour of Halifax. It was a delightful and colorful walk through this historic gardens that was established in 1875. It's not that large in size, but it's free and very enjoyable. I'll go with 5 stars mainly because it's historic.

What can I say that hasn't already been said about the Public Gardens? It's beautiful and a great place for wedding or engagement photo shoots. It's also nice to just walk around and admire the flowers. It has lots of benches around, so you can sit and enjoy the pretty scenery. There's a good mix of shaded areas and sunnier areas too. It's free to enter and definitely a place to check out when in Halifax.

Beautiful park to walk through on a sunny day. The park caretakers keep the grounds immaculate and we enjoy finding new flower arrangements each visit.

A beautiful walk in the city. It's free! :) A little coffee shop on the grounds if you want a snack.

I've been to the Public Gardens twice and my recent visit was an enjoyable as the other. It was a nice walk from the cruise terminal and it was too busy with passengers but we did see some crew members there. The gardens has areas of different flowers and plants. I liked the one where they had plants for various fruits. We walked the paths and enjoyed all the pretty flowers. There are bathrooms by the cafe. We stopped to watch a duck on the pond. There are benches and we saw people enjoying their lunch here. It's a pretty park to take photos and enjoy the outdoors in the city. If I'm in Halifax again, I will stop in the park again.

This park has a lot more diversity than I thought when I entered for a peaceful stroll. There's a lovely bandstand, red and yellow flowers planted to resemble a snake, water features, and more. The displays change, of course, each year and with the seasons.

Beautiful gardens. It was a great place to stroll around and admire the fountains and various plaques. They have a lovely gazebo. While we were there Adam and I got to see some cute ducks in the pond and one even came to say hello right at our feet. Another thing I loved was that this was a place visited by The Amazing Race Canada in season 3!!

Absolutely stunning public gardens. Kept up immaculately, full of bright open spaces as well as shady cool spots perfect for reflection or a rest. Free of charge but grounds are always clean and well-kept. On-site cafe serves treats.

Even tourists like Gayle and me loved strolling peacefully hand-in-hand within the Halifax Public Gardens. The day we were there must of been some sort of Dalhousie reunion weekend, as we passed at least a few classes posing for pictures and enjoying their time together here. The Halifax Public Gardens are Victorian era public gardens formally established in 1867, the year of Canadian Confederation. Over it's 16 acres, we found lots of flower beds, statues, fountains, ponds, a public bandstand, and lots of benches. We found the gardens to be well-maintained and loved. Even though we were on limited tourist time, it was great to linger, enjoy, and slow things down a bit.

Sammy Olea pays for sex. Besides that if you want to keep your relationship don't go there

Ok but it's been vandalized in past years . Halifax so called downtown is just boring . It's a small town atmosphere in a tiny city they like to call themselves .

The Public Gardens was just starting to pop for the spring. While the flowers were just getting started it was clear these beautiful grounds and features have been around for many years. Such a relaxing stroll on a spring day. I can only imagine how it would be in the peak of season. The nice long stroll around the grounds freed up room for more beers! CHEERS TO THAT!

Beyond BEAUTIFUL in the fall - and I'm sure it's lovely year round!! Worth walking from our cruise ship, even if it was a bit lengthy of a walk and some of it uphill. (We just stopped for lunch on the way at a pub for energy - LOL). Go!!

Such a beautiful and serene public space! We were in town for our honeymoon this past fall and a visit to the Public Gardens came highly recommended from the majority of the locals we were chatting with. We enjoyed a couple of leisurely hours strolling through all of the various gardens, soaking up the sunshine and taking in the gorgeous sights. Love that the gardens are open (for free!) to all for the majority of the year. Believe they close in the winter time for a couple of months, which of course makes sense in Canada! The gardens were very lovingly tended to and some of the flowers I saw were the most stunning/unique I have ever seen IRL with my own two eyes. Absolutely would recommend checking out while in Halifax!

Big and quit garden to relax yourself from city noise. I enjoyed my time with ducks and lots of beautiful flowers

Stunning well laid out garden. Planted with great variety, texture and colour to the beds.

Beautiful gardens in the heart of the city. Bandstand was built in the 1800's. Park benches everywhere, and a snack bar with ice cream, coffee, cookies, and $3 cans of soda!! Clean bathrooms outside of the snack bar, and free WiFi. Password is beside of the cash register in the snack bar.

Lovely park if you're just looking to walk around. Always enjoy the ducklings and the colourful array of flowers in the spring - summer.

Totally recommended any time of year. The stroll is peaceful especially around the pond. There are a few fountains here and even a miniature model of the titanic.

Wow what a great gardens in the middle of Halifax NS. This is great place to visit and it's free so how can you miss(: If you go on the hop on , hop off bus this is right on the way and they drop you off at the entrance. This is very well kept and at the end of September everything was still green and very colorful! If you like horticulture, flowers, gazebos and just a great place to see beautiful landscape this is must see gardens!

Great spot to go for a walk! Plants and flowers and a few animals to take you out of the city for a bit Visit quick before closed for the season!

First time being at the Public Gardens in almost 6 years of being away from home. I think the updated garden looks fantastic. It never looked this good as a child, and I wish I could relive my childhood in this new park. All of the fountains look new again, there are new additions: like the fruit and vegetable garden (which is great)- I will have to go back to explore more and write more. There was also a pelican when I went to visit last week. So if you like birds and nature you will definitely want to tour the garden!

Traditional,full of many plant types,trees and just a little paradise in the city, great for relaxation or meditation during a lunch break.wish we could skate here in winter.

I went on a roadtrip to Halifax with my friend this summer. We were looking for a place to cooI down a little after a big day exploring the city and we ended in the public gardens. Loved this place! It's very pretty, it's calm and it's a great place for a walk. There even was a wedding when I went and I couldn't tell because the park is big and quiet. May I add that the park is close to a boardwalk (like a 10 minutes walk) and right next to boulevards. Easy to go and lots of things to do around it and it's free to visite. I would add this to my bucket list if you ever were to go to Halifax.

This is my favourite place in Halifax. Between the beautiful flowers and trees, the geese and the ducks it always lifts my spirits. There are lots of benches to sit and enjoy the scenery on, I love to take a book and spend a few hours lounging in the summer months. The Queen Victoria fountain is absolutely beautiful, especially when there are flowers blooming everywhere next to it. And in the summer you might catch old timey bands playing in the bandstand! If you get too warm, check out the little gift shop, where you can also grab an ice cream from Sugah! or a drink from Uncommon Grounds. The Public Gardens showcase the best of Halifax - it's beauty, the friendly people, and the rich history.

Very calm and peaceful (until you hear sirens) Do recommend going here maybe bring your dog!

Flowers fountains and the Titanic The Public Gardens in Halifax is a wonderful place that has been around for a long time. The idea for a public garden was started back in 1836 by the Horticultural Society of Halifax and became formally recognized as a public place when the garden was combined with a park in 1874. The gardens are now roughly 16 acres and contain all kinds of cool stuff, some of it not obvious to the casual observer. The massive entrance and the numerous statues, fountains and displays of flowers are easy to see and appreciate but other more subtle wonders are present too. In the cool duck pond a model ship can be see floating around. It looks like some kid left it there, but it is actually a model to memorialize the sinking of the Titanic in 1912. And the pond itself was named after some poor guy that was hung by mistake and the multitude of statues all have stories to tell. There is even a little lighthouse on an island in the pond and miniature buildings scattered around. A beautiful park to take a causal stroll through and look at spectacular flowers or one to take your time and appreciate all the less obvious treasures.

This was my first time visiting the Public Gardens park and its just beautiful there, very well maintained and its almost exotic there. I will go back and finish the trails. Its a perfect place to relax and just think while you do some walking, sitting or just enjoying the beautiful view, highly recommend +++

My partner and I live in the Southbend and when we go out for a walk we always seem to end up in the Gardens. The park never disappoints. Halifax is an amazing city go out and discovery!

As we walked down the waterfront earlier in the day we were told by several people that while we were in Halifax we had to see the Public Gardens and I am very happy we did. Though it had started to rain a little bit we would not be deterred and so we went for a stroll through the gardens. We have been to many gardens like this before but these were among the best we have ever seen. Everything was beautiful and vibrant. The statues and monuments were very nice as well. We walked around a bit and then spent some time beside the pond watching the ducks and the fish. It was a great way to spend our afternoon. I would recommend it to anyone who goes to Halifax.

They kept paradise and refused to put up a parking lot. That is, in my mind, the best way to describe the Public Gardens Park in Halifax. It is rare, in any city, to find a beautiful, well kept park with so much care put into it. This East Coast treasure is parked right downtown Halifax and offers a garden of Eden to the general public. Its century old iron gates are a beautiful way to enter into this amazing paradise, where you can walk past ducks in a pond, smell the flowers, and from time-to-time, hear bands playing in the gazebo. Their staff work hard on keeping this place clean and it shows. I have never walked into Public Gardens and have it not look brand new. So whether you are a tourist and want to see a beautiful, Halifax garden, or a busy office employee who needs to de-stress on your lunch break, this little Eden is perfect for you.

In no time flat, those gorgeous wrought iron gates are going to open and the park will be welcoming all to enter. I stood peering over the fence yesterday, watching the ducks in the pond and marveling at just how lovely this downtown treasure really is. It's too bad that for so many months of the year the park is closed. I'm sure it has to do with the city not being able to afford the winter upkeep, but I can't help my desire to go on a snow filled walk across the lovely grounds during the winter months. In the spring and summer, I love to sit on a bench and enjoy my lunch. If you walk to the furthest end of the park away from the main gates, you will find a large patch of grass designed for rolling and lying about. Don't even try to go on the grass elsewhere in the Public Gardens, or else one of the attendants will motor over to you and sternly ask you to step away from the green. Blossoms abound, along with lovely trees and gorgeous waters. In the gazebo during the warmer months, if you're lucky you'll find old folks playing music and entertaining people sitting on the spectators' benches. This truly is a Halifax treasure. Spend as much time as you can here. Life is too short to not stop and smell the roses.

So very very lovely. The Halifax Public Gardens are one of the last formal Victorian public gardens in North America. Located right next to the downtown area the garden makes for a perfect respite from urbanity and takes you into a world that could be part of Alice in Wonderland. The grounds are perfectly maintained which is a testament to the grounds workers and the good people of Canada that follow the direction to not walk on the grass. Bursts of color pop out from everywhere and are complimented with tasteful statues and fountains. I was worried that since we were visiting at the end of the summer that there would be few flowers still around but that was so not the case. Just amazing. This isn't the kind of park you'd go to play football or frisbee, or even spread out a blanket for a picnic - head to the Common for that sort of thing. It's more of a place to stroll, cane in hand, with your honey or bench it up for some duckwatching. About those ducks - don't feed them! If you get caught doing so you can apparently get slapped with a hefty fine - Haligonians are serious about healthy ducks.

Gorgeous, accessible, and walkable. Best encountered by walking to the spot itself, there are spaces nearby for those who drive up. The park is designed with wandering paths that take the visitor to different themed sections. Pay attention to the marked picnic areas, as volunteers will come roust you out if you camp out in a meadow that is not designated for lounging (we say it happen twice). Pleasant, lovely experience - we visited twice because we wanted to see everything a second time.

It is almost time... We know summer is coming when the Gates open to the gardens. This is a favourite hot spot of mine when I am downtown. There is nothing like walking through the garden and sitting in those hard benches eating and ice cream while the pigeons dive bomb you because someone is feeding them. GOTTA LOVE IT. But this is a part of the gardens. June is a busy month as it is grad time and everyone takes advantages of the beautiful gardens and bridges that you are able to take pictures on. Some of the trees at the garden when in full glory are just beautiful. Like other have said it is a sin that is is closed in the winter it would be nice for the city to be able to set up a skating rink or something in there for all to enjoy.

Generally speaking I love the Gardens. Well maintained, and gorgeous. My first visit there this spring left me forgetting I was in the middle of a city. I love the elegance of the main gates, and the history behind the park itself. It is also the largest, well maintained Victorian Garden in North America. Now, what I don't enjoy: it is, essentially, a park however one is not allowed on the grass? Sure I understand that high amounts foot traffic can be damaging to the growth of the grass. However, what is the harm in someone wanting to sit under a tree, on the grass to read for a few hours? Ok, so there is a small section at one end of the garden where being on the grass is OK. I just don't understand why the grass is so off limits. Also, no bikes? No jogging? No dogs? On a recent visit I saw a lady walking her bike through the gardens. At no point was she on it. She was walking through, taking the scenic route, as she wanted to get to a street on the other end of the park. She was stopped and told she had to leave immediate as bikes were not permitted. Seriously? Really Halifax? Are all these no-nos really necessary? No playing on the grass - you're basically saying no kids. Beyond that, I do enjoy having the Gardens in our backyard. It is a little oasis away from the hum and buzz of downtown Halifax.

There is probably nothing more delightful than wandering through these Victorian Gardens from late May through November, although,naturally it's more spectacular in the height of summer with flowers in bloom everywhere you look and graceful ducks and swan gliding effortlessly across the ponds. Nothing is lovelier than Sunday afternoon concerts...unless, of course, you're like me and love to watch all the bridal parties being photographed here. I only wish that they would label the various plants so that I know exactly what I'm thoroughly enjoying at any given moment.