Jardin Botanique de Metz

Jardin Botanique de Metz is a stunning landscaped park built around a set of old glasshouses. It sits on the grounds of an old summer estate, and the original pavilion still stands in the middle of the park. The glasshouses are the garden's centrepieces with their intricate iron frames and curved glass. Inside, the rooms vary from Mediterranean plants through to full tropical, so you go all the from cactus to palm as you explore each space. It's humid and contrasty in there, so expect a fogged lens for the first minute and shoot into the light rather than fighting with it. Outside, the arboretum is home to ginkgos, sequoias and a bald cypress that are all well over a hundred years old. The ginkgo and the cypress both change colour in October, one hard yellow, the other a rich rust. There's a rose garden as well if you're here in June, plus scented beds and grasses that pick up low light. The park is open all year and entry is free. The glasshouses keep their own shorter hours, so check those before you build a day around them. (Montigny-lès-Metz, Grand Est, France)