High above Barcelona, you enter this spacious paradise through heavy gates. It looks as if nothing could survive on the inhospitable slopes of Montjuïc but a path leads past a pond surrounded by trees. It was peaceful, and the layout – created in 1999 by architect Carlos Ferrater – encourages a slower appreciation of life. I began walking along what looked like a tempting yellow brick road, but was, in fact, a sandy route through what is an expansive nature reserve.

This is the perfect place to escape the heat of the summer sun or inclement autumn weather. Each area has been planted with species from Mediterranean climates. There are eucalyptus trees in the Australian garden, tall cypresses on the Cypriot hillside and Latin American giant aloe veras. Labels and brightly coloured maps make it is easy to identify where each variety is from.

The garden has gently sloping paths with easy access for all. At the top is the museum, with specimens displaying details of where they originated. The Dr Seuss trees impressed me, their bulbous foliage as fascinating as any of Gaudí’s architectural wonders. These gardens are a living cabinet of curiosities.
• museuciences.cat, open daily 10am-7pm, €3.50

Quiet Barcelona is published by Frances Lincoln (£12.99). To buy a copy for £11.04, including UK p&p, go to bookshop.theguardian.com