The Visit
Practical infos
Seasonal Operating Dates : Water Lily Gardens : April 15th through October 15th // Restaurant Café Marliacea : May 1st through September 30th // Water Lily Nursery/Garden Shop: March 15th through October 15th // Mail order : March through November for plants, all year for merchandise.
We are open after October 15 for plant sales and group visits only by appointment.
Sanitary measures: Visitors are kindly requested to disinfect their hands on entering the shop, and to wear a mask when passing through the shop, museum and greenhouses. Wearing a mask is not compulsory once outdoors in the park, or in the restaurant on our terraces.
Hours : Botanical Gardens : Tuesday through Sunday from 10 AM until 6 PM
Restaurant : Tuesday through Sunday from 12 PM to 5 PM, full menu from 12 PM to 3 PM, limited bar menu from 3 PM to 5 PM.
Rates :
Adults : 7,50 € with guidebook
Children 6-12 years old : 3,75 € with kids activity book
Children under 6 years old: free
Guests in wheelchairs: 3,75 € (All of the water lilies and historical parts of the site are wheelchair accessible, as are the restaurant, museum and toilet facilities. Some more recent parts of the gardens are not accessible. We are continually improving the park for those with reduced mobility).
Groups (10 or more people): : 5,40 € per person (+50€ for guided tour 45mn)
Season pass:
Adults : 10 €,
Kids : 5 €
Bloom Times :
April : water iris, wisteria
May : hardy water lilies bearded iris, roses
June : hardy and tropical water lilies, Japanese iris, roses
July : hardy and tropical water lilies, Victoria giant water lily, lotus, roses
August : hardy and tropical water lilies, Victoria giant water lily, lotus, roses
September : hardy and tropical water lilies, Victoria giant water lily, roses
October : ardy and tropical water lilies, Victoria giant water lily.
Visit with your pet : Dogs or other animals on a lead are welcome in the park. We kindly request that you pick up after your pet.
FROM BORDEAUX/TOULOUSE : Take Exit 6 (Aiguillon) off the autoroute A62. After you pay the toll follow the D8 at the roundabout, direction VILLENEUVE SUR LOT. Continue on the D8 until you cross a large bridge over the Garonne river (less than 10 minutes).
Go left immediately after the bridge, onto the D642. Follow this road until it ends in a T junction (less than 5 minutes).
Go left at the junction, and then take an almost immediate right turn onto the D666, towards VILLENEUVE SUR LOT.
This road will turn into the D911 and take you directly into the centre of Le Temple sur Lot after about 20 minutes.
Be careful not to drive right through the village and on to Villeneuve sur Lot.
Latour-Marliac is located behind the village. You can reach us by turning right just before the 12th century Commanderie and stop light, by turning right at the stop light, or by turning right after the lights and before the Elan petrol station. Small signs point the way.
FROM THE DORDOGNE : From Périgueux or Bergerac, take the N21 into Villeneuve-sur-Lot. Those coming from Sarlat should get to Fumel, where the D911 brings you into Villeneuve sur Lot. Once in Villeneuve, follow the signs for Bordeaux. This will put you on the D911, which will put you right into the center of Le Temple-sur-Lot (in about 15 minutes).
Be careful not to drive right through the village and on to Castelmoron-sur-Lot.
Latour-Marliac is located behind the village. You can reach us by turning left just after the Elan petrol station, or by turning left at the stop light in the village, or by turning left just after the lights and the 12th century Commanderie.Small signs point the way.
Map of the Gardens
0. Reception, aquatic garden centre and shop + start of the treasure hunt.
1. Water lily workshop - The area where we prepare and pack water lilies for sale.
2. The exotic greenhouse where the nocturnal tropical water lilies reside, and the Victoria, a giant Amazonian water lily, which deploys leaves 1.5 meters in diameter in the shape of a "pie tin".
3. The cultivation pools where we grow more than 250 varieties of hardy water lilies.
4. The lotus collection. Called Nelumbo in botanical terminology, the lotus is characterized by its large, high leaves and towering flowers, similar to large peonies.
5. The historical pools built in 1870, built by Mr Bory Latour-Marliac. The French National Water Lily Collection of Nymphaea is exhibited in these pools.
6. The terracotta pots that surround the French National Water Lily Collection of Nymphaea (more than 350 varieties) classified by the CCVS.
7. Two wells have supplied the cultivation pools with water since the 19th century.
8. The museum. Artefacts from Bory Latour-Marliac and his descendants are exhibited here, as well as many documents from our archives dating from 1881 (including orders from Claude Monet).
9. Edgard's villa, built around 1920 by the son of Bory Latour-Marliac.
10. The tropical water lily collection. True blue water lilies are only found in the tropical branch of the nymphaea family.
11. Springs - there are 14 on site, some of which are thermal.
12. The statue of Latour-Marliac. It was here, along the banks of the stream, that Latour-Marliac made his first crosses.
13. The Japanese bridge, reminiscent of Giverny.
14. The koi fountain and its huge Japanese koi carp and its beautiful view of Le Temple-sur-Lot.
15. The aponegeton spring.
16. The rose arbor.
17. The tropical greenhouse.
18. The cave with its underwater view of the Victoria, a giant water lily, on one side and the waterfall on the other.
19. The gazebo, with its view of the botanical garden and the nursery.
20. The bamboo grove. Around 1860, Latour-Marliac had the largest collection of bamboos in Europe, and he introduced two varieties that still bear his name: Phyllostachys bambusoides 'Marliacea' and phyllostachys nigra 'Boryana'
21. The shade garden - new in 2019.
22. The walk of the springs - new in 2020.
For kids
There is a lot to do for children under 12 at Latour-Marliac. For one, the park and nursery are teeming with aquatic fauna, mostly frogs (five species) and other amphibians, which is of great interesrt for many children. There are three acres of gardens and streams to explore, space to run around, and koi to feed. Our children's guidebook, included with the visit, helps children to identify the different species of plants and animals, as well as to understand the story of Bory Latour-Marliac and the water lily.
In 2020, we launched an on-site treasure hunt that plays out through the whole park. Designed in partnership with comic strip artist Adrien Yeung, it tells a mysterious story based on the disappearance of a treasure hidden on site by Bory Latour-Marliac in the 19th century. The characters featured in the story, of which there are several, include a king of the frogs, a gardener, a villain, and the ghost of painter Claude Monet.
Adult groups
For groups visits, we offer the following itinerary:
10:30 am: Guided tour of the park: our guide will explain the history of the site, its past, present, and the link with Claude Monet, as well as how to grow water lilies and lotus.
11.30am-12.30pm: Explore the nursery, gardens and museum.
12:30 pm: Lunch on the veranda in the bamboo grove.
The meal :
Starter / main course / dessert + aperitif, wine and coffee.
Starter, choose between: Local charcuterie or Smoked trout or Summer vegetable tart.
Main course, choose between: Duck confit parmentier, lightly seasoned with Corfu kumquat liqueur served with mesclun salad or Pork tenderloin with Armagnac sauce and roasted potatoes.
Cheese course (supplement of 3 €/pers) from the Broc fromagerie in Le Temple-sur-Lot, with salad.
Dessert, choose between: Carrot cake, brownie or fine seasonal fruit tart.
Single choice for the whole group, except vegetarian or special diet. Lunch offered to driver and guide.
Package price: € 32.50 incl.tax per person
Price includes entrance to the garden, guidebook, and guided tour.
Download our group brochure here.
school groups
Latour-Marliac welcomes school groups
from April through October.
Please contact us for details.