The Garden Terraces

This beautiful, fragile, terraced garden was designed in 1878 for Sir John St Aubyn, (later the 1st Lord St Levan ) and would have delighted his family of eleven people.

Aloes and agave rear out of the bedrock, tulbaghias wave their delicate heads, and binding threads of rosemary, lavender and lampranthus tumble down the terraces. Come and experience life beyond the castle walls...

Stroll among the steep, sloping terraces and you’ll spot all manner of unlikely plants, which thrive in this curiously mild microclimate. Despite the gales and salty winds that you’d expect here, frosts are a rarity and the rock acts as a gigantic radiator – absorbing the heat by day and releasing it at night.

How to plan your visit

You will need to book a garden ticket online. This gives you access to the island including the harbour, art gallery and village, the gardens themselves and the lawns, shops and café. Alternatively, you can purchase a combi ticket which also gives you access to the castle.

The gardens are open Monday-Friday and closed at the weekends, to allow the family to privately enjoy the garden. Assistance dogs only in the gardens.

Highlights in the gardens

Among the many highlights are:

• Our Victorian ‘Seagull Seat’, the perfect place to absorb the bay views from the top of the west terraces.
• Exotic succulents nestled among the granite bedrock in the east terraces and west terraces.
• A trip through time in the walled garden, designed by two daughters of the fourth baronet in 1780.

Winter in the gardens

The inevitable wear and tear from so many pairs of feet on the paths and terraces, necessitates a closed period between September and April for the gardening team’s skilled attention.

The cliff faces will be abseiled down and cleared of weeds and bracken. The grass paths will be aerated and re-turfed or seeded whilst the ground is still warm from the summer sunshine.

Dry stone walls will be repaired, along with the stoney steps, while various horticultural jobs will be undertaken in the narrow borders that cannot be done when visitors are exploring.

Hidden corners of the gardens

The terraces are home to a world of hidden corners and tucked-away treasures, where winding paths lead you through pockets of calm and beauty. Each level reveals something new, from quiet corners, to secret paths framed by lush planting. Here, the garden’s best-kept secrets are waiting to be found, offering moments of stillness and wonder away from the main paths, where the whisper of leaves and the play of sunlight create a sense of timeless escape.

Preserving their delicate beauty

The private gardens on St Michael’s Mount were built in 1887 for a family of 11. Last year just shy of 150,000 visitors were welcomed into them. The castle is robust, the gardens are fragile and therefore have restricted opening times: Monday-Friday 10:00 - 15:45 from 20th April - 29th August 2025. However, the gardens have been designed to be seen from above as well as from within and the incredible view from the castle battlements shows off the rich tapestry of the terraces below.