Eden Project

A great day out but quite expensive. The tropical bio dome is amazing whereas the Mediterranean done far less so. I think they could do more with the site an underwater section perhaps. Still the site is extensive and their are other activities on site such as wire glide and climbing wall.

The gardens were great, particularly the tropical dome. But the best part of the trip was the self service restaurant, the food was absolutely superb. The complex is Wheelchair friendly, which is a big plus in a county that has many obstacles for the disabled.

A fantastic day out for all the family. I would recommend getting there for 11ish, taking a picnic & having a leisurely day out. The bio domes are fantastic, with the plants being so mature & natural it is fantastic.

I had been meaning to try the Eden Project for more than 12 years after a broken down car scuppered my last attempt to visit.
It is a massive site with the car parks named after different fruits and a bus to the entrance. It can be pricey to visit as an adult ticket is priced at £25, try to book online in advance as there are discounts to be had plus it significantly reduces your queuing time.
There are two indoor domes with one with the rain forests and the other covering a Mediterranean climate. Both are impressive structures chock full of plants that don’t normally grow on these shores. The third biome is outside and I think that it is the most impressive plus it also the biggest. There is a museum on the site but it seemed a little unfocused. My only gripe is that the whole place seemed a little gimmicky.
I would recommend the café for lunch if you haven’t eaten before you have arrived as the food served was delicious and of good quality.

It really is astonishing to think that this was one man’s idea and from an idea it has become a captivating giant reality. It’s £25 entry for an adult, once paid you can register on line and go in every day for a year. Discounts are offered for booking on — line. Worth every penny. It opened about 17 years ago. I read somewhere that it has generated over £1 billion to the local economy since it opened. Staff are mega friendly. Now I’m a bit nerdy about this type of place. I could spend days going round and round then round again. There are two large artificial biomes containing thousands of plant species collected from all around the world, with some very rare plants and trees. Some of the leaves of the plants are over six foot long and a foot wide, bamboo inches thick. And then there’s peanut plants to chilli plants, tobacco plants (you try getting their seeds!!) banana trees to cashew trees, curry plants, lemon trees, trees that give us medicine from aspirin to anti coagulants. The peanut plant is really fascinating; the plant blooms, it has pretty yellow flowers and it produces an umbilical cord with a seed at the tip. The umbilical cord stays attached to the plant and it drops to the soil; it pushes the seed into the soil and the peanut pod is fed through the plant with the peanut growing underground — a very rare thing in the plant world known as geocarpy. Technically the peanut isn’t a nut it’s a legume but that’s another story do next time you munch a handful of dry roasted or spread some peanut butter just remember how rare this wee food is in natures chain. The Eden project is located in a reclaimed Kaolinite pit near St Austell. The biomes dominate the landscape and consist of hundreds of hexagonal and pentagonal, inflated, plastic cells supported by steel frames. It looks like something you would see in Star Trek of Blake 7. If Dr Who’s tardis was there it wouldn’t be out of place. Cybermen, daleks, would be at home as would Tom Baker or Jon Pertwee. There’s also a large stage for music concerts — sure beats talking to the plants. The first dome simulates a humid near forty degree centigrade tropical environment, waterfall included and the second a Mediterranean environment. We were there nearly eight hours. All the food and drink is delicious and as fresh and natural as they can make it. The seafood paella is superb. As are the burritos, which go well with the local dry five proof cider. We also had coffee, scones with jam and clotted cream and a Cornish bun similar to a scone but made with saffron and fruit peel — delicious. It would be better if they changed their coffee though, as it could be better tasting but they are rightly fussy about suppliers given their ethos and commitment to plants, people and planet. Also they do need to filter the water used for coffee and tea as it too could be better. As I said they house some very rare plants and trees yet you won’t find a bottle of coke or Pepsi anywhere — now that’s a very rare thing indeed. As we ended our day we went to the Eden shop to get great bread, scones, strawberry jam and lots of other goodies. This place is captivating, educational, a living research facility, really worth supporting and it is certainly unique in Europe. Let’s hope they’ll achieve a desert biome in the next ten years I certainly wish it.

I freaking love this place.
Really amazing. If you love plants. I would have loved ed to see a few more manicured gardens but that’s not what it is about. Its about humanmade nature.
But
The food was bizarrely in diffrrent locations. So good food joints hidden away. And bad ones in busy places. The food costs were a nice surprise for a Londoner l… Especially as they basically had a monopoly once you enter. Ice cream yum, pasties out of stock, burgers… Mediocre, the smoothies in the rainforest were really yum. don’t skimp on food. It was nice variety.
Be warned the exit takes you through a large gift shop with alcohol and sustainable homewares… It was hard to resist temptation.
The staff seemed a bit like lost teenagers going through the motions. And once you are in there was a lack of cohesion to the staff team
The Mediterranean bio dome… Was not warm. I don’t know. if it’s.cos they doors were left open. But it was chilly. Most disappointing of the whole day. I didn’t feel like it was real. The temp made it feel like the plants were fake.
Nice day out!

I kept thinking about the movie Biodome with Pauly Shore while in the Eden Project Biomes.
Here’s a breakdown of what I liked and didn’t like:
Likes:
–Café was delicious. I had salmon with beet salad and endive salad. Huge, fresh, delicious portions.
–The outdoor areas were beautiful and less crowded.
–The Mediterranean biome had lovely California plants and flowers.
–Pesto garlic salad dressing in the café. Amazing! I bought some in the gift shop.
–Plants for sale!
Dislikes:
–It seemed a little gimmicky, like serving rum drinks in the rainforest biome.
–The biomes were a little dirty and felt kind of like Disney World or something.
–Super crowded.
–The museum seemed random and unfocused.
I wouldn’t come back but I’m glad I saw it.

Really love it here. I try to visit Cornwall at least once a year, and the Eden project is always on my list to visit. A ticket is valid for a year, so if you live nearby it would be amazing to visit here every few weeks and see the plants as the seasons change. As parking is free, there really isn’t any excuse to.
I also really love the gift shop and always end up leaving with loads of stuff.

Good day out with lots to do and see. Gift aid your ticket to convert it to an annual pass. If you’re going in peak season, get there early so you have a chance to see the place before the hordes descend: when it’s busy, it’s very busy. The food is good, though nothing is cheap.

|Just back form a 4 day stay at Eden, what a fantastic and ecological sound project.
Restaurant was excellent and staff courteous.
I cannot recommend Eden highly enough.

A truly beautiful and amazing place, but maybe a bit over-​hyped and not as big as I expected. The outdoor gardens are beautiful, the Mediterranean Biome feels just like you’re in the Mediterranean, and the Rainforest Biome has a fantastic high walk where you can look down on everything. The event they had on while we were their was all about chocolate, and we were entertained by the guy making an incredible sculpture out of pure chocolate. The staff is very friendly, and the whole thing is very environmentally-​oriented and educational. I got a bunch of unique food loot from the shop I liked. It’s a good place to spend a few hours while you’re in Cornwall, but I wouldn’t come out here as a destination in itself.

It still fascinates me how a group of people got together, with an idea, but no money. They talked companies into involving themselves, again with no finances, to achieve a concept.
Wow, what a concept. An old clay pit developed into the Eden Project.
A great day out for ALL the family. Designed for Mums, Dads, kids and the grandparents. Disability is no problem, they cater for everyone.
We spent the whole day there and didn’t see it all. Luckily, the entrance ticket covers entrances for a year so we will be going back to see those items we missed.
I can’t explain how we were mesmerised on our visit as soon as we walked through the entrance. Breathtaking. Anyway, look at their website. It explains it all better than I could ever write.
When you are down St. Austell way, give a visit. You wont be disappointed.

Ein beeindruckendes Projekt mit dem Anspruch Bewußtsein für Zusammenhänge zwischen unserem Konsumverhalten und der Lebenssituation in tropischen Regionen zu erwecken .Wie ich empfinde, ist es gut gelungen, da es auch Lösungen, für den fairen Umgang miteinander aufzeigt. Beeindruckende Gewächshäuser und schöné Grünanlagen .Auf jeden Fall sehenswert.

Wow, what an experience. I think it’s a project worthy to support. The idea of environmental awareness is so important.
We were very lucky to be there to hear the story of the Lorax originally written by Dr. Seuss. It was narrated by Jenny Crowe. It was brilliant. And although english is not our mother tongue we understood most of this great story.
I will come back. It’s worth it

Eintrittspreis recht hoch. Selbst mit Great Heritagekarte noch 11£ pro Person. Gesamteindruck der Anlage auf den ersten Blick beeindruckend. Das liegt jedoch an den Gewächshauskonstruktionen. Ansonsten ein botanischer Garten mit einem recht großen Tropischen Bereich. Bei regnerischem Wetter herrscht Massenandrang.

netter Pflanzenzoo mit heftigen Eintrittspreisen der x-​Millionen Fördermittel verschlungen hat.

Ridiculously overpriced botanic garden.
My partner and I went to the Eden Project in August 2011. Upon parking our car at the facility, we waited 10 minutes for a shuttle bus to take us to the park entrance (about five minutes away, but the shuttle is a safer route, as the road does not include a walkway). There were massive lines for tickets into the park, so more waiting (20 minutes). The employees working the till try to upsell you on a number of «necessary» add-​ons, such as a park guide or a children’s activity book, none of which are actually needed, as there is great signage all over the park.
What truly surprised us, however, was the fact that the adult admittance fee for the Eden Project was £22 each. That’s a lot of money (Kew Gardens costs a mere £13.90 in comparison) to see manuever around thousands of people in an attempt to glimpse a couple plants.
Note: you can buy your ticket online and you’ll save about £3 if you do so. You can also exchange your admission ticket for an annual membership at no additional cost if you do so on the same day.
Once we paid our exorbitant admission fee, we spent a few hours walking the grounds. There are two biomes on site: a rainforest biome that gets insanely humid as you climb to the top (several people had to exit through the side door), and a Mediterranean biome that includes a display of chili peppers. The chili pepper display is missing many of the hotter varieties, so it was less interesting than we expected. The biomes themselves were so crowded that you could barely stop to look at the plants without being pushed or bumped by another visitor. My partner and I simply looked at each other and said «let’s get out.»
The outdoor area at the Eden Project is geared toward families with young children, and if you suit that bill, I’m sure you’ll have a delightful time at the park. They have numerous play areas and organized activities for children, including obstacle courses, circus training, and art projects. For children, Eden Project offers hours of entertainment.
For adults who simply want to spend a few hours quietly perusing the gardens, you’re out of luck. There is no such thing as a quiet afternoon at the Eden Project in August.
The outdoor habitats were not terribly impressive or picturesque, but certainly less crowded than the biomes. The Eden Project offers a land train that will drive you through the outdoor gardens, but it’s not necessary, as they are small and easy to walk. We were surprised at the lack of flower gardens.
If you decide to dine at the Eden Project, there are picnic areas in addition to several cafes and open dining areas. The large pots of paella cooking in the Mediterranean biome were tempting, but in the end we simply sampled a baobob smoothie in the rainforest biome.
It is certainly interesting to see the biomes at the Eden Project if you’re lucky enough to visit on a quiet day, but my overall assessment is that the park simply isn’t worth the money.

Cornish Creams and Rainforest Dreams
I’m in love. Yes I did utter the ‘L’ word ! However, sadly my new love affair is not with a tall dark, handsome stranger, but with a place — Cornwall !
We took the overnight sleeper train from Paddington to Penanze, booked into a local B&B and then spent the next day exploring the scones (smothered in homemade jam and clotted cream and simply to die for!)shops, beautiful locations, gorgeous views and tried to avoid being dive bombed by some of the biggest seagulls known to mankind !
I enjoyed it all, but I couldn’t wait for our day trip to the Eden Project.
We took the train to St Austell and then caught the shuttle bus direct to the Project. (You can get full price information from the Eden Project website
).
Once inside the ticket/​café area did feel a little like a cattle pen, but fortunately cashiers were fast, friendly and best of all knowlegeable.
A tip for those of you who are planning to go to the Project with your family, save yourselves some time and more importantly quite a lot of money by purchasing them online.
Also there is a free little shuttle train in the park to get you around as the Project trail can be a little confusing.
Once inside the views at the starting point of the tour were incredible, looking down on the whole Project. On the way down you won’t fail to be wowed by an iron giant and a super sized bumble (great photo ops!).
We followed the trail down to the central biodomes which house many interesting and unsual vegetation, lush gardens, but most notably the largest captive rainforest in the world.
It was a great chance to experience a rainforest without heading off down the Amazon and even more exciting from the top of a 100ft viewing platform. Be warned though, the queue for the viewing platform is long and as you are in a rainforest the temperatures are exactly what you’d expect — sweltering, so stay hydrated and make sure you take along extra water with you.
Before I forget and where my stomach’s concerned it’s something I never do, you must check out the Project’s food court.
I thought it was a little expensive, particularly bearing in mind the family audience the Project caters to. If you’re on a budget, take along packed lunches.
If you want to treat yourself then let me give you a tip — I had without a doubt one of the best organic salads I have ever had at the Project. It was delicious.
Cornwall is beautiful, but the jewel in its crown in terms of its tourist attractions is definitely the Eden Project.

My first visit to the Eden Project and I really enjoyed it. It was not what I was expecting at all (which was one huge bio-​dome with a miniature world inside… maybe I should read the descriptions before going!). However, it’s a really interesting place — lots of plants that I haven’t seen before. My personal favourite was looking at the rice plants and the fact that it really smells like rice grains that come out of a packet (yes, I am a city girl…).
You can also go to concerts and there are lots of (educational) things for kids to do. Loved the fact that you could buy some of the plants that you had just seen to take home and grow yourself — shame they didn’t have any rice plants really… Anyway, it’s a nice way to spend an afternoon and worth a visit. The tropical bio-​dome does get really hot, so you probably want to wear layers if you go, so that you can adjust to the various temperatures.
Also, if you are a UK taxpayer, you can gift-​aid your ticket entry, which also works to support the Eden Project (when we went last week, they were offering a 12-​month pass in exchange for using gift-​aid, which was pretty cool and means I might go back a bit more frequently).

This was the first time I’d been back to the Eden Project in almost ten years, it has certainly changed! As you enter the grounds of the Eden Project, you can park in number of car parks which have fruit themes, for the ones furthest away you can catch a shuttle bus. The entrance is very business like; the tickets whilst expensive allows you give a gift aid donation and also revisits for a year if you register your ticket.
The ticket office is adjacent to one of the multitude of cafes at the Eden Project, which encourages all rubbish to be recycled, and features some very rustic seats and tables. There is also an entertaining display showing the consequence of a world without plants. The expansive shop sells not only Eden Project themed cookies, mugs etc. but also products created from recycled rubbish, plants, exotic teas, didgeridoos and paper made from elephant dung!
As you enter into the main area of the Eden Project you are treated to the magnificent vista of the otherworldly biomes and the impressive landscaping, which at the time we visited featured a myriad of brightly coloured summer flowers. As you descend towards the biomes, you can walk through arbors of fruit trees or walk through the herbaceous areas, watched closely by the monster made out of electrical appliances! There is also a venue that at the time was showcasing different crafts, but also hosts concerts.
The biomes themselves are accessed via a large café area, with both internal and external seating. This helps cater for the large number of visitors that visit the Eden Project every day. There are two main biomes; the tropical biome transports you into a humid environment that can initially literally take your breath away! This is the largest biome and is a fascinating place, huge tropical trees, magnificent waterfalls, tropical huts and informative plaques explaining what each plant is and which part of the world it comes from, superb. Don’t try and take any pictures though, instant lens steam up!
The second biome is the Mediterranean Biome, this has really changed since my last visit, again a warm area but not humid. Again fascinating information boards and strikingly beautiful plants, with a central paved area, where performances are about the threats to plants worldwide are performed.
As an alternative way of getting back to the exit, you walk through through the striking herbaceous area, to another large area explaining the importance of plants, then up a lift and through a panoramic café area and over a metal bridge made from recycled products. The Eden Project is a great day out, informative and interesting.

You may not run into Pauly Shore, but you will have fun in these biomes.
The layout of the gardens can sometimes be confusing. You also have to be very careful to plan your exit early. It takes a long time to get to the top of the winding hill for the exit (this is only a problem if you need to catch the bus out of here). And the place is so big that you’ll have to take a bus to get to the bus stop!
Take the bus from the St. Austell station. You can purchase your tickets as a combo from the driver. It’s cheaper that way. You know why? Because you get a discount if you don’t drive yourself.
But it’s beautiful. That’s all of the convincing you should really need. If you are in the area (within a day’s drive), make an adventure of it and go. Learn something about plants. Learn something about nature. And just enjoy yourself!
Plus, they do an amazing concert series!

I’ve been to my fair share of biodomes, growing up with science oriented parents. However, the Eden Project is probably the largest and most comprehensive one yet.
I won’t go into details about the biodomes themselves. I will say that the tropical biodome can get unbearably warm. I was there in June but it was not that warm (we were standing outside in long trousers and wind proof jackets). In the tropical biodome people were stripping like mad. Kids and men were running around with shirts off. They even had signs posted for early exits (those who couldn’t endure to the end of the path) and lots of drinking fountains.
The best part of the Eden Project isn’t the biodomes for me but the surrounding grounds/​park area. There are lots of interesting sculptures, artwork, and small learning modules.

Friends and I booked the Bill Bailey Comedy Session held at the Eden Project which entitled us to free entry for the weekend. I expected bigger and better but was not unimpressed. The gardens were beautiful and the rainforest dome was an experience in itself. I’m glad we arrived on a sunny day and if I were the green fingered type I would have been buying plants left right and centre but was in awe of the different colours, especially in the med dome.
Obviously need to review the comedy session which was truly fantastic. Well organised bar areas, we purchased tokens up front so no endless queues waiting for correct change. Best toilets at a gig I have ever experienced, clean, no queue and they kept the indoor ones open until near enough the end of the gig.
I could go on and extol the virtues of Billbut you know how fab he is and if he plays again next summer we’re all there.
My one big gripe with any UK tourist attraction. why are you forced to walk through the shop to get to the exit. If you’re a family on a budget this would be hell, just like those sweet stands in supermarkets. I just had to but even more Cornish Fairings!!!

Das «Eden Project» wurde in der Nähe von St. Austell in einem alten Kaolin-​Tagebau errichtet. Die Gartenanlagen zeigen viele einheimische Pflanzen. Höhepunkt sind jedoch die wabenförmigen Treibhäuser für die tropische und die mediterrane Zone.
In der tropischen Zone beginnt man zunächst in einem klimatisch noch erträglichen Bereich. Es werden einem die einzelnen typischen Pflanzen näher gebracht, die auch als Kulturpflanzen verwendet werden. Darüber hinaus wird auch auf die Lebensweise der Bewohner sowie deren Probleme näher gebracht. Im Verlauf des Rundgangs gelangt man dann in immer feuchtere und heißere Bereiche, so dass man am Ende froh ist, endlich wieder ins Freie zu gelangen.
Die mediterrane Zone ist deutlich angenehmer. Der Begriff mediterran wird auf andere Klimazonen weltweit mit ähnlichen Bedingungen erweitert. Auch hier kann man sich ausführlich mit den einzelnen Pflanzenarten beschäftigen. Jede Pflanze hat ein Informationstäfelchen, das etwas zur Nutzung bzw. zur Verbreitung sagt. Man sollte allerdings des Englischen mächtig sein.
Die ganze Anlage versprüht einen Hauch von Science-​Fiction und erinnert ein wenig an das Biosphere-​Projekt, hat damit aber eigentlich nichts gemein.
Man sollte sich auf jeden Fall einen kompletten Tag Zeit nehmen, um alles in Ruhe anschauen zu können.