The first Hungarian Botanical Garden was founded in 1771 by the predecessor of Eötvös Loránd University. The Botanical Garden, developed and extended by Jakab Winterl and Pál Kitaibel, soon after its foundation became world famous. It was moved to its present premises more than 150 years ago and in 1960 it became a national nature reserve. The Botanical Garden boasts about 7000 species and variations of plants. The orangery - built in the 19th century - and the greenhouse - restored in 1984 - are the home of the tropical and sub-tropical plants. The cactus, bromeliad and orchid collections are especially rich.

The arboretum with its 800 species of trees and bushes and 500 types of floral plants is also well worth a visit.

Nowadays the main aims of the Botanical Garden are to develop and maintain the collection, preserve and artificially multiply the endangered species, and also support botanical and conservationist education.