Adventure Tag

Madeira Gardens are simply too beautiful to miss out on

Madeira Island is renowned for its fabulous Madeira gardens, with exotic plants that grow out in the open here that would normally only be found in hothouses in other parts of the world. Madeira’s sub-tropical climate, warm and moist, together with the fact that the soil is a rich volcanic base, make for perfect growing conditions for native as well as foreign additions alike. Plants from all corners of the earth can be found here, thus Madeira gardens can be found in bloom right throughout the year. Funchal is a gardener’s paradise, full of gardens with a diversity of plants and a flow of colour everywhere. Nearly everywhere you go, whether it’s in the streets in town, the hotels, the houses, the larger estates or the parks, you will find a large selection of sub-tropical plants growing in beautifully designed gardens. Below are some of the bigger more popular gardens in Madeira that one can visit when visiting Funchal.

Monte Palace Tropical Garden

This historical madeira garden that has its origins back to the 18th century, can be found on the sloping land of the Monte. This 70 000 m² garden is a perfect example of the luxuriant mixture of tropical and indigenous plants. The garden is also famous for having the largest collection of cycads in the world, with every variety possible, some 60 out of 72 species, mostly from South Africa. There is about 100 000 different species of plants here with a section that is reserved for the local species from the Laurislva forest, with some nearly extinct species known as the Mocanu. This madeira garden is set around fountains and lakes filled with koi fish and also has an art museum with a very interesting collection.

Price & Times

• Open daily from 9h30 to 18h00 everyday.
• The entrance fee is €10 per person and children under 15 are free.
• There are several ways of getting to these gardens. The most popular are by cable car which can be found on the east side of Funchal where the “Old Town” is.
• One can purchase a return ticket together with an entrance ticket to the garden for €22.
• There is a local bus service from Funchal that goes on a regular basis. The route numbers 20, 21 and 22 will get you there. Also from the Lido area you can take the number 48 bus, but be warned that this is quite a lengthy drive.