A trip to the Botanical Garden in Madeira is not to be missed. We bought a round trip ticket at 35€ each. This included the Funchal Cable Car, the Botanical Garden Cable Car and admission to the gardens themselves.
The base station, where you buy your tickets is located in the Funchal old town in the garden of Almirante Reis. The views from the cable car are fantastic as you you look down over the city, the roof tops and the blue sea beyond. When you reach the station there is a choice – either to explore around this area or, as we did, walk down to the other cable car. The second cable car takes you high across a valley and up to the Botanical Gardens.
The gardens themselves are extensive with landscaped areas and over 2000 exotic plants from all over the world. There is a research and conservation space with an undertaking to preserve endangered species. There is also a natural history museum and Herbarium , which we visited.
After walking around some (but not all!) of the gardens we walked back up in the direction of the cable car station. Be aware that this is quite a long path of steps, so just stop and admire the view from time to time – no problem! We decided that after this challenging walk we deserved a sit down and a reward. At the top there is a choice of two cafes. Take the second one called Pa’Tio Das Babosas. The food is beautifully presented and they have an extensive menu. We had an “afternoon tea” for two, which was delicious and at a reasonable price.
I can thoroughly recommend the cable car and Botanical Garden trip.
