Monte Palace Madeira, Funchal

This is a very eclectic place! We took the cable car up to it and then spent a few hours wandering around it. It's built on the hillside, so the further into the garden you go, the further down the hill you go - and then you have to walk all the way back up to get the cable car back down (or the sledges! 😲). There is an exit at the bottom of the garden, but you won't have seen all the grounds and you'd have about an hour's walk back to the city centre (I'm not sure about buses). The palace, just looks like a big house. It looks great, but we didn't go in it, and I'm not even sure that you can. As you enter the grounds, there is a cafe and some exhibits - one on Zimbabwe, one on gemstones and one on Monte Palace. There's a second cafe near the bottom of the gardens. The grounds are fabulous 😁. Paths all over the place, leading you through hundreds of different plants. There are 'tiles' and sculptures everywhere you look, but my favourite was the oriental garden, closely followed by the central lake. If you like gardens, walks and art / sculptures, then this is definitely one for you. We were €12.50 each to get in.

Worth every penny of the visit. There’s plenty of gardens to see and wonderful plants, scenery and buildings. Beautifully curated and structured waterfalls and a storytelling of the history with traditional Portuguese tiles. Awesome atmosphere and plenty of space. The views down to the city are breathtaking and the cable cart is amazing. Word of advice, take your best walking shoes! As there will be plenty of hills, stairs and uneven terrain!