Botanical Garden of Funchal & Porto Santo Island

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Botanical Garden of Funchal & Porto Santo Island

January 1st

We slept through the entire day and didn't get out of bed until the evening, heading to Funchal for dinner at a restaurant right by the marina. Had we been up earlier and not so sensitive to the cold, we would have taken part in the first event of the year on Madeira: at 12:00 noon on January 1st, people gather at the bathing facility Ponta Gorda, also known as "Poças do Governador", for the first swim of the year in the sea!!
This tradition, which is firmly established in several cities across Portugal and around the world, has only recently been introduced on Madeira - the only requirement for participating in this event is wearing a hat!

Museums in Funchal

We also couldn't visit some of the museums in Funchal, such as:

The Nucleo Museologico da Cidade do Acucar, housed in the former residence of a sugar baron. Here you can learn everything about sugar production and how people lived back then.
Nucleo Museologico do I.V.B.A.M., the Embroidery Museum and the
Photographia Museu Vicentes, the first photo studio in Portugal with original historical furnishings and historic photographs of celebrities and the island - we couldn't visit as it is currently undergoing renovation.

Jardim Botanico

Originally, the Jardim Botanico was supposed to be on our agenda for this day. Madeira's botanical garden is probably the favorite spot for flower enthusiasts and embodies everything the island of Madeira stands for - after all, it is known as the "Flower Island."
The botanical garden, which opened in 1960 on the grounds of Quinta do Bom Sucesso (formerly owned by the Reid family), is located about three kilometers above Funchal on the hillside. Besides a public bus or taxi, you can also reach the garden by cable car (Teleferico).
You'll find around 2,000 plants here, including orchids, magnolias, cacti, bird-of-paradise flowers, palms, and many more. The Botanical Garden is divided into five main areas:
-   Native island plants, such as the bird-of-paradise flower typical to Madeira
-   The arboretum with various tree species from around the world
-   The succulent area, featuring plants that can store large amounts of water
-   The cultivation area with tropical, aromatic & medicinal plants, including numerous tropical fruits like papaya, coffee trees, sugar cane, and various medicinal plants
-   The Loiro Park with many plant species as well as a bird park housing some of the most exotic and rarest birds from around the world.
The views of Funchal and the coastline from here must be spectacular. You can also stop for a break at the terrace café.
Near the Botanical Garden, you'll also find the private Jardim Quinta da Boa Vista with old trees and an orchid park. If you haven't had enough of admiring plants, this is another great stop.
The botanical garden is open year-round from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM. Admission for adults is €4.50.

Porto Santo Island

What we absolutely want to do on our next visit to Madeira is a trip to the offshore island of Porto Santo. It is especially popular in summer thanks to its sandy beaches. The best way to reach Porto Santo is by ferry, which normally departs from Funchal daily in the morning (from the harbor, near the small rocky islet with Fortress São José) and returns in the evening. A round-trip ticket costs around 50 EUR in the off-season and about 60 EUR in peak season.
You can book in advance with Porto Santo Line at portosantoline.pt.
If you prefer not to take the ferry, you can also fly to Porto Santo in about 15 minutes (up to 12 flights per day depending on the season).
Porto Santo has a small town called Vila Baleira. This is where most of the island's residents live, and it gets particularly lively on summer weekends when visitors arrive from Madeira. Vila Baleira was founded in 1419 by Bartolomeus Perestelo. It features a main square, Largo do Pelourinho, the Infante Gardens, the Christopher Columbus Museum, a shopping street called Rua João Gonçalves Zarco, a small harbor, and of course the famous beach of Porto Santo.
Rua João Gonçalves Zarco, the oldest street on the island, is located in the center of Vila Baleira. Here you'll find various shops, restaurants, and cafés. At the end of this street, you can see the 18th-century stone surrounding St. Joseph's Fountain. Walking through the palm-lined avenue of the Infante Gardens, you reach the sea and a long pier from 1935, which is a popular spot for watching the sunset. This is also where the nine-kilometer-long natural white sandy beach begins. If you don't feel like sunbathing, you can walk along the seaside promenade from the center of Vila Baleira.
The northern part of the island features the wild, deserted coast of Porto Santo. The only attraction here is Fonte da Areia, with its unusual rock formations. Inland, you'll find the village of Camacha with a museum of local artifacts. Those who value peace and seclusion can go hiking here.
In the eastern part of Porto Santo, there are two hills: Pico do Castelo and Pico do Facho. You can explore the fascinating landscapes along the coast and inland.
The western part of the island is where most activities take place, with beaches, a golf course, horseback riding, and other leisure activities. You'll get wonderful views of the island from the hills: Pico de Ana Ferreira and Cabeço das Flores. The western part also has beautiful oases with exotic plants and colorful wildlife.