Monte Palace Tropical Garden

The Monte Palace Tropical Garden covers about seven hectares of hillside above Funchal, at around 550 metres, and it combines two pleasures that rarely share a site: a great botanical collection and a museum-quality display of art. The garden lies a short walk from the church of Nossa Senhora do Monte, and from its terraces you look down over the red-tiled roofs of the city and the bay.

The estate has had several lives. In the 18th century, the land belonged to a British consul, who developed it as a country retreat called Quinta do Prazer, the Pleasure Estate. At the end of the 19th century, a local businessman, Alfredo Rodrigues, built a grand hotel on the site, modelled on the palaces of the Rhine, and for a time it was one of the most fashionable places to stay on the island. The hotel closed and the buildings fell into decline until 1987, when the businessman and collector José Berardo bought the property and began to turn it into the garden that exists today. It is now run by a foundation.

Plants come from many parts of the world. Paths wind among tree ferns, cycads, orchids, proteas, agapanthus and palms, with native Madeiran laurel forest species growing beside exotic specimens from Africa, Asia and the Americas. Some of the cycads are ancient, a group often described as living fossils because their ancestors date back to the age of dinosaurs. Ponds hold carp and koi, and black swans and peacocks wander the lawns. Two sections are laid out as Oriental gardens, one Japanese and one Chinese, with bridges, pagodas, lanterns and carved stone figures.

Art is woven into the planting. Panels of azulejo tiles from the 15th to the 20th centuries line the walls and terraces, telling the story of Portuguese history and showing the evolution of the art, and a collection of stone sculpture from Zimbabwe, made by Shona artists, is displayed on the lawns. Inside the old palace buildings, a museum shows minerals and gems, and the collections give the garden a character that is different from the island's other botanical gardens.

A visit typically takes two hours or more, as the paths are steep and there is a great deal to see, and the garden is open daily. The most enjoyable way to get here is by cable car from the old town to Monte, after which it is a short walk. The Monte toboggans, the famous wicker sledges that descend the road to Funchal, start from near the church. Wear comfortable shoes, as the paths are steep and can be slippery after rain, and bring a jacket, since the weather on the hill is often cooler and cloudier than in Funchal. It suits garden lovers, art enthusiasts and families.