the floating gardens - Madeira Island.

In Funchal there are many beautiful gardens to explore and museums that look at the History and Culture of the island. There are several free parks as well as a promenade that follows the coastal route from the city to the outskirts of Camera do lobos.

One of the main reasons why so many people visit the Madeira Island is because of its beautiful and already famous Flora. It has earned its nickname - The floating Gardens on the island of Madeira -  here you will find yourself amongst the Madeira Parks and Gardens brimming with different coloured blossoms of all kind of tropical and subtropical plants. 

The following images of the gardens we saw whilst walking around Funchal. Some are part of a private home, some from the Botanical Gardens, others are just a few of the general gardens we saw:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Municipal Gardens, also known as Dona Amélia Gardens. This garden covers an area of 8300 m2 and was once part of the Convent of São Francisco. 

The garden has some beautiful specimens from Madeira and the rest of the world, all of which are marked. Located in the center of Funchal city opposite the Municipal Theatre, this park is now a leisure area for locals and visitors alike. 

A small pond featuring ducks and white swans, a café and an amphitheater where often entertaining and cultural events take place here.

The Santa Caterina Park is a must for anyone walking down to Funchal. Besides the fact that its a beautiful park with a huge variety of indigenous plants, an Avery with exotic birds, there is also a small lake with black swans, a Christopher Columbus Statue and a chapel that was ordered to be build by D. Constanca de Almeida, João Gonçalves Zarco's wife, in 1425. But the most interesting aspect of this park has to be the magic views over Funchal's harbor.

The following image is the Rotunda do Infante

Once you've finished viewing the park with all its amazing views you go down the stairs, to where the statue dedicated to João Gonçalves Zarco, the founder of Funchal, is and find yourself at the big roundabout of Infante with a beautiful fountain in the middle. At this point you're at the most western part of the center of Funchal. 

and here you can catch a glimpse of the 

MSC Splendida from the park

 Madeira truly is is like a giant botanical garden 

with plants from all over the world.

 

my previous blog posts on

Funchal, Madeira Island, Portugal

are here:

1. Lizards and more lizards 

2.  a banana, or two or three

3. the architecture of Funchal

Blog posts coming up will be on the food 

and the beautiful streets and lane ways!

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