Portugal
Funchal
Funchal is the capital of Madeira and is located on the southern coast. Today's main highlight is taking the cable car to Monte Palace Tropical Garden.
Cable Car to Monte Palace Garden
Monte Palace Garden is located in a small village in the mountains, Monte. Monte can be reached by the cable car that leaves from the port of Funchal in the city center. The cable car offers stunning views of the city and the sea. Coming uphill, you will also find yourself at the entrance to the Monte Palace Garden. This Japanese-style tropical garden has an amazing plant collection from all over the world.
Church of Our Lady of the Mount
Monte's main church is around the corner from Monte's palace garden and is also a well-known image of Madeira. In front of the church, the famous toboggans depart. These basket-shaped wooden sleds are pushed by men in traditional clothing that take you downhill for 2 kilometers. We took the cable car back down, but this tourist attraction seemed like fun!
Funchal City Center
Back in Funchal, our city tour could begin. On blogs you often read about the "Zona Velha," a street with painted art on the doors. We were not so enthusiastic, as we found this a very touristy area and not particularly special.... Another highlight of Funchal is the Mercado dos Lavradores, an indoor market, but unfortunately closed on Saturday afternoon when we were there. The market is also closed on Sundays. Funchal is the largest city in Madeira and therefore has a good selection of restaurants, so it's nice to have dinner there!
