Funchal Botanical Garden. 🌺 Carpet bedding above the bay

The Madeira Botanical Garden (Jardim Botânico da Madeira – Eng.º Rui Vieira) lies on the hillside above Funchal, about 3 km from the centre. It’s famous for its carpet bedding laid out in colourful patterns, plants from all over the world and the view over the bay of Funchal. It’s a public garden that the region has run since 1960; today it is looked after by IFCN, Madeira’s Institute of Forests and Nature Conservation. In 2023 it had more than 400,000 visitors.

I took the photos in this guide in the garden in 2023, and I checked prices, opening hours and timetables at the source in October 2026. Many guides still give old prices and old bus numbers, so every piece of information here comes with a link to the official source.

What to see in the Botanical Garden

The garden was created on the grounds of the former Quinta do Bom Sucesso estate, which the region bought from the Reid family in 1952. Sources give different numbers of species: from about 1700 species, subspecies and varieties (JM, 2026) to about 3000 (IFCN). The plants are divided into collections, and I describe the most interesting ones below.

Carpet bedding and topiary

This is the garden’s best-known view: flower beds of low plants laid out in geometric patterns that look like a colourful carpet from above. Next to them are shrubs clipped into the shapes of animals and objects, and a model of a traditional Santana house.

Madeira’s endemic plants and the arboretum

In the arboretum in the northern part of the garden grow trees of the Laurissilva laurel forest, which is on the UNESCO World Heritage List, as well as the dragon tree (dragoeiro). In the southern part, by the amphitheatre, Madeira’s plants are arranged by vegetation zone, from the coast up to the mountains. The garden also protects very rare species here, such as Aichryson dumosum. By the pond in the arboretum is the “Lovers’ Grotto” (Furna dos Namorados), with a view over Funchal.

Succulents, palms and useful plants

Around 200 species of succulents grow by the main building: cacti, agaves, stonecrops and spurges. The palm and cycad collection has about 44 species, and the useful plants section about 150 species and varieties, mainly tropical fruit trees. There’s also a garden of aromatic and medicinal plants (about 80 species) and a greenhouse with bromeliads.

Natural History Museum

The garden’s main building houses the Natural History Museum, which is included in the ticket. Inside you’ll see minerals, fossils from Madeira and Porto Santo, corals and stuffed animals, including the Mediterranean monk seal, which lives off the coast of Madeira.

Views over Funchal

The garden sits high above the city, so from many spots you can see the bay of Funchal, the harbour and the expressway viaduct. Several viewpoints are marked on the official garden map.

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1: View over Funchal from the Botanical Garden, 2: View over the bay of Funchal, 3: Calliandra in the Botanical Garden, 4: A resident of the garden. Photos: Ewelina Podrez-Siama 2023

Tickets and prices 2026

Garden ticket prices are set by the regional order on IFCN fees (Portaria n.º 48/2026). Cable car tickets are sold by the cable car operator, and it’s the operator that offers the combined ticket with garden entry.

• The combined ticket pays off for adults: €19 instead of €21 (€11 + €10). For a child aged 7–12 the price is the same as buying separately.
• The age bands differ: at the garden the reduced ticket covers children aged 6–12, on the cable car children aged 7–14.
• Cheaper online: the cable car operator gives a 10% discount for buying online, and the tickets are valid for 12 months.
• The garden ticket expires when you leave, so you can’t pop out for lunch and come back.
• Prices will rise: the order already sets the adult ticket for non-residents at €12.50 in 2027, €15 in 2028 and €17.50 in 2029.

How to get to the Botanical Garden

The garden has two entrances: the main one on Caminho do Meio, where the buses stop, and the upper one by the cable car station from Monte. From central Funchal the bus is the cheapest way to get there, and the cable car the prettiest.

Lines 031 and 131 leave from the “Cais” stop on the seafront, and the 029 from the “Pinga” stop in the centre. Line 131 runs rarely at weekends (4 times on Saturday, twice on Sunday), so on those days take the 031 or 029. No buses run on 25 December. You can check departure times in the SIGA timetables: 031, 029 and 131.

A day route: Funchal, Monte and the Botanical Garden

The two cable cars meet in Monte, so it’s easy to add the garden to a trip to Monte. A sample plan:

1. Cable car from the Zona Velha in Funchal up to Monte (€16, about 18 minutes).
2. In Monte: the church of Nossa Senhora do Monte, Monte Palace Tropical Garden (€18) or a ride down in a wicker toboggan.
3. From Largo das Babosas, the cable car to the Botanical Garden on the combined ticket (€19).
4. After your visit, bus 031 back to the centre (€2.05).

Without Monte Palace this route costs an adult about €37 (€16 + €19 + €2.05). Start in the morning, because the cable car to the garden only runs until 17:00.

Read nextFunchal to Monte cable carPrices, opening hours and the glass cabins after the upgrade.

Practical tips

• Comfortable shoes. The garden is on a hillside, and the paths are steep with lots of steps.
• Where to eat: there’s a bar with a terrace in the garden, and a restaurant with a view and a bar by the top cable car station.
• No need for cash: you can pay by card at the ticket office, and there’s no cash machine nearby anyway.
• A garden map costs €3. A tour with an IFCN botanist costs €25 per hour (groups of up to 8 people).
• With a dog you can’t go into the garden. The cable car to the garden carries animals on a lead or in a carrier, but your dog won’t be allowed into the garden itself.

Botanical Garden or Monte Palace?

Funchal has two big gardens, linked by a cable car. They have quite different characters:

If you only have time for one garden and you’re interested in Madeira’s nature and a view over the city, choose the Botanical Garden. If you’d rather have an exotic park with azulejo tiles and an art collection, choose Monte Palace. With a whole day in Monte you can see both.

I came to the Botanical Garden by cable car from Monte, but I’ll be honest: I’m a Monte Palace fan.

Read nextMonte Palace Tropical GardenThe tropical garden in Monte: prices, opening hours and what to see.

Frequently asked questions about the Funchal Botanical Garden

Read nextFunchal – what to see in Madeira’s capitalA 2-day plan, museums, the market and the best viewpoints.