The complete guide to the enchanting Funchal, Madeira & its Flower Festival

04.06.2019.

Upon arriving at Funchal, Madeira the lights at dusk took away all my attention, already from the plane. Funchal by night in its hilly perspective will make you feel in another dimension. Flower festival gives the special portuguese spirit to this town. More than portuguese spirit, it shows Madeira’s spirit with all the music and decorations. Madeira is an enchanting Poturguese island, that’s a botanical garden by itself.

Did you visit any town that has a spirit of a botanical garden? Merano in Northern Italy is such an example.

Did you visit any Flower Festival in the world? Read about this one in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

After Madeira, you’ll be eager to visit other Portuguese islands.

What to expect at the Flower Festival in Madeira?

Flower Festival happens in Funchal usually during few weeks in May, but the main point is the Flower parade the first Sunday. Flower festival at Madeira is not only about flower sculptures, it’s the true celebration of spring. My first thought is: „Isn’t it summer already at Madeira or the whole year around?“ The fact is that Madeira has eternal spring but winds and Atlantic keep the humidity and changes.

The Flower Parade in Madeira

The flower parade shine with portuguese and modern music, the music about island. Romantic music is being performed by the girls in colourful dresses, by the dance of „couples“ and children. The happiness and joy should come by itself with the magic of spring and that’s the power of Madeira and Flower festival.

It’s about spreading the happy feelings, connecting with awaking of nature. Within 3 hours the centre of Funchal, Avenida do Mar shows these feelings through the sunny faces. This tradition from 1979. makes Madeira special piece of heaven. Many people come few hours before to reserve the place but it’s also possible to reserve a ticket for a seating place. If not on the Sun, you can watch the flower parade at Tv transmission.

The Children’s Parade & The Wall of Hope

The Children’s Parade and The Wall of Hope is happening the day before. At Praca do Provo Pavillon you can watch the Flower exhibition. At Avenida Arriaga near the park of St. Catherine you will be amazed by the flower carpet and its colourful power.

Flower festival ends with the exposition of cars, motobycicles and bycicles named Madeira Classic Car Revival. In between you can enjoy in fashion show at Praca de Provo with the theme of flowers.

Botanical Gardens in Funchal

The unmissable experience at Madeira is the cable car, that will take you to the beautiful village of Monte. Here you can enjoy the fabulous Monte Palace Tropical Garden. Not only that, at Monte you can visit the huge natural resort Leite Monteiro Park within 26000 m2 where scatters the beautiful lake with swans. Another smaller lake with the swans takes place below the Church of Nossa Senhora do Monte. Driving in the sledge is also one of Madeira’s tradition.

Madeira Botanical Gardens are reachable with another cable car. The path to the gardens is quite difficult without the cable car so don’t be scared of cable car. The price is: 32 e return ticket to Monte, return ticket to another cable car to Botanical gardens plus the entrance to Botanical gardens. Single ticket to Monte: 11 e, return: 16 e. Single ticket to Botanical gardens:

8,25 e, return is 12,75 e. As you see, it’s much more profitable to take a combined ticket.

What to expect at Monte Palace Tropical Garden

It’s more about the ambiance at this place, than discovering the flowers and plants. The garden occupies the area of 70 000 m2 in the spiral shape. The millenariam olive tree will welcome you, the tree that holds in itself the granite stone. Museum with modern african art holds the next place to take a look but Museum of minerals and precious stones (named Mother’s Nature Secrets) is a very special place to hold the view.

Many arbors, bridges and arcs in the japanese style fill the park along with the sculptures placed in hystorical meaning. Lake with an island, hundreds of ways to encounter the waterfalls and swans will wait you all the way down the park.

Why not to miss Monte Palace Tropical Garden

This refreshing garden is the universe of its own as it richness and diversity shows.

Botanical garden of Madeira is the colourful collection cactuses, palmas, aromatic plants, arboretum, endemic plants together with the Natural History Museum and the bird park. Even the sample of Santana house. Though I didn’t notice the bird park which holds 300 exotic birds, palms and endemic plants impressed me a lot. Tropical plants (mango, papaya, avocado) and succulents (plants that store the water) can also be seen here. Not only that, here’s also the cave. It was fun meeting people in the cable car watching is there some way to come by foot and the only one we discovered is the tiny hilly path.

What to see in Funchal

Painted houses

I heard about painted houses in Funchal, but I didn’t know that there are so many. This amazing art gives life to the town and cheerful vibes to the restaurants, bars and supermarkets. Rua de Santa Maria makes you eager to find more, to roam around every door in wonder. The reason why would you visit a restaurant could be just this awesome art. It all started with collaboration of local tourist representatives and various artists and now it spreads over 200 doors.

Christiano Ronaldo Museum

Nice dedication to Madeira’s footbal player is this museum with the collection of his trofeys. Upon his sculpture in front of museum it even says „The best player in the world“. What an overwhelming feeling! The ticket is 5 e.

Museums of Funchal

Madeira Traditions Museum- located near the Museum of Cristiano Ronaldo, this is the 3D exhibition of Madeira’s rich tradition which characterises this island.

Museum of Electricity- explores the evolution of Madeira’s electricity. When I saw it, I immediately sent the picture to my father who is electrician. Ticket: 3 e.

Madeira Optics Museum- the name says all, ticket is 5 e.

Federico de Freitas House Museum- displays the various collection of art;

Natural History Museum;

Toy Museum;

Museum of sugar- celebrates the sugar power at Madeira;

Mercado de Lavradores- the rich market in Funchal, Madeira

Mercado de Lavradores– beautiful place as you can see many local, tropical fruits. I didn’t know they try to sell it by expensive prices but I wanted to try some local mango as there wasn’t at my hostel like described. Though at Madeira it’s best to cook by yourself as it’s the cheapest variance to the expensive restaurants. Pingo Doce, the big supermarket is hidden in the nearness of the Mercado and it even holds the self-service restaurant.

Park St. Catherina– little park with the swans and little ducks, statue of Christofor Columbo and many flowers in the centre of Funchal;

About the beaches

Oh, there’s not beach in Funchal. Just look the waterfront and the stones that prevent the waves not to damage the walls. The whole Avenida de Mar is a beautiful place filled with flowers.

Final thoughts

This portuguese town and the whole island takes the breath away with the way it looks at night, with the way it looks by day and specially by its Flower Festival. What a delight!

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