Monte Palace Tropical Garden tour with Cable Car
Description
The subtropical climate of Madeira makes it an ideal spot for a dazzling array of plant and flower life. Be charmed by the exotic gardens of Monte Palace on this afternoon excursion, and take in fantastic views high above Funchal from a cable car.
Tour Options
Itinerary
As you soar up above the capital in a cable car, you'll witness special views of the city below – and of the Atlantic beyond. Then, as you enter the palace's world-renowned gardens, you'll be struck by the aroma of exotic species – planted in immaculately landscaped gardens. There are fountains, follies and grottoes aplenty and oriental-inspired sections. Wander among the beautiful blooms, and soak up the serenity of the majestic swans wading in the many ponds. And if you like a bit of adventure, there's the option of a unique and thrilling trip back to Funchal – a toboggan ride down the mountain on a wicker sled. It is pretty hair-raising, but at least you'll have a professional ‘carreiro' manning the brakes.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
Hotel Pick up & Drop off included from selected hotels in Funchal, Caniço or Ponta de Garajau. Your exact pick up time and place depend on the hotel where you are staying at. After confirming the booking we will contact you to inform you about the exact pick up time and place. If you haven´t heard from us at least 48 hours before the activity start time, please contact us.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- Recommended for guest to take warm coat, rain coat or umbrella in Winter season
- Recommended for guests to take comfortable footwear to walk in the gardens
- Depending on number of participants, SM may be joined in same bus/minibus - Tours may be bilingual
- Excursion in Dutch is subject to minimum number of 16 pax. If not achieved, will be in English.
- Under 5 years old is free but has to be accompanied by an adult
- Our office opening hours are Monday - Friday from 9h-17:15h, Saturday and Sundays closed.
Reviews(52)
Fantastic tour! Just know that even though it is listed as a 2-4 hour tour, it was definitely a half day (4+ hours) event. I was flying out the same day, so I was a little stressed about getting to the airport in time.
Provider didn’t show up to pick us up. After waiting 30 mins I realised they sent a message through the app that the pickup will be at a different spot and 20 minutes earlier than the tour is advertised. I’ve had changes with other operators and they always confirmed you got the message until you acknowledged. So this was ridiculous.
Wonderful garden, plants from several regions of the world, azulejos, all the history of Portugal, a collection of spectacular minerals, koi, swans, flamingos. The sound of water
I was 20 minutes early, but almost got left behind at the meeting point as there were no clear instructions about the vehicle/driver/guide like I had experienced with other activities I booked through Viator. However the guide Graca called me and she and the driver were gracious enough to return to collect me. Although the app itinerary was to take the cable car to visit the garden first then return to Funchal via the optional toboggan ride Graca's many years of experience guided us in a different order. So to miss the long toboggan ride queues later in the day we were taken there first, driven to the tropical garden, then cable car ride to Funchal with the option to explore further on your own or return to your meeting point. Lots of photo opportunities,.if you are brave enough take the toboggan ride
It's nice to ride it Waiting high can take a very long time The glass bottom ( 10 euros more), in my opinion not worth
We booked our own tickets from the kiisk was quite quick €43 each for return trip on cable cars and entranve to botanical gardens. ( taxi wanted €100 plus €10 each for botanical). Cable car vwry smooth and good viewing. There was a slight wait for the glass bottom ones and extra €10. The botanical gardens were a real disappointment. They have been neglected and are over grown with weeds. Nothing special at all. How they can charge so much at €14.50 is not great. We walked back up the hill to the other Japenese Gardens and these were €18 each to get in. Well worth the visit amazing to see. They could improve signage and add maybe some oriental music or wind chimes to improve but lovely place to visit. The wicket basket ride queue was too long and my husband didnt want to ride with me so I missed out.
Lovely gardens with lots of sculptures and interesting displays. As you walk down to the bottom of the gardens, there’s a wall on the right which has seats set in where you can lean over and watch the toboggans going down the hill. The Poncha bar was lovely with views over Funchal and the sea. The restaurant was a bit expensive and the sandwiches were hard work! The Asian Gardens were particularly lovely. Unfortunately I had a nasty fall near the pool where the swans nest and finished up with a cracked bone in my wrist and ligament damage to my shoulder. My husband and I made our way to the first Aid point on the map but it wasn’t there at all. Then went to one of the main gates where there was supposedly another First Aid point. The lady at the gate obviously didn’t have first aid training and all she could offer us was a couple of plasters for my cuts and a vial of saline to rinse them out. Despite this, I would love to revisit as there was so much to see and the gardens are gorgeous. We didn’t get to go on the cable car as it was closed for annual maintenance in March which was a shame. Be warned! The gardens are built on a steep slope and there are lots of steep steps and paths. There are plenty of seats and walls to rest on.
Large park with many facets: vegetation, art, wildlife. Tasting of poncha. Museum of minerals with an incredible collection. Stroll, observe, smell, dream! Take the time...
The gardens were spectacular, particularly the Japanese inspired areas. Some walking routes involve a steep climb so worth checking if this isn't for you. There are plenty of places to stop for something to drink. We went to The Green Room, which was lovely. I'd definitely recommend the fresh orange juice! The cable car was closed for refurbishments, but we had a sled ride, which was unique and genuinely great fun. Check the cost of the taxi if you decide to use this to get back up. Ours was 20 euro for a 3 min drive!
Monte Palace garden is beautiful . We ventured up by cable car, then viewed the gardens . Peaceful and lovely throughout ,some museum parts , flamingoes and fish . You can watch people on the toboggans from inside . We did the toboggans afterwards which was great fun . Monte Palace is worth a visit
