If you have time for one garden in Funchal, choose Monte Palace for a visit that brings planting, ornamental landscapes and museum collections together. Choose the Madeira Botanical Garden if the plant collection is your main interest and you want the more economical adult admission. Both occupy sloping ground; neither should be chosen on the assumption that a garden means a flat walk.
Two gardens, two different visits
Monte Palace is in Monte, above the city. The garden and its art collections make it possible to move between plants, lakes and exhibitions during the same visit. The palace building itself is not open to the public, so a ticket is not a tour of palace rooms.
The Madeira Botanical Garden — Jardim Botânico da Madeira, Eng.º Rui Vieira — is at Bom Sucesso in Santa Maria Maior. Labels and organised planting give the visit a different emphasis. Its ticket includes the garden, Natural History Museum and temporary exhibitions, subject to their current operation.
Photo: H. Zell · Source · CC BY-SA 3.0. Photo date: 2020-03-12. Resized and converted to WebP; theme thumbnails may be cropped.
Compare the price before adding transport
| Checked 6 October 2026 | Monte Palace | Madeira Botanical Garden |
|---|---|---|
| Standard admission | €18 adult | €10 for visitors over 12 |
| Children | Up to 14: free with an adult | Ages 6–12: €3; under 6: free |
| October garden hours | 09:00–18:00; last entry 17:15 | 09:00–18:00; tickets until 17:30 |
| Christmas Day | Closed | Closed |
These are admission figures, not a complete outing budget. Add your chosen bus, taxi or cable-car journey separately. Check the Monte Palace visitor page and IFCN visitor information for current concessions and changes.
The cable cars are not interchangeable
The Funchal–Monte cable car reaches Monte. The Botanical Garden cable car connects the Monte area with the Botanical Garden. Check which service your ticket covers and how you will get back; buying a journey to Monte does not settle admission or onward transport to both gardens.
Doing both can work if gardens are the purpose of the day. If you also want a long lunch, shopping and a museum downtown, one garden gives you a less hurried afternoon. IFCN estimates about two hours for its garden; that is a planning reference from the manager, not a timed walk we have tested for every visitor.
Terrain may decide the choice
Monte Palace describes limited accessibility on its steep historic site. IFCN describes frequent stairs and garden paths not prepared for wheelchair use. Contact the garden about your specific needs before paying for transport uphill. A vehicle reaching the entrance does not make the internal route accessible.
Keep the rest of the day nearby using our Funchal sightseeing guide. If you want tea as a separate occasion, the afternoon-tea comparison explains the different settings without asking you to squeeze another garden into this visit.
Featured photo: Phil Webber from St Albans, UK · Source · CC BY 2.0. Photo date: 2014-04-09 14:28. Resized and converted to WebP; theme thumbnails may be cropped.
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