Palace of Monte. Tropical garden and museum of the palace of Monte Funchal
At the top of Mount Monte above the city of Funchal stands a white three-story building surrounded by an exotic park. This is the Tropical Garden, Palace and Museum of Monte. The harmonious beauty of this charming corner of Madeira has been created by several generations of its owners. Many consider these gardens to be the most beautiful on the island.
Jardim Tropical Monte Palace is located at an altitude of 550 m above sea level: a magnificent park of 7 hectares extends in steps along the slope of Monte. From the center of Funchal there is a route and a bus service.
Eastern Gardens
The last owner of the estate, Jose Berardo, traveling through Japan and China, was fascinated by the original culture of these countries. Based on his impressions, he created the Eastern Garden in the northern part of the park. There are Buddhist statues installed here, Chinese lanterns are lit, benches and pavilions are stylized as pagodas. Palm trees, bamboo and ferns grow; Reservoirs with a complex water purification system, with islands, waterfalls, and decorative bridges are equipped. The artificial ponds are home to colorful Koi carp.
Central Lake
View of the central lake (photo: sgplewka)
Australian black and Scandinavian white swans swim on the central lake, ducks and gray herons live. Peacocks walk along the garden paths and rare breeds of chickens roam. Much of the park is dedicated to the endemic flora of Madeira. Dragon trees, euphorbia piscatoria, and colorful orchids grow here. The laurel thickets are home to the unique Madeiran pigeon. The pride of the park’s botanical collection is rare cycads brought from South Africa.
Azulejo ceramics
The Monte Garden has a large collection of Azulejo ceramics. Blue and white panels, stone arches and other architectural elements line the paths and are set among the plants. This is the most important Portuguese collection: it contains examples of ceramic artifacts from the 15th to 20th centuries, including the narrative panel “History of Portugal” by Alberto Cedrón.
The sculptural collection exhibited in the garden includes marble statues of the 18th century, late medieval stone coats of arms, an antique bust of Emperor Hadrian, and a collection of modern bronze sculptures by James Butler.
Monte Palace Museum
The Monte Palace Museum is a modern exhibition space. On the lower level of the building there is a collection of Mother Nature’s Secrets minerals from Africa, North America, Argentina, and Latin American countries. The stones are presented in exhibitions that imitate the natural environment and outer space. The collection of precious minerals attracts special attention.
On the top two floors there is an exhibition “African Passions” - a collection of stone sculpture from Zimbabwe (1966–69). The museum has a collection of 2,500 African statues acquired by José Berardo in 1981.
Cafe and observation deck
Terrace overlooking Funchal (photo: Pascal Kestemont)
While walking through the park, do not miss the cafe located at the very bottom of the garden. There is a small terrace nearby overlooking the city and the ocean. In the cafe itself you can try Madeira wine for free.
History of the estate
Monte Palace (photo: Emmanuel PARENT)
The history of the Monte estate began in the 18th century. The Englishman, consul Charles Murray, bought land south of the local church and founded the estate. In the 19th century, the new owner, Alfredo Guilherme Rodrigues, built a residence palace on the hill, modeled on the Rhine castles. He surrounded the building with a beautiful park and soon opened a hotel. Maderjans and foreign guests began to flock to the romantic resort residence “Monte Palace”. The place was cozy, secluded; The hill offered impressive views of the Bay of Funchal, the surrounding mountains and the city.
After Alfredo's death, the heirs did not want to take care of the hotel. In 1943, they transferred the property to a Funchal financial institution. Since 1987, entrepreneur José Rodrigues Berardo became the new owner of the Monte estate. From that moment on, the second life of the abandoned estate began.
Berardo opened his own foundation, created the conditions for reconstruction, inviting famous architects and designers. He and his wife Caroline put a lot of effort into restoring the romantic oasis. The Monte Gardens have been abandoned since 1945. During reconstruction, they were filled with exotic flora: Belgian azaleas and Scottish heather, South African cycads, proteas. A zone of relict forests of Laurisilva was created: ferns, laurels, flowering herbaceous plants.
The Berardo Foundation operates in the building of the Monte Palace. The organization's budget today is about 125 million euros. The founder hopes that his business will continue and that the magnificent Monte Garden will never be abandoned again.
Opening hours and ticket prices:
The garden and museum welcome guests every day except Christmas Day (December 25).
The garden is open from 09:30 to 18:00, the museum from 10:00 to 16:30. The palace building is not accessible to visitors!
Ticket prices:
- adult – €12.50
- children (0 – 14 years old, accompanied by adults) – free
The ticket price includes admission to the museum and tropical garden, and adults can also try a free sample of Madeira wine.
How to get from Funchal to Monte Tropical Garden?
1. Funchal-Monte cable car
The fastest (15 min.) and spectacular way to the Monte Garden is. Its lower station is located on the embankment. That's the point. Prices:
2. Bus
From the center of the capital, from the stops Rua Artur Sousa Pinga and Rua 31 Janeiro, S, there are buses 20, 21 and 22. The journey takes about 20 minutes. Get off at the Largo da Fonte stop for buses 20 and 21 or Babosas for bus 22.
From the hotel area of Funchal (Formosa beach, Lido area) you can get to the tropical garden by bus 48. The ride will take about 40 minutes, get off at the Largo da Fonte stop.
The cost of one ticket when purchased on the bus is €1.95. If you plan to travel around the city by bus, it is better to purchase a GIRO card. One ride on it will cost €1.35.
How do I save on hotels?
It’s very simple - look not only on booking. I prefer the search engine RoomGuru. He searches for discounts simultaneously on Booking and on 70 other booking sites.
The garden is located on the top of Mount Monte, the slopes of which are densely built up
city houses of Funchal. Simplest
The way to get there is to use the funicular, the station of which is located on the embankment, not far from the center.
The line, a little more than 3,700 meters long, runs over the entire city and in itself is very good
a fifteen-minute attraction. Actually, I was so carried away by photographing the city from a bird's eye view that I completely
drained the batteries before we even got there. In general, as we walk through the garden, periodically
By removing the batteries and performing various shamanic actions with them, we managed to take a couple of dozen frames.
In general, having accidentally looked (after returning home) into the booklet that was given to us along with the tickets, we
We were surprised to discover that not only was there an excellent map of the territory, but also different routes were given -
compiled according to interests. For example, a route for those interested in flora and fauna. Or a route for those interested
history and art. Or combined - including both the first and second. Of course, all to varying degrees.
saturation and with different transit times. We wandered there completely haphazardly for a couple of hours, by chance
choosing turns, and it seemed like they were able to inspect most of them. Although, judging by the same map, something is still
missed.
Personally, I was generally very pleased with the eclecticism of the cultural part of the route. In addition to traditional Portuguese
ceramics in the Tropical Garden, a very good collection of African sculptures was discovered - partly along the paths and
in the form of a rather impressive exhibition in the museum building. However, there was no longer enough battery charge for the museum itself.
From the entrance to the garden there is a path leading to the central pond, with ceramic panels telling about
heroic Portuguese history. We, however, immediately turned into the thickets - it was more interesting to wander around the more lively
parts of the garden, and here, as we noticed, mostly pensioners wander around.
The history of Portugal on ceramic panels looks like a colorful comic book - even without knowing the language, it becomes so
it is clear who gave birth to whom, who poisoned or stabbed whom, who conquered whom, and who ultimately buried whom.
In addition to African motifs and historical comics, some paths are decorated with works made in
traditional Portuguese ceramic painting technique.
As far as flora is concerned, March is probably not the best month to visit - although Madeira is rightfully
called the flower island, early spring flowering plant units. But we did see something.
The park also contains small pools with aquatic plants.
Or dense thickets of bamboo - mainly in the Japanese part of the garden.
We were particularly pleased with the peacocks, who strolled quite calmly next to the pavilion of the four elements. Ibid.
You can admire other birds, but the rest are not kept so freely - they sit together in a large cage.
Actually, the Monte Palace itself - during the history of its existence, the building managed to change many owners, currently
At the moment, the Berardo Foundation is located here, an organization that is dedicated to the preservation and development of the garden.
The tropical garden, located on Mount Monte in Funchal, is perhaps one of the most famous tourist spots in
island. In general, Madeira is exceptionally rich in its parks and gardens, but it’s not possible to get around even some of them
seemed possible - we chose Jardim Tropical Monte Palace at random and have never regretted it.
The garden is located on the top of Mount Monte, the slopes of which are densely built up with the town houses of Funchal. Simplest
The way to get there is to use the funicular, the station of which is located on the embankment, not far from the center.
The line, a little more than 3,700 meters long, runs over the entire city and in itself is very good
a fifteen-minute attraction. Actually, I was so carried away by photographing the city from a bird's eye view that I completely
drained the batteries before we even got there. In general, as we walk through the garden, periodically
By removing the batteries and performing various shamanic actions with them, we managed to take a couple of dozen frames.
In general, having accidentally looked (after returning home) into the booklet that was given to us along with the tickets, we
We were surprised to discover that not only was there an excellent map of the territory, but also different routes were given -
compiled according to interests. For example, a route for those interested in flora and fauna. Or a route for those interested
history and art. Or combined - including both the first and second. Of course, all to varying degrees.
saturation and with different transit times. We wandered there completely haphazardly for a couple of hours, by chance
choosing turns, and it seemed like they were able to inspect most of them. Although, judging by the same map, something is still
missed.
2.
Personally, I was generally very pleased with the eclecticism of the cultural part of the route. In addition to traditional Portuguese
ceramics in the Tropical Garden, a very good collection of African sculptures was discovered - partly along the paths and
in the form of a rather impressive exhibition in the museum building. However, there was no longer enough battery charge for the museum itself.
3.
From the entrance to the garden there is a path leading to the central pond, with ceramic panels telling about
heroic Portuguese history. We, however, immediately turned into the thickets - it was more interesting to wander around the more lively
parts of the garden, and here, as we noticed, mostly pensioners wander around.
4.
The history of Portugal on ceramic panels looks like a colorful comic book - even without knowing the language, it becomes so
it is clear who gave birth to whom, who poisoned or stabbed whom, who conquered whom, and who ultimately buried whom.
5.
In addition to African motifs and historical comics, some paths are decorated with works made in
traditional Portuguese ceramic painting technique - azulejo.
6.
Here is one of them - close-up.
7.
Another corner is not far from the museum. Abstractionism is adjacent to antiquity.
8.
As far as flora is concerned, March is probably not the best month to visit - although Madeira is rightfully
called the flower island, early spring flowering plant units. But we did see something.
9.
The park also contains small pools with aquatic plants.
10.
Or dense thickets of bamboo - mainly in the Japanese part of the garden.
11,
We were particularly pleased with the peacocks, who strolled quite calmly next to the pavilion of the four elements. Ibid.
You can admire other birds, but the rest are not kept so freely - they sit together in a large cage.
12.
One of the fountains in the garden. The fish look especially colorful (or what are the babies sitting on?).
13.
Actually, the Monte Palace itself - during the history of its existence, the building managed to change many owners, currently
At the moment, the Berardo Foundation is located here, an organization that is dedicated to the preservation and development of the garden.
14.
View of the palace from the observation deck.
15.
View of the city from the same observation deck in front of the palace. Far below you can see the port and the central part
Funchal, and the wonderful pagoda in the frame is part of the Southern Japanese Garden.
16.
Wall on the territory of the Northern Japanese Garden. The plaques depict the history of Japanese-Portuguese relations.
17.
Another fragment of Japan - samurai statues. In general, the abundance of Japanese elements in the design is due to
personal preferences of the founding father - Joe Bernard. He was so fascinated by Eastern culture that he tried
recreate the appropriate atmosphere when creating this garden.
18.
One of the most widely circulated images of Madeira are photographs of the Central Lake. It is surrounded on all sides
walking paths and can be viewed from almost anywhere in the garden. In general, here we had an extra reason
be glad that we came in the off-season - because the visitors could be counted on one hand and no one disturbed
photograph. I suspect that at the height of summer there will be no crowd near the lake.
19.
The same lake on the other side.
20.
Again the lake, view from above, from one of the galleries. In the background is the Monte Palace.
21.
While walking through the garden, we discovered several cool grottoes. I suspect that in the heat - places for short
stops are absolutely irreplaceable, because it is cold and damp inside. In one of the grottoes we noticed a long tunnel,
lost somewhere far in the darkness, but the grate prevented him from making an underground journey. Yes, we are on the levadas
We also noticed that such obstacles appear quite suddenly and in the most interesting place.
Unfortunately, most of what we saw there remained behind the scenes, but even so, perhaps, we can make up
some impression. For those who suddenly find themselves in Madeira, I highly recommend visiting the Tropical Garden,
definitely one of the most picturesque places on the island.
The tropical garden, located on Mount Monte in Funchal, is perhaps one of the most famous tourist spots in
island. In general, Madeira is exceptionally rich in its parks and gardens, but it’s not possible to get around even some of them
seemed possible - we chose Jardim Tropical Monte Palace at random and have never regretted it.
The garden is located on the top of Mount Monte, the slopes of which are densely built up with the town houses of Funchal. Simplest
The way to get there is to use the funicular, the station of which is located on the embankment, not far from the center.
The line, a little more than 3,700 meters long, runs over the entire city and in itself is very good
a fifteen-minute attraction. Actually, I was so carried away by photographing the city from a bird's eye view that I completely
drained the batteries before we even got there. In general, as we walk through the garden, periodically
By removing the batteries and performing various shamanic actions with them, we managed to take a couple of dozen frames.
In general, having accidentally looked (after returning home) into the booklet that was given to us along with the tickets, we
We were surprised to discover that not only was there an excellent map of the territory, but also different routes were given -
compiled according to interests. For example, a route for those interested in flora and fauna. Or a route for those interested
history and art. Or combined - including both the first and second. Of course, all to varying degrees.
saturation and with different transit times. We wandered there completely haphazardly for a couple of hours, by chance
choosing turns, and it seemed like they were able to inspect most of them. Although, judging by the same map, something is still
missed.
2.
Personally, I was generally very pleased with the eclecticism of the cultural part of the route. In addition to traditional Portuguese
ceramics in the Tropical Garden, a very good collection of African sculptures was discovered - partly along the paths and
in the form of a rather impressive exhibition in the museum building. However, there was no longer enough battery charge for the museum itself.
3.
From the entrance to the garden there is a path leading to the central pond, with ceramic panels telling about
heroic Portuguese history. We, however, immediately turned into the thickets - it was more interesting to wander around the more lively
parts of the garden, and here, as we noticed, mostly pensioners wander around.
4.
The history of Portugal on ceramic panels looks like a colorful comic book - even without knowing the language, it becomes so
it is clear who gave birth to whom, who poisoned or stabbed whom, who conquered whom, and who ultimately buried whom.
5.
In addition to African motifs and historical comics, some paths are decorated with works made in
traditional Portuguese ceramic painting technique - azulejo.
6.
Here is one of them - close-up.
7.
Another corner is not far from the museum. Abstractionism is adjacent to antiquity.
8.
As far as flora is concerned, March is probably not the best month to visit - although Madeira is rightfully
called the flower island, early spring flowering plant units. But we did see something.
9.
The park also contains small pools with aquatic plants.
10.
Or dense thickets of bamboo - mainly in the Japanese part of the garden.
11,
We were particularly pleased with the peacocks, who strolled quite calmly next to the pavilion of the four elements. Ibid.
You can admire other birds, but the rest are not kept so freely - they sit together in a large cage.
12.
One of the fountains in the garden. The fish look especially colorful (or what are the babies sitting on?).
13.
Actually, the Monte Palace itself - during the history of its existence, the building managed to change many owners, currently
At the moment, the Berardo Foundation is located here, an organization that is dedicated to the preservation and development of the garden.
14.
View of the palace from the observation deck.
15.
View of the city from the same observation deck in front of the palace. Far below you can see the port and the central part
Funchal, and the wonderful pagoda in the frame is part of the Southern Japanese Garden.
16.
Wall on the territory of the Northern Japanese Garden. The plaques depict the history of Japanese-Portuguese relations.
17.
Another fragment of Japan - samurai statues. In general, the abundance of Japanese elements in the design is due to
personal preferences of the founding father - Joe Bernard. He was so fascinated by Eastern culture that he tried
recreate the appropriate atmosphere when creating this garden.
18.
One of the most widely circulated images of Madeira are photographs of the Central Lake. It is surrounded on all sides
walking paths and can be viewed from almost anywhere in the garden. In general, here we had an extra reason
be glad that we came in the off-season - because the visitors could be counted on one hand and no one disturbed
photograph. I suspect that at the height of summer there will be no crowd near the lake.
There is a park on the island of Madeira, which is listed in all guidebooks as the main attraction of this paradise island. This is the Monte Palace Tropical Gardens.
The garden is located on a hilltop above Funchal, the capital of the island of Madeira, easily accessible by cable car, enjoying magnificent views of the ocean and city. The area of the park is 7 hectares, but due to the complex terrain, ravines, slopes, bridges and the diversity of architectural and plant content, the mixture of cultures and styles, the garden seems much larger.
Here east meets west, oriental gardening meets European landscape architecture, red bridges meet blue and white Portuguese tiles, koi ponds meet moss-covered aqueducts, and pagodas and dragons meet amphorae and flowerpots.
This fantastic garden has an equally interesting history, dating back to the 18th century.
Many years ago this land belonged to the Holy Fathers of the Abbey of Funchal, after the confiscation of their plots in 1760. and auction sales, changed several names and owners, each of whom left their mark on the appearance of the estate. British Consul Charles Muray contributed with the creation of the "levada", a unique irrigation system, a man-made canal used on Madeira to collect and transport water from the wet northern part of the island to the drier southern areas. Construction of the house was started by the next owner of the estate, Alfred Guilherme Rodriguez. Inspired by the 1900 World's Fair in Paris, whose dominant style was Art Nouveau, and the architecture of the castles of the Rhine, Rodriguez built a house in 1900 called Monte Palace. The house, which is really more like a palace in size, is too large and expensive to operate for a personal residence, in March 1904. was converted into a luxury hotel. Magnificent, according to eyewitnesses, the resort hotel attracted travelers with its park with beautiful views, cascades and a lake, with water activities where guests could take romantic boat rides. The Second World War, the echoes of which reached the distant shores of Madeira, led to the bankruptcy of the hotel business, coinciding with the death of Alfred Rodriguez, and in 1943 the hotel ceased to function.
The new history of the park began in 1987, when the Monte Palace Hotel was bought by one of the largest entrepreneurs in Portugal, José Manuel Rodriguez Berardo, and transferred the estate to the foundation that he created and named after himself. Born in Madeira, into a poor family, José Berardo, at the age of 18, went to work in South Africa, where he managed to earn a fortune. Returning to his homeland as a rich man and a keen collector, he begins to create a park that reflects his interests and preferences.
Madeira's mild subtropical-Mediterranean climate, formed under the influence of the Gulf Stream, and fertile soil favor the growth and development of exotic plants brought to the island. To prevent exotics from crowding out their owners, two hectares of land were set aside for the restoration of indigenous plant species growing in Madeira.
In 1991 the garden was opened to the public. The entrance to the park begins at its highest point, where visitors are greeted by a pair of olive trees brought from the mainland.
Madeira's climate is not very suitable for this type of plant, but this couple looks quite happy with island life, freely spread out on the roof of a building that fits seamlessly into the hill. Before entering the building, stone sculptures attract attention, in which African motifs are immediately recognizable. This is a museum of contemporary African art, which houses a unique collection of sculptures by Zimbabwean artists. On the floor below, as if in a huge grotto, hidden in the bowels of the earth, treasures created by nature itself are protected - an exhibition of the collection of minerals “Secrets of Mother Nature”, collected by José Berardo, which includes about 700 samples of minerals from different continents. The various shapes of stones, playing with all the colors of the rainbow, enchant, it seems that you are in the kingdom of the Mistress of the Copper Mountain.
From the museum we descend into a mysterious shady ravine, as if we were in a Jurassic Park, with trunks of fallen trees and lush tropical vegetation. The park has one of the largest collections of cycads (cycas) in the world, there are about 700 of them, belonging to 60 species. Called “living fossils”, cycas, brought mainly from South Africa, are very difficult plants to grow. Seeing such an extensive collection of cycads is a great success for people who are passionate about botany.
Continuing down the ravine, the slopes of which are covered with a variety of azaleas and ferns, we find ourselves in the part of the garden where the East reigns. This is immediately evident by the red color of the bridges and railings, contrasting with the dark greenery. The red color of small architectural forms immediately creates the image of an Eastern garden. The image is greatly enhanced by a huge number of Buddhist sculptures, stone lanterns and benches, small ponds with mossy stones that you so want to walk on, bridges and Far Eastern plants. Inspired by a trip to Japan and China, Jose Berardo created an extraordinary park in which he collected a collection of exotic plants and animals, various sculptural elements associated with Oriental and Buddhist themes.
During a trip to Japan, José Berardo became intrigued by the history of social, cultural and commercial relations between Portugal and Japan. 1993 marked the 450th anniversary of the arrival of the Portuguese in Japan. A sculptural composition (panel) exhibited in the park was dedicated to this interesting historical event. This artwork by Argentine artist Alberto Cedron, on the theme “The Adventures of the Portuguese in Japan”, consisting of 166 bright metal plates, fits very organically into the surrounding landscape.
A huge layer of Portuguese culture is represented in the garden by a collection of Portuguese tiles - “azulejos”, or “azulejos”, with illustrations of the history of Portugal. Blue and white panels with tiles give the garden lightness and grace, without at all dissonating with the oriental theme of the garden.
The blue color seems to reflect the sky and the water surface of the lake in the center of the park, creating a transition to the Alfred Rodriguez water garden.
The water fort with water cannons shooting out jets of water into the surrounding lake looks fantastic and harkens back to the Italian theme in the garden. Grottoes, gutters with streams of water, waterfalls and cascades - a water extravaganza in the park! Black and white swans and ducks in the water element I feel like the masters of the lake.
There are many different birds in the park, the most exotic ones are kept in the original poultry house, decorated with mirror panels, and peacocks and chickens of various breeds roam freely around the park. In the lakes of the park you can see numerous koi carps, for which a special natural filtration system has been created.
Near the palace, the terraced gardens have a more regular structure. You can walk along the terraces to the park cafe and taste local drinks while enjoying the view of the palace.
The lush vegetation united all the heterogeneous elements of the garden; the moss-covered paths, walls, and sculptures look very organic.
The garden is so diverse and multifaceted that you want to come back again to discover new corners and details.