"The gladdest moment in human life is a departure into unknown lands."
Sir Richard Burton
ACTIVITIES
LANDMARKS
CR7 Museum
The CR7 Museum was opened on December 15, 2013 and is where the history of Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo is depicted. The museum is located on Avenida Sá Carneiro near the Port of Funchal and next to the hotel named after him.
You can see among the museum's collection of trophies for FIFA Best Player of the Year (2008), The Best FIFA Football Awards (2016, 2017), FIFA Golden Ball (2013, 2014), FIFA Puskás Award (2009), Ballon d'Or France Football (2008, 2016 and 2017), UEFA Golden Boot (2007/08, 2010/11, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015), Best UEFA Player in Europe (2014, 2016 and 2017 ), Best UEFA Club Player (2007/08), the Best Player of the Year Award (2011, 2014, 2016, 2017), Alfredo Di Stéfano Award (2011/12, 2012/13, 2013/14 and 2015 / 16) and, finally, Pichichi (2010/11, 2013/14 and 2014/15).
Whale Museum
The Whale Museum opened to the public in 1989 in the fishing village of Caniçal. The museum focuses on the history of whaling in the seas of the archipelago of Madeira.
In its most recent incarnation in a new space since September 2011, the museum contains an important ethnographic collection that retrieves utensils and past experiences, rigorously documenting the history of whaling in Madeira throughout the 20th century.
The museum's main mission is the preservation of heritage and historical knowledge about whaling in Madeira, the dissemination of knowledge about cetaceans and the ocean.
Sacred Art Museum
The Sacred Art Museum was officially founded in 1955. The museum contains collections of painting, sculpture, jewelry and religious gowns, dating from the period between the 15th and 19th centuries.
The estate focuses mainly on Flemish Art, with painting, sculpture and jewelry, dated between the end of the 15th century and the first years of the 16th century and Portuguese Art, from the period between the 15th and 18th centuries.
Perhaps the most well-known part of the museum is the valuable collection of Flemish sculpture, especially from Malines and Antwerp, and the large paintings from the 15th and 16th centuries.
Rota da Cal
The Museum Centre - The Lime Route has several interests, considering natural and cultural heritage values. Placed at Sítio dos Lameiros, Municipality of São Vicente, this centre encloses an area close to 12.000m2 where, besides its local landscape beauty, we find two limestone quarries, a lime kiln and other constructions used to support farming and cattle-raising, such as haylofts, cultivation fields and levadas (water channels), very typical of Madeira's landscape.
Casas das Mudas Contemporary Art Museum
Casas das Mudas is located on a hill overlooking the village of Calheta and currently houses the Museum of Contemporary Art.
In 2015, Casa das Mudas opens as a Museum of Contemporary Art. The Casas das Mudas Museum of Contemporary Art is a modern building awarded internationally for its architecture and perfect integration into the landscape, it is the stage for several exhibitions, musical shows, plays and conferences.
It is possible to see the exhibitions divided by themes: Abstraction, Non-Figuration, Figuration, Portrait and Landscape.
Farmers Market
Near the Rua Dr. Fernão de Ornelas, the busiest in Madeira's capital, is located the fantastic Farmers Market which rear and side doors have exit to the historic center of Funchal.
This is the heart pulses of the city, an authentic and graceful museum. Here, focus the traders of agricultural products, handicrafts, flowers and fish of the region.
It's a real exhibition, which presents the best products and you have the opportunity to taste some of the fruits of the region. The most beautiful flowers are sold by florists who are dressed up with the traditional costume.
Sé Church
In the vicinity of Madeira's Parliament, flanked by the oldest cafés on the island and overlooking the central walkway of Avenida Arriaga, we find the beautiful Cathedral of Madeira, a masterpiece dated of 1514 with Hispano-Arabic and Roman-Gothic architectural lines, ordered by D. Manuel I.
Enjoy its façade, the front door of Gothic lines, the beautiful ceiling - one of the richest of all the churches in the country, worked in wood from the island and the stalls of the main chapel, based on the Flemish style, whose seats exhibit saints, prophets and apostles in sixteenth century costumes.
College Church
It is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful religious monuments of the seventeenth century. The church of the convent, whose patron is St. John the Evangelist, is one of the temples that worth’s a visit.
Situated in the historic city centre, in São Pedro, this church is a work of the Jesuits and is among the richest heritage of the region. Inside, the seventeenth century gilded carving is considered one of the most valuable pieces of the seventeenth century Portuguese carvings. The tiles and paintings of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries are fascinating.
Baltazar Dias Municipal Theatre
Located in Avenida Arriaga, the Municipal Theatre Baltazar Dias is a centenary building of high architectural value, where passed the most important cultural events of Madeira. The interior is beautiful with rich details which highlight the ceilings painted with decorative elements of the romantic era, and its audience, horseshoe-shaped, surrounded by boxes decorated with speakers of Greek theatre masks, carved in gilded wood. It is undoubtedly an area of culture that is worth visiting and where you can enjoy plays, exhibitions, music and other artistic productions.
São Lourenço Palace
Classified as a National Monument in 1943, the Palace of São Lourenço is worth visiting.
This building is composed of a fortress that was build in the first half of the sixteenth century and completed during the reign of King Philip. It was later enlarged with a palace with state rooms and gardens dating from the last quarter of the eighteenth century.
Located in the historical center of Funchal, the Palace of São Lourenço serves as the official residence of the Representative of the Portuguese Republic in Madeira.
Monte Church
The Monte Church built in the eighteenth century, presents an eighteenth and nineteenth century architecture. On the left side chapel is the tomb of Carlos of Hapsburg, the last emperor of Austria.
Inside the church you can enjoy also beautiful pieces of jewelery carved from sécs.XVII XVIII.
On August 15 marks the day of Our Lady of Monte, patron saint of the diocese and the city of Funchal.
São Vicente Caves
The São Vicente Caves were formed 890 thousand years ago by a volcanic eruption, which occurred in Paul da Serra. The outer part of the lava that was exposed to lower temperatures, solidified rapidly while the inside remained liquid with lots of gases, forming a series of lava tubes.
The caves were first reported in 1885 by locals, and opened to the public on October 1st, 1996.
They were among the first volcanic caves to be opened to the public in Portugal and may be visited by following an underground route running for over 1,000 m. The height of the caves varies between 5 and 6 metres.
At the end of the tour, visitors may access the Volcano Centre, a pavilion offering a range of educational and entertaining audiovisual displays that recreate the geological evolution of the caves, the eruption of a volcano and even a simulation of the birth of the Madeira Islands.
GARDENS & PARKS
Madeira Botanical Gardens
Surrounded by the mountains in the North and the ocean in the south, the botanical garden of Madeira is about 3km (1.86 miles) from the city centre. It has 8 hectares in area, 5 of which are gardens where you can admire about 3000 species of plants from several places in the world. 200 of these, being endemic species from macaronesea and some growing exclusively in Madeira. It has a rich collection from different floras containing in total over 15000 specimens. At the end of the Madeira Boticanal Garden there is an area devoted to exotic birds with a collection of 300 rare birds.
Monte Palace Tropical Garden
Monte Palace Tropical Garden is located about 5 km (3.11 miles) from the centre of Funchal. The garden occupies an area of 70 000 square kilometers (1.73 acres) and has been decorated with exotic flora from different Continents. In the Monte Palace garden there is large area with typical plants from Laurissilva Forest. Spacious lakes full of koi fish can also be found as well as the Monte Palace Museum with its collection of contemporary art.
Palheiro Gardens
The Palheiro Gardens are situated at 500m (1640ft) above sea level. The original owner, the Conde de Carvalhal, planted many trees on the estate and laid the foundation with a camellia collection; some of his early plantings can still be seen today .Since around 1885 the quinta passed into the hands of the Blandy Family. The Palheiro garden is a Mecca for camellia lovers. Visitors may be surprised to see trees such as Oak, Beech, Chestnut and Cedar growing alongside the Eucalyptus, Araucaria pine. The gardens in Palheiro boosts a large variety of proteas.
Queimadas Forest Park
Located in the municipality of Santana, here you can observe the Laurissilva Forest flora.
This park offers a forest shelter, a construction which resembles the typical houses of Santana, such as its unique thatched roof.
At the Queimadas Forest park you can engage several walking trails along the streams and paths that lead to different points on the island, particularly the PR 9 - Levada do Caldeirão Verde (Queimadas - Caldeirão Verde - Caldeirão do Inferno) and the footpath that gives access to Pico das Pedras.
Quinta Da Bela Vista
The attractive eighteenth century Quinta da Bela Vista contains one of Madeira’s most important collection of orchids .The orchid garden of Bela Vista, is a 20-year-old orchid exhibition, featuring many rare species, in a spectacular range of shapes and colours. Below the orchid houses there is a lovely lawned area set out with tables and chairs where tea and coffee are sometimes served.
Madeira Orchid Garden
The Madeira Orchid Garden is located 200m (656 ft) below the Botanical Gardens. This orchid garden has more than 50,000 plants. There is a beautiful and genuine exhibition built in a miniature forest, of a wide variety of orchids. Here you will find a bit of everything from flowers to birds and fishes.
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