Despite some recent adverse comments, I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to the Botanical Gardens. The nature of gardens is that they will be better at some times than others. I accept that some of the parks in Funchal may have had some spectacular shows of colour but I was not disappointed by these Gardens. What's to see? A lot of different areas with different types of plant and flower. I didn't think the famous patchwork flowerbeds were at their best but they were still impressive. I particularly enjoyed the cactus area and also the palm trees down at the bottom. I am no botanist but the labelling of plants seemed pretty good, without being obtrusive. There is also a small museum, mainly of natural history. Madeira/Funchal has lots of viewpoints but there are some very good ones from the gardens. Some general comments : it might be nice to be handed a map with your ticket but there are maps posted all around the gardens so you can see what's what and where. Most of the paths are fine but I have to say that some of the stepped paths could be tricky. Certainly there is a lot of walking to do. We ate at the cafe actually inside the gardens (there is another immediately outside) and it was fine for its purpose of a light lunch and refreshment, though I guess it could get busy. If you wish to purchase the cable car/garden entry combination ticket, you will need to buy in advance or after 10 o'clock as the garden cable car only opens then - we took the Funchal cable when it opened at 9 and they wouldn't sell the combination then. The cable cars are rather complicated and potentially frustrating but that is for another review! There is also quite a large souvenir shop. I did not visit any of the other paying gardens so I cannot compare these gardens to them. A final comment is that the Trip Advisor photo is not of or from the Botanical Gardens at all (it is looking down on the CR7 complex, right the other side of town!) but plenty of other reviewers have posted photos that give you a general idea. I am not posting any as they are effectively duplicates.

We booked tickets at the cable car booth in the town, in there you can book a ticket for the cable car and the botanical gardens & a bus, which was cheaper than buying them separately. The gardens themselves were interesting with different areas to walk through, palms, cactuses, succulents etc and a museum to look around. The best part is the lime & burgundy flower area, this looks really good. There is a cafe and you can walk to the top to catch the cable car up to Monte.

The garden is famous for its ornamental borders on the main terrace. The approximately 8-hectare site is located about 3 km northeast of the center of Funchal and is under the control of the Instituto Das Florestas E Conservacao Da Natureza (IFCN). It is the former property of the hoteliers Reid family. In addition to a pond and fountain, it includes an area with cacti and euphorbias, an ornamental garden, subtropical crops, native flora and a palm garden. In the upper area there is a café with reasonable prices. The natural history Museu de História Natural has been housed in the former manor house since 1982, which mainly displays animal specimens. The paths and squares of the garden are designed in the Portuguese tradition of mosaic paving made of round pebbles. The entrance fee is relatively cheap at €8, and the garden is very natural and devoid of frills. The bird cages do not meet modern standards, but the peacocks roam freely.

Lovely gardens, especially for the plant lovers! Not as ornate as the Palace gardens (found to the left when you walk out of the main cable car up from the sea front) but a really lovely place to wander around for a few hours, and cheaper than the Palace gardens. Has a small museum with taxidermy sea life and fossilised coral and shells. Fantastic array of aged cactuses, palms, a rose garden, and pretty much any plant you can think of that could thrive in the climate. Unfortunately it would not be suitable for anyone with any mobility impairments, as everything is very steep, so definitely wear comfortable trainers or walking boots, not suitable for Sandals or flip flops! I'm a bigger person, and managed perfectly fine with short breaks coming back up to exit the grounds, everything is very hilly and steep though Would definitely recommend, probably would be good to go there in the morning, then spend the afternoon at the Palace gardens (jardim) there are cafes with the grounds of both places and by the cable cars

Had visited the Monte Palace gardens the previous day (so it had a lot to live up to) and had been told the Botanical Gardens were fantastic. We caught the bus for €2 each from the main stop and it was €7.50 per adult to get in. Some areas were looking tatty and unkempt and the paths were very uneven. The formal planting area was very good and the cacti were amazing but not what we had been led to believe. It was a pleasant enough place to pass a few hours but we wouldn't visit again.

Are they better than Monte Palace? No, but are they the same type of experience? Absolutely not, and thus worth seeing as well! The grounds in December were still very rich in various vegetation and colors, and I can only imagine how amazing this place must look during flower blooming time! People talk about taking cable cars to get here, we just drove from Funchal, parked the car and walked inside, no cable car needed. My complaints would be: pretty pricey, but also very limited parking - we ended up parking on the street all the way on the top, which is sadly where the only restrooms/toilets appeared to be.

Nice facility! Good for a short trip in variable weather. If the small parking lot opposite the entrance is occupied, you will find a second slightly larger parking lot about 100 meters below the entrance. Admission is currently 10 euros per adult. Terrace-like layout, so that you can walk through the complex from top to bottom from left to right. Downstairs there is an exit and next to it is also the lower parking lot.

After taking a cable car from Funchal up the mountain to Monte, we then paid for another cable car for the journey to the Botanical Gardens. For two people, it was a total of 40 euros for the Botanical cable car and garden entrance fee. There are some lovely areas to see with the Spring blooms and some great view points towards Funchal.

We parked in the car park in Funchal and took bus number 29 to the botanical garden (€1.95/person) Possibility of taking bus 31 too. Entrance to the garden €7.5 per person Very pleasant moment with lots of variety of flowers. We went there for the opening, we took advantage of walking around without the crowds.

Now we were here in early March, so some limited flowering. But the garden plant was nice, a bit like mixture of jungle feeling and Asian forest in several places. The garden might have had season prices, because the price in was not worth the money in March. Besides, there were very much similar plants, and not so much new to see. It seemed like you got more to see by walking through parks in and around downtown Funchal. They're good at taking care of their parks.