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Lido Promenade
The most popular beachside area
of Funchal is the Lido, with its palm trees and convenience shopping
markets, the beaches and pools, restaurants and many other attractions
for the visitor.
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Sao Pedro, Santa Maria and Se
The city of Funchal is divided into parishes, and the most ancient one is Sao Pedro.
There are numerous historic monuments and buildings scattered around the
parish, a reminder of the island’s roots. The Santa Maria area also
retains many of the buildings and the charms of bygone days, while much
of the spiritual, temporal and political power of the island rests in
the parish of Se, where many of the legislative and religious buildings
are located.
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Dragon Trees Nucleus
A species of tree only
found in Madeira, the Canary Isles and Cape Verde, the slow-growing tree
is named for its much-divided crown of leaves, which resembles a
‘thousand-headed dragon’. A park has been set up just outside Funchal to
protect a stand of centenary Dragon Trees, where their unique beauty can
be appreciated at the visitor’s convenience.
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| Levadas walk
The web of irrigation canals
called levadas covers the entire island of Madeira, and walking on the
footpaths alongside the waterways is one of the best ways to see the
beauty of the island.
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Caves of Sao Vicente
Madeira Island is the tip
of an ocean volcano, and evidence of its origins can be seen in the rich
volcanic soil that supports its farmers, and the parallel caves of Sao
Vicente, which were carved out by the flow of lava from the Paul de Serra plateau to the sea.
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Monte Palace Tropical Garden
The garden of the
historic Monte Palace building is famed for its vast collection of
indigenous and foreign blooms, including its Japanese-themed garden, and
the lakes teeming with imported Koi.
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Gardens of Indigenous Plants of Sao Vicente
For insight into the unique botanical heritage of Madeira, there is no
better place to go than the Garden of Indigenous Plants in Sao Vicente
on the north coast of the island, where the whole park is dedicated to
the preservation of native plants.
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| Orchid Garden
Anyone who loves nature will
appreciate this garden, where the gardeners go to extraordinary extents
to recreate the natural setting for the orchids and other exotic plants
here.
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Laurassilva Forest
On an island with an
abundance of natural attractions, one of the most popular is the laurassilva forest covering much of the island, the largest and most
complete stand of such trees left in the world, and home to a number of
rare and beautiful flora and fauna.
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| Porto Santo
A charming island 37 km away from
Madeira Island, the main attraction is the 9km long beach, and the
associated water sports, as well as a wide range of outdoor activities
such as tennis, volleyball and island tours.
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