In the Atlantic Ocean, in the warm waters of the Gulf Stream, lies the beautiful island of Madeira, which belongs to Portugal. Due to its pristine beauty and mild local climate, it is called the island of eternal spring.
It is not surprising that the mentioned island is one of the most popular year-round holiday destinations. Here you can not only relax perfectly, but also see the unforgettable landscapes of mountain ranges with abundant vegetation. A real luxurious garden with a huge variety of flowers is also Madeira. The sights of this paradise corner of the globe are, first of all, nature itself: massive black cliffs, mysterious gorges, banana groves,
impenetrable forests. Near the island, the sea is so deep that whales can safely sail almost to the shore.
Funchal is the capital of Madeira. The city is located on the coast. There are many interesting places and structures. The first thing that catches your eye is the amazing streets paved with paving stones. There are many fountains in the city, and the squares will delight guests of the city with unique monuments. The first thing to see is the historical center of the capital of the island of Madeira. The sights of this mysterious place can be put together in a single list, and the first among them will be an old French monastery built in the 16th century. However, now it produces the famous wine. Guests of the island can not only get acquainted with the production technology, but also taste the famous drink.
What else will surprise Madeira Island holidaymakers? Attractions can be found literally everywhere. Here, for example, the defensive fortress of Castello de Pico. This building now houses a museum and gendarmerie. Among other architectural structures, the palace of St. Lawrence should be noted .
To diversify the inspection of buildings and structures will help a trip to museums, which are quite a lot. The most popular is the Museum of Natural Science. The tourists are also interested in the Museum of Art.
After visiting the capital, the guests, as a rule, proceed to the inspection of other settlements located on the territory of the island of Madeira. Attractions worthy of attention are in almost every one of them. The most popular destination is the fishing village of Camara de Lobos. This is a picturesque village with colorful boats, where you can take an exciting walk. It is here that there are restaurants and bars dedicated to the politician W. Churchill. An equally popular village is Curral dash Freiras. It is located in the crater of a long extinct volcano. Here stands the convent of St. Clara, built in the 16th century. It will be interesting to visit the village of Santana with its triangular houses with thatched roofs.
But this is not all that makes Madeira Island interesting, whose sights include unique natural pools with frozen volcanic lava. They concentrated in the city of Porto Moniz, which is 75 kilometers from the capital. In addition, tourists try to visit the steep cliff of Cape Girao, considered the second largest in the world. And in the Valley of the Nuns, an annual chestnut festival takes place on September 1.
The sights of Madeira include gardens, which are quite numerous. For example, on top of Monto is a magnificent tropical garden. Noteworthy is the botanical garden, which has a unique collection of exotic plants, as well as a museum of nature. The orchid garden with rare specimens is especially popular with tourists. Once in Sao Gonzalo, do not forget to visit the Dragon Tree Park .