Explore Funchal

Funchal Cathedral, the Sé, is the mother church of the Diocese of Funchal, begun under the future King Manuel I and raised to cathedral status in 1514. The white Gothic church, built of volcanic stone from Cabo Girão, has three naves, a cedar-wood ceiling in Mudéjar style and 16th-century carved choir stalls with apostles, saints and prophets.

Monte Palace Tropical Garden is a 70,000 m² garden in Monte, above Funchal, on an 18th-century estate that later became the Monte Palace Hotel and was reshaped from 1987 by José Berardo. Paths lead past tree ferns, lakes, Oriental gardens with koi ponds and azulejo tile panels, and a museum shows modern sculpture and a collection of minerals.