This now-ageing centre covers a wide range of scientific topics in a hands-on way. The focus is on Madeira's Unesco-listed laurisilva forests, their climate, biodiversity and the human relationship with it. Interactive exhibits include a barefoot forest-floor walk, a virtual levada and heaps of touchscreens, puzzles and films. Sadly the project has withered on the vine in recent years.
Centro Ciência Viva
Madeira
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
21.01 MILES
Now a museum, the Quinta das Cruzes is a quintessential old Madeiran manor house complete with gardens and a private chapel. Originally the home of João…
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21.66 MILES
Once a run-down area between the Mercado dos Lavradores and the Fortaleza de Santiago, in recent years the 'Old Zone' of merchant's houses and 19th…
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21.53 MILES
Built in 1940 by architect Edmundo Tavares, Funchal's art deco market is one of its top attractions as well as still serving as the island's best fresh…
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21.38 MILES
Funchal's 16th-century cathedral once oversaw the world's largest diocese – all of Portugal’s overseas territories from Madeira to Brazil to Angola – and…
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20.36 MILES
Anyone who says Madeira has no beaches should hop on bus 1 or 43 to the boulders and browny-black sand of this wild strand in Funchal's western suburbs…
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21.29 MILES
One of the island's top tourist attractions, Madeira's famous botanical gardens are a must for most visitors. Extending over 80,000 sq metres, the gardens…
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21.23 MILES
Run by the fifth generation of the D'Oliveira family, this is Funchal's most easily accessible wine experience. Anyone can enter the strongly aromatic…
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15.52 MILES
Dramatically set at the bottom of a mammoth cauldron of rock, the village of Curral das Freiras is one of the most popular daytrips from Funchal. Some…
Nearby Madeira attractions
0.18 MILES
Madeira's top aquarium hides away like a hermit crab in a renovated stone fortress. Inside, 12 tanks represent various ocean habitats around Madeira, the…
3.1 MILES
Road number 101 once struck fear into the heart of every Madeiran driver until it was retired to Room 101 by the modern VE2. The old route was the island…
4.41 MILES
Seixal's black-sand beach can be accessed through an arch in the rock. It receives fewer visitors than beaches on the south coast, but check the weather…
6.63 MILES
Madeira's most westerly point is Ponta do Pargo (Red Snapper Point). From the village of the same name, a 2km trail heads out to a lighthouse from where…
7.43 MILES
The waterfalls, springs and hiking trails at Rabaçal are an easy-going highlight of Madeira's outdoor world. You can spend all day cooling off in the…
8.16 MILES
Perching precariously on a ledge under high cliffs, pretty Paúl do Mar is the surfing capital of the Atlantic and has even hosted a leg of the World…
7. Grutas e Centro do Vulcanismo
8.78 MILES
Top billing on Madeira's north coast goes to this two-for-one attraction just south of São Vicente. The first part of the experience is a guided tour of…
9.91 MILES
High above the central valley at the eastern end of the Paúl da Serra plateau is a place called Bica da Cana. Apart from serving as a picnic spot for…