First, be warned, they don’t take credit cards & aren’t open for parts of the day/ week. The staff aren’t exactly helpful either. That said, it was quite interesting but not sure it’s worth the steep walk to get there.

I found this by accident three years ago. It’s another little gem of a place, close to the English church, where you can enjoy the peace of a small but beautiful garden overlooking the city of Funchal, as well as looking at the treasures of this important Quinta. A great place to chill and maybe have a light lunch, or just a coffee or glass of wine.

Small ticket office separate to main building. Lady in there served us but didn’t let up her phone call in the process! 3 euro entrance. No photography no memory! Interesting number of photos on this site considering no photography inside was allowed. Grounds ok and free with access to the nice café, both open all day (museum closes for lunch) Visit the convent while in the area, its more than double the price of here at 10 euro (senior 5) but very ornate.

We were a bit surprised when none of the taxi drivers at the rank on Av. Do Mar seemed to know where we meant when we asked to be taken here, but I gather the Museum isn’t in the top flight of Funchal attractions. However one of them eventually realised where we wanted and took us. The gardens are untidy and the archaeological pieces nothing special, however they are free. The museum, in an old mansion, is €3 but more interesting with various rooms with furniture from different eras and we had no issues when taking photos. The artwork isn’t exactly top drawer stuff though. Personally I found the church at the convent across the road more noteworthy with a spectacular fully tiled interior. It’s free to enter, though the convent itself is €10 so we didn’t bother with that. Easy downhill walk back into town.