Lying only a 5-minute ride from the center of Funchal, these carefully restored gardens are one of the botanical highlights of Madeira. The gardens were once owned by the well-known sugar industrialist, Harry Hinton, and most of the gardens were designed at the beginning of the 20th century. Today they have undergone an extensive restoration and are more gorgeous than ever, featuring a large collection of exotic plants, some unique to Madeira. The gardens are filled with curiosities, including a stone window salvaged from the house where Columbus once lived on the island.