Natural History Museum of Funchal

The Madeira archipelago is famous throughout the world for its priceless natural heritage. To learn in detail about the rich biodiversity of the archipelago, as well as its evolution over the centuries, a visit to the Natural History Museum of Funchal is a must.

Although it focuses on Natural History, the truth is that this space is also part of Madeira's History itself: this is the oldest museum operating in the archipelago, which opened on 5 October 1933. It is located in São Pedro Palace, one of the most important examples of Portuguese civil architecture, built in the mid-18th century.

The Natural History Museum of Funchal accommodates, in its study collections, more than 50,000 records, equivalent to more than 200,000 species. Among these records are multiple species of fish, birds, land and marine mammals, marine reptiles, insects, invertebrates and plants. It also has a collection of rocks and minerals from the archipelago, as well as marine fossils from Porto Santo.