Parque Temático da Madeira

The centrepiece is a group of full-size Santana houses, the A-frame buildings with pointed thatched roofs, standing on the grounds and put to use rather than roped off. Craftspeople work at their trades in the workshops, and bread bakes in a wood-fired oven alongside. The rest of the seven-hectare site is laid out around a large lake: gardens of Madeira's native plants, a small farm with animals, planted walks and play areas. Indoors, interactive rooms cover the discovery of the island and the story of the levadas, with a 4D attraction among them. Small boats can be hired on the lake, and a mini train runs through the grounds.

• Time needed: seeing the whole park takes three hours or more, so start early enough to finish it.
• Built for children: the rides and play areas are aimed at kids, and adults arriving without children get less out of them.
• Food and shopping: a small restaurant stands at the entrance, and a café with seating overlooks the lake. There is a shop as well.
• Payment and facilities: cards and contactless are accepted, and there are toilets on site.

Most visitors arrive by car. The park sits on the edge of Santana, on the north coast of Madeira, and has its own car park, with street parking as well. Everything past the entrance is on foot, across grounds laid out around the lake.

Best: a weekday morning. Avoid: arriving late in the day.

On a weekday morning the park is quiet and the craftspeople are only beginning work, so you can watch them in the workshops without a crowd at the door. A late arrival means rushing the second half of the grounds.