Things to do in Funchal, Madeira

Funchal is the capital of Madeira and one of the most beautiful towns in Portugal. Its narrow streets, low houses, markets, wine cellars, gardens and promenades make it an ideal destination for a relaxing stay by the sea. It is also surrounded by a wonderful natural environment with volcanic hills, cliffs and forests.

Its hiking routes of varying difficulty are highly recommended, as well as water sports such as snorkelling, diving, surfing and canoeing. If you dive into the sea, you can spot different species of whales, dolphins and sea birds. The city is also a strategic location for the best Madeira tours from Funchal, which will allow you to discover the whole archipelago, known as one of the best island destinations in the world.

On your trip to Funchal you can't miss the whale and dolphin watching, which takes place from the seaport of this city. Fin whales, Sei whales, Minke whales and dolphins are in their natural habitat, so the whale watching possibilities are almost 100%.

They can be seen all year round, but their numbers increase between May and September. The best way to see dolphins in Madeira is to hire a tour, as they will take you to the places where the most dolphins are seen.

Whale and dolphin watching is undoubtedly one of the best boat trips you can do in Madeira. It really is a great experience, as these animals, especially dolphins, love boats and when they see one they come so close that it is possible to take pictures and even pet them.

The historic centre of Funchal, or Zona Velha, is one of the most picturesque areas to take a walk in Funchal, and get to know its history, emblematic buildings, handicraft shops and restaurants with typical food of the area.

Its main street is rua Santa Maria, a narrow cobbled street surrounded by old houses, full of life both day and night.

In and around rua Santa Maria you can see strikingly decorated doors, painted by various artists, which came about as a Street Art initiative called the Portas Abertas Project, which set out to breathe new life into buildings that were looking a little derelict.

Today there are more than 200 painted doors that have become an excuse for a beautiful walk in Funchal.

This street leads to the Fortaleza de Sao Tiago, one of the attractions not to be missed during your visit, of great historical importance, and where today there is a Museum of Contemporary Art.

Funchal's Zona Velha is the perfect place to experience the city's and Madeira's gastronomy, which includes swordfish with fried plantain, barbecued beef espetada and garlic butter bread.

Chapel of the Holy Body

One of the oldest chapels in Funchal, it is located at the end of Rua Santa Maria. It dates back to the 15th century and is dedicated to the patron saint of fishermen, St. Pedro Gonçalves Telmo, the "Corpo Santo".

It is remarkable for its marvellous ceiling paintings, carved wooden altars and sculptures in the late Gothic style, often referred to as the Manueline style.

Of the original construction, only the portico remains, while the altar dates from the end of the 16th century. One of the oldest confraternities operated in this church, which provided help to people who had lost relatives at sea. It is also said that fishermen used to stop by the chapel to pray to God before starting their daily work.

• Opening hours: Monday to Friday from 10am to 2.30pm.
• Location: Largo do Corpo Santo, 9060: Largo do Corpo Santo, 9060-291 Funchal, Portugal.

The Sao Tiago fortress is an old fortress, of a striking yellow colour, which has one of the most beautiful views of the Santa Maria district, which is located at the end of the promenade by the sea.

There you can enjoy its panoramic views of the Madeira archipelago, take spectacular photos, and also delight in the unique gastronomy on offer in the surrounding area.

The fortress of Sao Tiago is a military building that was built in the 17th century to protect the city from pirates, since, due to the location of the archipelago in the middle of the Atlantic, it was an obligatory and provocative call to passing ships.

In 1992 it became government property and was transformed into a contemporary art museum. Today you can visit it with your family, as even the little ones love it, making it one of the best things to see and do in Madeira with kids.

Besides seeing the fort, you can go down to Barreirinha beach, which is just below the fortress, one of the most renowned beaches in the bay. There you can enjoy a tasty drink and exquisite gastronomy, while enjoying the breathtaking view.

Bodegas Blandy is one of the oldest wineries on the island, with origins dating back to 1811. It is also one of the most active in the archipelago of Madeira, with recreational festivals, where you can taste wines and delicacies of all kinds.

Whether you are a wine lover or not, you will love to visit the vineyards. There you will learn about the history of the Blandy family and the origin of the winery, they will explain how the wines are made and also the history of wine in Madeira. In addition, you will be able to taste exquisite wines, and taste delicious regional sweets.

When you visit this winery, it is advisable to be prepared to buy several bottles of wine, as they are a delight that you won't want to miss out on for the rest of your trip. But you can also take advantage of the visit to hang out in its bar, which has a very striking decoration. Its chairs are made from wine barrels.

If you visit Funchal in late August and early September, don't miss one of its most important cultural festivals: the vendimias. It is a fantastic wine festival.

The locals together with visitors tread the grapes that were harvested during the year, selecting the best ones, which will then be used to make wines or liqueurs.

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• Location: Av. Arriaga 28 - Funchal.
• Opening hours: From 10 a.m. to 6.30 p.m.

If you visit Funchal, you cannot miss the means of transport normally used by its citizens to travel to the highest areas of the city and its surroundings: the cable car.

It is a cabin with which you can travel around the city in the air, while enjoying a breathtaking panoramic view.

Tours last between 10 and 25 minutes, depending on which cable car you use. In total, there are about 7 cable cars on the island connecting the city with different villages. In some cases, it is the only way to access certain places.

Flying over the city, you can see the sea, the gardens, the spectacular mansions and the various island villages.

One of the most popular destinations on the island is the Monte Palace, a garden with a variety of exotic plants from all over the world, as well as collections of sculptures and minerals. From there you can also take another cable car to the botanical gardens.

You can also use the Achada da Cruz cable car to go to a beautiful viewpoint. It has a very steep descent that will give you a bit of a scare. From there you will arrive at Faja Da Quebrada Nova, a small village with only 100 inhabitants, where you can take a leisurely stroll along the seashore.

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• Price: Return trip about 12 EUR for adults and 6 EUR for children. Children under 6 years travel for free.
• Timetables: Usually runs between 9am and 5pm.

Monte Palace Madeira is a tropical garden and museum located on the top of a hill.

There you can marvel at its exotic and varied flora from many parts of the world, such as Africa, Belgium, Portugal, Scotland and many more. It has 3 entrances, to the east, north and the cable car entrance.

In the gardens, in addition to exotic species, you will be able to observe the native flora of Madeira's forests, such as ferns or laurels, as well as lagoons with a great variety of colourful fish, such as koi. These fish come from Japan, China and Asia and symbolise love and friendship.

In the surroundings of the tropical garden you can also see an important collection of tile panels from the 15th and 16th centuries, considered one of the most important in the country. Different moments in Portuguese history were carved on these tiles.

As for the Museum, it has several art and mineral exhibits distributed on its 3 floors. The mineral exhibition includes more than 700 varieties and 300 precious and semi-precious stones.

There is also an interesting exhibition of more than 1000 Zimbabwean sculptures from the 1960s. Without a doubt, Monte Palace Madeira is one of the best tours you can do in Funchal, Madeira.

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• Price: Around 12 EUR. Children under 15 are free when accompanied by an adult.
• Opening hours: Tropical Garden: 9 am to 6 pm. Museum: 10 am to 4.30 pm.

Mercado dos Lavradores is a famous market located in the centre of Funchal, where you will find shops selling fresh fruits, vegetables and fish, a lot of handicrafts and other products.

The interesting thing is that you can taste the best fruit before you buy it, as water fountains have been installed in every corner to wash them before tasting them.

Visiting this market is one of the best things to do in Funchal. You will be fascinated by the tiled panels at the entrance, which are also found inside the market and in the fish market.

They were created by the Portuguese painter and sculptor, Joao Rodrigues Vieira, well known for his ceramic tile panels. The sculptures, for the most part, refer to historical moments of the vendors.

The market, inaugurated in 1940, is a real eye-catcher and a joyful place, as it is a tradition of the locals to decorate it beautifully. It is decorated with numerous flowers, especially the strelitzia, known as the Bird of Paradise.

Each vendor welcomes you with a typical Madeiran costume, also decorated with flowers in a very amusing way.

At the back of the market you will find the fish market, known as the fish market, where the men negotiate loudly for the best price. You can't miss the swordfish, which is hard to find in other parts of the world because it lives in very deep, cold waters.

Funchal and its surroundings is an ideal place where you can practice various water sports, or experience them for the first time. You can't miss out on these activities in Madeira: snorkelling, canyoning, scuba diving as the sea near the coast is very calm.

It is really wonderful to swim around Cabo Girao, a marine paradise, while you come across different aquatic fish such as mackerels, manta rays, tuna, barracudas, moorays, turtles and many more species.

In the water you can do many other activities, such as canoeing or kayaking, along the coast of Funchal and from there you can enter very attractive deserted places.

If you're up for more, don't miss the diving in Funchal, especially in the Garajau National Park and the Cabo Girao Marine Park.

In the latter, you will be able to see the remains of the wreck of the Portuguese Navy corvette Afonso Cerqueira F488, which was on surveillance and rescue missions. You will also see marine species such as monk seals, toadfish, triggerfish, sharks, seahorses, etc.

In Funchal you can hike to the highest peaks on the island: Pico Arieiro, which is 1810m high, Pico Das Torres at 1853m, and Pico Ruivo, which is about 1862m.

The island has safe paths, as stairs have been built on the difficult sections, and tunnels have also been built to cross the most difficult trails. At each stop you will be amazed by the most beautiful panoramic views, so be sure to get your camera ready to take back some beautiful memories.

The trail to Pico do Arieiro is 2.8 km long and, once you reach the refuge, you can take 3 other trails:

• To Pico do Areeiro, the second highest on the island (1816 m). This trail is 5-6 km long.
• To the Vereda da Encumeada, which goes to the west of the island, along the central mountain range. It is 8.6 km.
• To the Vereda da Ilha, which goes down to the parish of Ilha. It is 8.2 km long.

Pico Ruivo is the highest peak in Madeira and the third highest in Portugal.

At the top, as well as enjoying fabulous views, you will be able to observe its vegetation, such as bushy areas, with ferns, moss, lichen and its rich fauna, with birds such as chaffinches, linnets, red-legged partridges, wren, blackbirds, etc.

From Funchal you can go on the best jeep safaris and excursions in Madeira. The safari is a sport designed to visit places of the archipelago that are impossible to do on foot, as this could disturb the wild animals of the place.

Moreover, this way, you will be able to reach areas that are difficult to access. The best thing to do is to go on an excursion with a guide who knows these places and can tell you all about them.

Tours include visits to the cliffs of Cabo Girao, which is in the south of Madeira Island. It has a very famous viewpoint, where the panoramic views are extraordinary, and can be reached by hiking trails. There is a glass viewing platform on the ground that can give you a bit of vertigo.

Other safaris take you to the natural pools of Porto Moniz, which are the main attraction of this town. These pools originated from a volcano and have crystal clear salt water.

It's a perfect place to relax with the whole family as there are children's pools, games, bars and places to relax. It is one of the best things to see in Madeira in 7 days.

I also recommend you to visit the Véu da Noiva waterfall with its amazing viewpoint, where you will have the best panoramic views of the island.

Don't forget your camera to take pictures of this famous waterfall that has the figure of a bride. From the heights you can marvel at the beautiful view of the Atlantic and the entire north coast of the archipelago.

On the outskirts of Funchal, 3 km from the centre, there is a beautiful botanical garden with more than 2000 tropical species native to the region as well as exotic ones.

It is a charming place overlooking the sea, ideal to enjoy during the day, especially if you are a plant lover. You can get there by taking the cable car of the same name.

The garden, inaugurated in 1960, today has more than 25000 square metres with a lake, water fountains, viewpoints, amphitheatre and walkways. It is organised into 5 different zones: tropical, arboretum, aromatic, succulent, agro-industrial and medicinal plants. There are also native altitude plants, palm trees and fruit trees.

In addition to the different species of plants, you will be able to watch the birds, as there are more than 200 birds native to the region flying over the garden. On the other hand, many of the plants found in the Botanical Garden are in danger of extinction.

Within the Botanical Garden is the Madeira Museum of Natural History, which has an important collection of corals, fossils, herbarium, pressed plants and a seed bank.

More information about Funchal

• Price: Around 6 EUR. Children under 12 years pay 2 EUR and children under 6 years free. Admission is free on 30/4 and 1/7.
• Opening hours: Monday to Friday from 9am to 6pm, Saturday and Sunday from 9am to 5pm.
  Museum: 10am to 4.30pm.
• Location: Caminho do Meio, Bom Sucesso