Top Ten Experiences in Funchal, Portugal

Thank you for joining us at “Focus on the Journey” our Travel and Photography Blog. Where our goal is to help make travel easier for you by sharing our well planned, detailed and researched itineraries, recommendations and top experiences. We’ll be discussing a brief history of each city, talking local foods (including recipes) and lastly discussing the how, when and why of one of our favourite photos we took, while exploring!

 If this piques your interests, then this post, “Top Ten Experiences in Funchal, Portugal”, will be worth the read! Next, check out our post “How to Get the Most out of Your Two-day visit to Funchal, Portugal”, for our detailed Itinerary and our post “Tips and Recommendations, helping you create your own perfect journey to Funchal, Madeira, Portugal”, for everything from where to stay, eat and enjoy nightlife, to travel tips and a discussion about one of our favourite Funchal Photos. We also love tasting new local foods and trying to recreate some of our favourites, you can check out our post on how to make traditional Bolo do Caco and try making this delicious flat-bread for yourself, “How to make Bolo do Caco (Madeiran Flat-Bread)”.  

Travelling to me is more than just a vacation, it’s the chance for an adventure, filled with new experiences! We hope you enjoy our top ten experiences in Funchal, Portugal.

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning that I would get a small commission if you decided to make a purchase through one of my links, at no extra cost to you!

Table of Contents:

1. Introduction to the City
2. Funchal’s Historical Run Down
3. Top Ten Experiences
4. References
5. The Wrap up

1. Introducing Funchal, Portugal:

Funchal is the capital city of Madeira, a Portuguese Island located 700 kms off the coast of Africa and almost 1000 kms from mainland Portugal. Funchal is located along the south, west coast of the island and shaped like a natural amphitheater, rolling out into the sea. It has a population of almost 106,000, making it the 6^th largest Portuguese city! Funchal is a beautiful city with an interesting past. There is a lot to see and experience while you’re visiting, from museums, forts and churches to gardens, Miradouros (lookouts) and a beautiful waterfront. There is a charming old town area, which is great to walk around and explore. The food scene is great as well, from the less expensive street food to fine dining, Funchal has it all. You can also do a food tour, if interested. We did and loved it! It’s best to do it at the beginning of your trip, that way you get a taste of some of the traditional food to see what you like and can get some great recommendations from your local guide. Funchal is a great base for exploring Madeira as well. There are a lot of hotel choices, most are within walking distance to town and to a plethora of restaurants and shops, both in town and along the way. From the middle of town, you can also catch a whale/dolphin watching cruise or catch the ferry over to Porto Santo right from the main waterfront. Funchal is well worth the visit!

2. Funchal’s Historial Rundown:

• In 1425, Funchal was founded by the Portuguese navigator Joao Goncalves Zarco, under the direction of Prince Henry “the Navigator”of Portugal, who realized how important Funchal and the Island of Madeira would be for the sailors exploring the Atlantic ocean. This was during the time known as the Age of Discovery, when the Portuguese explorers were sailing the seas looking for new lands and claiming new places for their country.
• In 1508, Funchal became the Capital city of Madeira, beating out Machico, which was the capital, but Funchal’s superior harbour made the settlers realize the great potential Funchal offered.
• Funchal meaning Fennel, got its name due to the large amounts of wild fennel plants, the first settlers found growing in that area.
• Sugar quickly became the most profitable export for the Island, so slaves were brought in from the Canary Islands and west Africa to work the cane fields. Funchal and the island of Madeira were Europe’s main sugar producer until the mid-16^th century, making Madeira very wealthy. That changed once Brazil and the Caribbean sugar hit the European market. Shortly after wine took over as their main export.
• In 1773, slavery was abolished by the Marquis de Pombal, the same man who rebuilt Lisbon after the earthquake of 1755.
• In the mid 1800’s Funchal became a popular winter destination for wealthy Europeans. William Reid, a poor sailor came to Funchal in 1836 and started renting out house to aristocratic visitor and made a fortune. He then built a hotel, Reid’s Palace, which opened in 1891 and is still in operation.
• In 1976 Funchal and the Island of Madeira became autonomous, except for tax, foreign policy and defense.
• In 1985, the most famous Portuguese footballer, Cristiano Ronaldo, was born in Funchal.
• In 2008, Funchal celebrated their 500^th Anniversary as the capital of the Madeira Archipelago!

3. Top 10 Funchal Experiences:

1. Zona Velha, Funchal (Old Town)

The Old Town district of Funchal is located on the east side of the city and is a vibrant and interesting part of town. In the 1800’s this area was an industrious centre for trade and commerce, but over the years this part of town fell into disrepair and was an undesirable area. In 2010, the Art of Open Doors project was launched by a Spanish artist, Jose Maria Zyberchema. This project encouraged artists to use the doors on the rundown Santa Maria Street as their canvas and create works of art. This ended up helping to rejuvenate the area into a unique hotspot for restaurants, nightlife, markets, museums and gardens. This also helped to highlight some of its historical landmarks. Here you will also find a few of our other top ten Funchal experiences like: the Mercado dos Lavradores, Fortaleza de Sao Tiago, the Capela do Corpo Santo and the Miradouro da Rua de Santa Maria. The main or most popular street in this district is Rua de Santa Maria, with its cobble stone street, painted doors and great restaurants, it’s a definite must see!

2. Catedral Paroquia da Se (Funchal Cathedral)

The Funchal Cathedral was built between 1493 and 1517 and constructed out of Madeira’s own stone and timber. The mix of Gothic and Manualine styles of the exterior, are simple in design, but the interior is quite the opposite, with golden chapels, paintings and sculptures, in floor tombs of early Bishops and wealthy merchants and an amazing example of a knotwork ceiling inspired by the Moors, one of the best of its kind. The Cathedral is in the social heart of the city, with lots of cafés, shops and government buildings surrounding it. If you would like to see the normally dark interior lit up, you can attend one of their services, otherwise you can take a look inside during their open hours.

3. Fortaleza de Sao Tiago (Fort)

The Sao Tiago Fort was built in 1614, with the main purpose of protecting the people and town from pirate attacks. It’s located on the outskirts of the Zona Velha (old town), so makes a great addition when exploring this area. It’s a unique building with great views of the Atlantic and there are some nice restaurants in and around the area. It’s also great for kids to be able to run around and explore and it’s free!

4. Miradouro da Rua de Santa Maria and the Igreja do Socorro (Lookout and Church)

The Miradouro da Rua de Santa Maria (lookout) is located just up the hill from the Sao Tiago Fort and at the east end of the Zona Velha (old town) on Rua de Santa Maria. It has a pretty terrace, surrounded by beautiful hanging azaleas, overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. From here you can also see the city’s port area, the Barreirinha Bathing Complex, (where you can swim in the ocean) and the uninhabited Desertas Islands. Across the street is the Igreja do Socorro Church, which displays one of the best examples of the Baroque style on the Island. This church is associated to Sao Tiago (St. James) as the people of Funchal back in 1523 made a vow to him during an outbreak of the plague. This church was originally built in the 17^th century, but has been rebuilt over the years due to damage from floods and other natural disasters. It is also known as the church of Santa Maria Maior.

5. Mercado dos Lavradores (Farmer’s Market)

The Mercado do Lavradores (Farmer’s Market) is also located in the Zona Velha (Old Town) area, but on the far west side. The building opened on November 24, 1940, in an Art Deco style, before that, there were outdoor stalls with canvas awnings. The Market is a part of everyday life for the locals and a must see for the visitors. Here you can see all the locally grown fruits and vegetables from the island as well as herbs, flowers, chocolate, meats and of course seafood. As well, they sell basket ware, leather and local wine. They have beautiful blue and white tile work in the entrance showing what the market looked like before the building was constructed. We went through the market with our food tour group and were able to look around and try some of the unique fruits and delicious chocolates. There is also a roof top café, that has good reviews and great views of old town and the ocean, great for breakfast! The Market is open Monday to Thursday 7:00am to 7:00pm, Friday 7:00am to 8:00pm, Saturday 7:00am to 2:00pm and closed on Sundays.

6. Monte Palace Tropical Garden

The Monte Palace Tropical Garden has a beautiful display of over a 100,000 different plant species from around the world. You can spend hours just wandering around in this relaxing atmosphere, from the vegetation, ponds, waterfalls and fountains to the architecture, sculptures, precious stones and birds, there is a lot to look at. Monte is just North of Funchal and can be reached by car or cable car from the old town area at the waterfront. The cable car ride up is amazing, with views over the city and of the ocean. Once you reach the top, the entrance to the garden isn’t far, there are also little cafes and coffee houses in that same area, with great views. Take your time exploring the garden, when you’re done, you can walk up to the little town area of Monte and see the beautiful church, great views, more restaurants and public washrooms. From here you can either take the cable car back down or your car if that’s how you came up or enjoy the wicker basket ride! A thrilling 2 km ride down through the streets from Monte to Funchal, this is one of Madeira’s most famous attractions! Once you reach the end of the ride, you will have a 2 km downhill walk to get to the center of town.

7. The Waterfront

The waterfront area is full of excitement! There is lots to see, from restaurants, food and drink trucks, gardens, fountains, museums, the marina and of course the beautiful view of the Atlantic Ocean! The main waterfront walk is just over 2kms, from here you can visit the CR7 (Christiano Rinaldo Museum), take a boat cruise, wander through some pretty gardens, take the cable car up to Monte, have a meal, get some exercise, or simply watch the sunset with a glass of wine, from one of the wine trucks!

8. Capela do Corpo Santo (Chapel)

This pretty, unassuming chapel is located in the Zona Velha area, not far from the Sao Tiago Fort and dates back to the 15^th century. At that time this area housed a lot of the city’s fisherman, they named the Chapel Corpo Santo, meaning Holy Body and dedicated it to the patron saint of fisherman, Saint Pedro Goncalves Telmo. There have been many changes over the years, but the Gothic doorway is original. During tough times the Chapel served as an infirmary for the local fisherman and their families providing humanitarian aid. Capel Corpo Santo is located at, Largo do Corpo Santo, 9060-291 Funchal.

9. Funchal Food Tour

One of the best things we did on our last trip to Madeira was to take a food tour. This is one of my new favourite activities to do when travelling. I like to do this as close to the beginning of my trip as possible, this way you get a taste of several different types of local foods and drinks and know what you’d like to try again. As well, we got a lot of great restaurant recommendations from our guide. The tour we did was the Madeira Food, Wine and Cultural Tour, at Rua do Sabao 65, 9000-056, Funchal. I booked it on the Viatour app and was very happy with our choice! This company has a 5.0-star review rating. They have 1:00pm and 5:00pm tours, which last approx. 4 hours, the tour guides were very friendly and knowledgeable in both local foods and the history of the island, it was a great experience!

10. Dolphin/Whale Watching Cruise

When we did our Dolphin/Whale spotting experience, I booked through www.Viator.com it was very easy and had free cancellation. We chose VipDolphins Luxury Whale Watching and were quite happy we did. The staff were very friendly and knowledgeable, they spoke several languages, including English and their max group size is 17, so you almost feel like you’re on a private cruise! You meet the crew at the Funchal Marina, which is walkable from the hotel district, and set sail aboard a modern catamaran, with washrooms. They serve Champagne, cocktails, soft drinks, tea/coffee and water, as well as local snacks. They also provide, towels, snorkeling gear and blankets. When we went, we were not fortunate enough to see any whales, but we did see about 50 to 75 dolphins and that was truly incredible! You also get the opportunity to swim and/or snorkel in the ocean at Cabo Girao, which is under the Cabo Girao glass bottom lookout 1,903 feet above you. We’ll talk more about this lookout in our post “Top 10 Experiences in Madeira, Portugal.” This cruise lasts approx. 3 hours and costs 122.00 euros for those 16 and over, 106.00 euros for those between 3 and 15, kids under 3 are not allowed. They have two departures a day 10:00am and 2:30pm. Check out the website as prices and times my vary. This excursion is highly recommended and has a 5-star rating. Check it out here!

4. References:

All of this information, research and suggestions came from my own experiences I had while exploring this amazing island city. As well I spent countless hours reading travel books, like DK Eyewitness, Portugal and DK Eyewitness Top 10 Madeira, as well as the Lonely Planet Portuguese Phrasebook and Dictionary. I also read multiple Travel blogs and Portugal/Madeira tourism websites like, https://visitmadeira.com/en/what-to-do/experiencing-the-city-of-funchal/and https://www.visitportugal.com/en/search/site/funchal and https://visit.funchal.pt/?lang=en

5. The Wrap up:

After reading this, I hope you feel inspired to visit this Portuguese Island city of Funchal, it is truly a beautiful and interesting place, with incredible history and lots to experience. For a perfect two-day Itinerary please read our post “How to get the most out of your two-day visit to Funchal, Portugal” and our “Tips and Recommendations, helping you create your own perfect journey to Funchal, Madeira Portugal”.

At Focus on the Journey, we love everything travel: planning, research, maps, books, itineraries, tours, trying local food, meeting new people, hiking, cooking, relaxing and of course creating memories and artwork, through our photos! We enjoy talking travel too, whether it’s sharing our experiences or hearing about yours. So, comment, ask questions, give advice, join our mailing list, like, follow, pin, share with friends, anything goes, let’s talk travel!

Thank you,

From Focus on the Journey,
with Wild Meadow Studio
A Travel and Photography Blog

By: Beth de Verteuil