Madeira's capital: Top 15 attractions in Funchal

Zona Velha and Rua de Santa Maria

Once upon a time, Zona Velha was a typical forbidden neighborhood and by far the most dangerous place in the city, and walking down the main street of Santa Maria was more of an extreme adventure.

Fortunately, since 2010 things started to change on the initiative of locals and artists, and an open-air street gallery was created here. Old, damaged front doors and walls of houses turned into small works of art, the neighborhood gained a new character, began to attract people willing to open cafes, restaurants, mini-galleries....

The old town displaced the "dark matter" in a natural process and turned from the forbidden neighborhood of Santa Maria into the most fashionable place.

Lido Promenade

Located on the west side of Funchal, the Lido Promenade is a great place to relax and is very popular with locals and visitors alike.

You can enjoy the ocean views and picturesque scenery as you stroll along. You will also find several beach complexes here, such as the Lido and Ponta Gorda pools.

Monte Monte Cable Car and Tropical Garden

Given the hilly and mountainous terrain of the island, there are many observation points that can only be reached by cable car.

Traveling to the top of Monte Mountain is a great opportunity to get a bird's eye view of Madeira, take amazing photos and visit one of the most picturesque sights of Funchal - Monte Palace Park.

On top of the mountain is the Monte Palace, the main attraction of which is the park, where peacocks roam freely and plants from the farthest corners of the world are collected. There are various kinds of fish swimming in the reservoirs, statues and fountains.

Jesuit College and Church

The Jesuit church or church of São João Evangelista in Funchal was built in the 17th century and is decorated in the Mannerist style.

The white-brown facade of the structure, decorated with columns, statues and the royal coat of arms, is quite remarkable, but the interior of the church is especially delightful and mesmerizing with its richness and luxury. The arched vaults are decorated with paintings and decorative plasterwork. The walls are lined with azulezualejo ceramic tiles and ancient paintings from the 17th and 18th centuries.

Jardim Botanical Gardens

About four kilometers northeast of the center of Funchal is one of the biggest tourist attractions on the island of Madeira, the luxurious Botanical Garden.

Draped along the slopes of the Quinta do Bom Sucesso estate, the garden dazzles with its rich and diverse subtropical flora. Thousands of indigenous plants, trees and flowers share the grounds with other exotic species from around the world. The house that once belonged to the property owners is now the Natural History Museum.

Madeira History Center

This remarkable museum reflects the history and culture of the Madeira archipelago in a fascinating and interesting manner.

The thematic exhibitions are organized according to periods of the island's history and visitors can interact with each subject through sound, vision and other modern multimedia technology. There are even special smells that reproduce the flavor of a particular environment.

Madeira Wine and Embroidery Institute

Embroidery is part of Madeira's history and culture, being an important part of the regional economy along with the wine market.

Learn more about the tradition of this craft at the Museum Complex of the Madeira Institute of Embroidery, Tapestry and Folk Crafts, which houses a collection of embroidered objects produced between 1860 and 1930.

Monte Palace

The Monte Palace and Tropical Garden is a rare and worthy of a visit monument in Madeira, which belongs not to the natural but to the man-made. And this is indeed true: on such a beautiful island it is simply a pity to waste time on buildings and museums, here you want to climb deep into the dizzying mountains, wander along the amazing, rock-cut surf edge, explore the ancient relict forests. But Monte Palace is an exception.

The palace has three floors, most of which are occupied by the museum. On the first floor there is an exhibition of African art. On the second floor you can see an unusual exposition, reproducing the environment in which the masters worked on the presented sculptures. On the last floor there are collections of rare minerals brought from all over the world.

After touring the palace, guests should take a stroll through the lush tropical gardens.

Fort San Tiago

The reason for building the fort was to protect the coast and the city from pirates. The Portuguese in 1566 had almost complete dominion over the sea lanes of the North Atlantic and at first saw no need to defend the coast. The result of this neglect was a massive pirate attack during which many of the town's inhabitants were killed.

The fort, built in 1614, effectively deterred would-be invaders in the years that followed. It now houses a museum and a beautiful restaurant with a terrace.

Mercado dos Lavradores Bazaar

Operating for decades in a historic building is a typical bazaar where you can buy local ornamental plants, vegetables, fruits, alcohol, meat, fish, souvenirs and other local products.

This place has always been a favorite among travelers and vendors who sell their goods to tourists at obscenely inflated prices. In this market, if you are a tourist, the cost jumps 5 times. So what makes tourists buy fruit here? The answer is simple - ordinary fruits with unusual flavors! Here you can try, for example, oranges with pear flavor, or mangoes with banana flavor, or even limes with sweet peach flavor.... Such a unique experience is worth the inflated price.

Cristiano Ronaldo Museum

This Funchal attraction is a must-see for all soccer fans. The museum is dedicated to Madeira native Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal's best soccer player of all time.

The museum first opened its doors to visitors in 2013. Here you can see all the club trophies that Cristiano won, including five UEFA Champions League cups, as well as personal awards - golden balls and golden boots. Other exhibits in the museum include letters, drawings, and gifts from Ronaldo's fans.

Next to the museum, a bronze statue of the player is installed on the street.

Monte Tobogan Run

Ernest Hemingway once described Monte Toboggan as "exhilarating", which was exactly his emotion after riding the now traditional Madeira sled.

This tradition originated in the 19th century as a form of public transportation and later became a form of entertainment for tourists. Men dressed in white suits and leather boots rush everyone down the mountain on wicker sleds. It is a two-kilometer route, which passes in 10 minutes and gives tourists moments of wonderful adrenaline.

You can book a hotel with a discount of up to -65% on the website.

Museum of Sacred Art in Funchal

The Museum of Sacred Art of Funchal is located in the "Episcopal Square", which used to be the palace where the bishops of Funchal lived from the sixteenth to the nineteenth century. After that, in 1911, it belonged to the State Treasury.

After the 1748 Madeira earthquake, the palace was reconstructed and then transformed and adapted as the Diocesan Museum. It is one of the oldest museums in Funchal, with a diverse collection of paintings, sculptures, jewelry and clothing from the 15th-19th centuries.

Blandy's Winery

Madeira's wines are popular far beyond the island's borders and highly rated by experts in Europe, so it would be a true tourist crime not to try this drink here.

The winery has been operating for over two hundred years and is located in the very center of Funchal. Today the winery is run by Michael and Chris Blandy - father and son, representing the sixth and seventh generation of the business. The winery offers fascinating guided tours to learn about the wine making process. Guests are also invited to visit the cellars and taste the drinks. Signature wines with original labeling can be purchased in the store located on the territory of the museum.

Natural History Museum

This building was commissioned by the Carvalhal family in the 18th century and was one of the most beautiful buildings in Funchal and the most important work of Portuguese civil architecture, called the "Palacio de São Pedro".

During its many years of existence this palace functioned as a hotel, a college, in 1929 the Funchal Municipal Library was founded here and today it is the Regional Archives and the Municipal Museum of Natural History with Aquarium.

This museum is the oldest museum on the island of Madeira and has 41,000 species of animals, including species of fish, birds, marine and land mammals, marine reptiles, insects and other invertebrates. The Municipal Aquarium has 15 exhibition tanks, which showcase the most important elements of Madeira's coastal marine fauna.