Funchal | the city between sea and mountain was founded around a deep natural harbor when the first settlers arrived in Madeira 500 years ago. They chose this ideal location on the island’s southern side and named it Funchal because of the abundance of fennel plants (funcho in Portuguese) growing all around. Later on, Funchal’s harbor became an important stop on the route from mainland Portugal to the discoveries in the Americas and beyond.
Today, Funchal is not only the island’s largest city — it is actually the sixth largest city in all of Portugal. It is Madeira’s beating heart and the center of life and tourism across the island. Its old town is lined with 18th-century buildings, with narrow cobbled streets filled with the cafés and restaurants Funchal is known for. It is also the birthplace of one of the greatest soccer players and athletes in history — Cristiano Ronaldo, after whom the airport was named while he was still playing.
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How many days should you spend in Funchal?
Two days in the city itself are enough to see the main sights, take a whale-watching cruise, and soak up its distinctive atmosphere. Funchal and its suburbs are the starting point of any trip around Madeira and part of every island itinerary.
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8 must-see sights and attractions in Funchal
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- Visit the municipal market and shop for exotic fruits unique to Madeira | Mercado dos Lavradores
- Ride up to Monte on the famous cable car and come back down in the wicker toboggans | Teleférico Funchal-Monte
- Visit Monte’s botanical gardens high above the city | | Jardim Botânico da Madeira
- Have afternoon tea at Ritz on Avenida Arriaga in central Funchal | Ritz Madeira
- The Cristiano Ronaldo museum and statue at the edge of the promenade | Museu CR7
- Head out on a boat trip aboard the Columbus ship replica or join a whale-watching cruise | Santa Maria de Colombo
- The ‘Quinta das Cruzes' museum, which showcases life in Madeira centuries ago | Museu da Quinta das Cruzes
- Stop for a coffee or a drink on Santa Maria Street with its painted doors | Rua de Santa Maria
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How do you get to Funchal?
Flights to Funchal
Cristiano Ronaldo Airport is the airport that serves Funchal (airport code: FNC). It is located in the suburb of Santa Cruz, about a 25-minute drive from Funchal’s lively city center.
If you are traveling in Portugal, you will usually fly to Madeira from Lisbon, with the flight to Funchal taking about an hour and a half. From Porto, the flight takes around two hours, and both cities offer several regular flights each day.
There are also flights to Funchal from cities across Northern Europe, especially from England, whose residents are particularly fond of Portugal, as well as from other major European countries. That means you can also reach Funchal without connecting through mainland Portugal, instead connecting via Germany, the Netherlands, or France, for example.
Funchal Airport is known for its unusual landing approach. On many days, strong winds in the area make a standard landing difficult, so pilots have to descend at an angle and straighten only at the very last moment. The dramatic sight has become an attraction in itself, and aviation enthusiasts come on windy days to watch planes land from the hills above Santa Cruz.
Click here for a list of 20 great sights and attractions in Funchal…
Rental car in Funchal
Trips to sites around Madeira are usually done by rental car. Every trip to Madeira begins in Funchal, the island’s main air and sea gateway.
That said, when exploring central Funchal and the nearby attractions, it is better to get around on foot and use taxis if needed. Many streets in the center are pedestrian-only, and parking is not especially convenient.
Funchal is the best place to stay if you are using the city as a base for a star-style trip around Madeira. That makes it easy to rent a car upon arrival at the airport and head out from Funchal to most destinations on the island. If you choose this kind of trip, make sure your hotel has parking. Parking usually costs extra, but it is worth it, since convenient parking in Funchal is hard to find.
In the hotel zone west of the city center, you will usually find larger hotels with organized parking, typically for an added fee. There are also several rental agencies in the area. More broadly, Funchal has plenty of places to rent a car, so you do not have to pick one up at the airport. As noted, almost everyone who comes to Funchal also visits other parts of the island, and a rental car is the easiest way to do that.
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Parking in Funchal
As in most city centers around the world, parking is also a tricky issue in Funchal. There are quite a few parking lots around downtown, but most are a walk from the main points of interest, especially those higher up the hill, which require a downhill walk there and an uphill climb back. A few parking lots with relatively convenient access to central Funchal’s main attractions are the lot near the cable car or the large lot below the Cristiano Ronaldo Museum.
Even so, it is better to leave the car at your hotel and head into central Funchal by taxi or public transportation, then explore the center on foot.
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Public transportation in Funchal
Funchal, and Madeira in general, has no trams or trains — only buses. The bus system mainly serves local residents rather than tourists, since it is designed more to carry people uphill to residential neighborhoods than to tourist attractions.
In general, to visit most of Funchal’s sights and attractions, it is enough to reach the city center and explore from there on foot. For places a little farther from downtown but still within Funchal, taking a taxi is a good idea because the distances are short. Buses are useful for sights along the main roads.
Funchal has bus stops with several routes along its main thoroughfares: the seafront promenade | Av. do Mar, Rua 5 de Outubro, and Rua Do Visconde De Anadia, the major roads climbing uphill. Most buses to attractions in the city depart from these streets, especially from the promenade.
The yellow buses of the company Horários do Funchal are the most common in the city, and the company also operates routes beyond Funchal.
Click here for an excellent viewpoint tour outside Funchal and in the Valley of the Nuns…
Arriving in Funchal by cruise ship
As mentioned, even in the Age of Discovery, Madeira was a stop on the long sea voyages to the Americas and the East exactly lick the Azores Islands. Today, Madeira features on a wide range of cruise itineraries, and there is hardly a day when you will not see a cruise ship docked in Funchal’s harbor.
Cruise ships dock right opposite the city center, with the entrance and exit to the pier roughly across from the Cristiano Ronaldo Museum and the casino. That means anyone arriving in Funchal by cruise and planning to explore the city independently can even walk into town, although the pier itself is a bit long.
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About Funchal
- Funchal is not just a large city on Madeira — it is one of the largest cities in all of Portugal. If you exclude the greater suburban areas of Porto and Lisbon, Funchal is actually the country’s sixth-largest city, after Lisbon, Porto, and Braga. It is yet another sign of the small island’s ability to support large numbers of Portuguese residents throughout history and still today.
- The city began developing very quickly after Madeira was discovered in the early 15th century and the island became a center for sugar cane cultivation. Ships loaded with exotic goods sailed from Funchal’s harbor back to mainland Portugal.
- In its early years, Funchal was highly exposed to pirate attacks and other threats, and the city was hit hard several times.
- When it comes to climate, Funchal enjoys very comfortable weather.
- Summer in Funchal can be warm and humid, but not excessively so, and temperatures usually stay below 86°F / 30°C. Except in July and August, the nights are generally cool. Although Funchal sits on the drier southern side of Madeira, it still gets plenty of rain, especially from October through February, while spring and summer are fairly dry.
- Funchal has expanded up the mountainside, and the peak above it rises to 3,937 feet / 1,200 meters, so even a short drive uphill brings noticeably cooler air than in the old town.
- Over the past few decades, Funchal has become a leading tourist destination. The city is packed with restaurants, bars, and nightlife options. Fortified Madeira wine flows here like water on weekends, and the atmosphere stays lively and festive well beyond Carnival.
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Events in Funchal
Christmas — December in Funchal | Natal
A mix of long-standing tradition and the peak winter tourist season means Christmas is celebrated on an extravagant scale in Madeira. In fact, the island begins decorating from December 1, and the holiday atmosphere is felt everywhere, especially in the center. The lights are switched on that day, and from then until a week after New Year’s, downtown streets glow in bright colors.
The large illuminated tree is set up in Praça do Povo in the heart of the city, and the square also becomes the focal point of the celebrations. The other trees in central Funchal are not overlooked either, decorated with thousands of tiny colorful lights. Stalls go up in the square, creating a kind of Madeira Christmas market, and the surrounding streets in the old center also take on a festive feel.
Click here for an excellent viewpoint tour outside Funchal and in the Valley of the Nuns…
New Year’s Eve | Ano Novo
Funchal’s New Year celebration is famous for its huge fireworks display. While the last night of December is bitterly cold in most European cities, Madeira is only a little cooler than its annual average and still pleasantly mild. That makes it possible to stage a massive open-air fireworks show without freezing temperatures and draw huge crowds.
The fireworks display is impressive and powerful. Fireworks burst across different parts of the sky, with some launched from the sea so they can be seen head-on. Needless to say, there is hardly anyone in Funchal on the night of December 31 who does not head out into the streets, which turn into one giant party.
It is one of the most spectacular fireworks displays in the country, and many people come to Madeira for New Year’s Eve just to see it.
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Madeira / Funchal Carnival — February | Carnaval da Madeira
Funchal’s Carnival is Madeira’s Carnival, held every year in mid-February, about six weeks before Easter. Throughout Carnival season, Funchal is decorated and awash in bold colors. As the main events draw closer, the city grows even more cheerful and vibrant. During the Carnival days, two central events take place: the official parade and the “foolish” parade, which is really a citywide street celebration.
Cortejo Alegórico – the official parade
The official parade takes place on the first Saturday of Carnival and is considered the main event. Competing samba groups march along Funchal’s central avenue, Avenida Arriaga. It is a wonderful spectacle, and no visitor in Funchal that day is likely to miss it.
Cortejo Trapalhão – the street celebration
The second most important event — and the more playful one — is the “foolish parade.” It always takes place on the Tuesday after the Saturday of the official parade. It is essentially a huge street festival spread throughout downtown Funchal. It is called the “ridiculous parade” because it aims to be more popular and spontaneous, rather than organized like the main parade.
Throughout the festivities, all the city’s children head into the streets in costume. But it is not just the children — the whole city becomes one big, high-energy party. The celebrations end at Praça do Município, where the costume contest winners are announced and where the party reaches its peak.
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Football in Funchal
Funchal has two football clubs. The first is C.D. Nacional, usually referred to simply as Nacional. The club moves between Portugal’s first and second divisions, though it has spent more of recent years in the second. It plays in the relatively new and compact Estádio da Madeira, which has around 5,000 seats and sits high above the city.
Funchal’s leading club — and Madeira’s as well — is C.S. Marítimo. It plays almost permanently in Portugal’s top division, which means that every year the country’s big three — Porto, Sporting, and Benfica — come to Madeira to face the local side.
The team plays at Estádio do Marítimo, about five minutes from the city center. The stadium seats around 10,000, and if there is a match in town while you are there, it is well worth considering.
When both clubs are in the same division (right now both are in the second), the derby between them becomes the island’s main topic of conversation in the week leading up to it.
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Attractions and points of interest around Funchal
Madeira is a small island, so you could say that almost every sight or town lies near Funchal. Still, there are a few places especially close by, with easy access from the city, that you can visit during the day and return to Funchal afterward.
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Curral das Freiras – Scenic village in deep valley
This village tucked between the mountains is famous for its chestnut trees. The chestnuts are used to make a sweet liqueur (Licor de Castanha) and chestnut bread, which is best eaten while still warm from the bakery oven in the heart of the village.
Curral das Freiras means “Nuns’ Refuge” in Portuguese. True to its name, this remote and elevated spot served as a hiding place for nuns who fled Funchal during one of the pirate raids that struck the city centuries ago. The village remained highly isolated, and the only route in was a narrow path — one that some hikers still follow today on the challenging trail known as the “Nuns’ Route.”
Today, as with other mountain villages in Madeira, a narrow road has been carved to the village, passing through several tunnels and shortening the trip from Funchal. Just before the last tunnel, another narrow and winding road branches off, leading to one of the most beautiful viewpoints in Madeira — and that is saying something:
Click here for an excellent viewpoint tour outside Funchal and in the Valley of the Nuns…
Eira do Serrado viewpoint
The high viewpoint above the village is very well arranged, with a railed terrace jutting out slightly from the mountainside and creating the feeling of standing on the edge of an abyss. You park near the hotel below the path leading to the viewpoint. The trail is well maintained, and after about five minutes on foot, you reach the viewpoint itself, where the remarkable panorama opens up.
Cristo Rei statue and viewpoint | Cristo Rei da Ponta do Garajau
Located about 20 minutes east of Funchal, not far from the airport, on a small headland projecting from the shore into the sea.
The statue was erected in 1927, four years before the giant and famous Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and long before the Brazilian statue’s twin was built across the 25 de Abril Bridge in Almada – Lisbon.
Madeira’s Cristo Rei statue is certainly historic and distinctive, but the real impact here comes from the viewpoint terrace, which looks out toward both sides of the island and, of course, the ocean straight ahead.
Below the statue and terrace, Madeira’s lush natural beauty has been preserved and everything is green. The place is known as the Garajau reserve and beach; in Portuguese, Garajau means tern, and the graceful seabird can often be seen gliding above the coastline.
At the base of the cliff on the right is a tiny, romantic beach that you can reach by car via a narrow winding road, and there is also a restaurant there. Even more fun, though, is taking the short cable car down (Teleférico do Garajau).
Click here for an organized viewpoint tour outside Funchal and in the Valley of the Nuns…
Click here for a whale and dolphin watching cruise departing from Funchal…
Wicker baskets in Camacha
This sleepy village up in the hills above Funchal is known for wicker basket making. But it is not just baskets — in Camacha, they make everything from wicker: baskets, armchairs, cradles, animal figures, and more. The village has several shops, and in some of them you can watch the baskets being made. Most of the wicker goods sold in Funchal’s markets come from this village.
Another interesting part is the drive from Funchal to the village. The narrow road passes through tunnels and across bridges, and before you realize it, you are at the top of the mountain. Naturally, as almost everywhere in Madeira, the village also comes with wonderful views.
Quinta do Palheiro Ferreiro – Historic manor with botanical gardens
One of the most beautiful gardens in Madeira.
They are also known as Blandy´s Gardens, after the English aristocratic family that purchased the estate and gardens in the late 19th century (they also owned the famous winery in the heart of Funchal).
The gardens date back to the 18th century, when the estate was first built by the Count of Carvalhal. At the time, a French landscape architect was invited to Madeira, and he created the geometric foundations on which the gardens still rest today. In the 19th century, plant species were brought here from many distant parts of the world, and today the gardens are a blend of formal French design and the curious English gardening style of the early 20th century.
The gardens sit up in the hills about 15 to 20 minutes east of Funchal by car. The estate also includes the manor house, which is not open to visitors, and a chapel.
Admission is free for children up to age 15.
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Ribeira Brava – Sunny seaside town with mountains
Ribeira Brava is a peaceful western suburb of Funchal. It used to be an isolated town, but thanks to a tunnel cut through the mountain, it is now easy to reach the center of this small town in just 20 minutes from the capital.
In the center stands a beautiful and well-preserved old church called São Bento | Igreja de São Bento. The church remains a quiet reminder of 16th-century Madeira. Inside, it is decorated with several treasures, most notably a Flemish wall painting in one of the side chapels.
Not far from the church, also in the town’s small and welcoming center, there is an interesting museum that is worth a short visit.
The Madeira Ethnographic Museum | Museu Etnográfico da Madeira is housed in a building that was once a sugar factory and has since been redesigned for its current use. The museum presents the development of settler life in Madeira and the traditional industries they worked in, with an emphasis on the distinct culture that Madeira’s people developed over the years.
The town also has a small bay with a beach and a modest promenade. Just above them begins the compact town center, where you will find the church, the museum, and a few pleasant restaurants and cafés.
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To find accommodations in Funchal, click here…
Click here for an organized viewpoint tour outside Funchal and in the Valley of the Nuns…
Click here for a whale and dolphin watching cruise departing from Funchal…
