Funchal is a very nice city that will amaze you with its size and get you with its colonial atmosphere. Tourists have named it Little Lisbon because the steep streets with cat heads really remind you of this Portuguese capital.

The city is located in the south-east of Madeira and is quite large. It occupies about 10 kilometres of Atlantic coastline, while rising into the inland hills. Funchal is made up of 4 basic units: the historic center in the middle, the Old Town (Zona Velha) to the east, the tourist area with hotels (where we stayed) to the west, and the residential neighborhoods around it. All areas are connected by the seaside promenade Avenida do Mar.

On the surrounding hillsides grows the wild fennel (funcho), after which Portuguese sailors in the 15th century named the town. Forts were built to protect the town from pirates.

Fortunately, most of the sights are located in the centre, right by the coast. You’ll weave through narrow streets lined with old fishermen’s and townhouses from the colonial era.

STREET ART

OR

2OO PAINTED DOORS

You must have noticed by now that when I go somewhere, I look for street art gems. I’m just a sucker for it. It was no different in the case of Madeira. Here I was back in my element.

And don’t worry, I didn’t take pictures of all 200 of them! 🙂 Really just a few to give you an idea of how beautiful it is here.

I was quite taken by the formerly run-down part of the Old Town (Zona Velha in Portuguese), which used to be completely deserted, leaving only ruined fishermen’s houses without owners. A ghost town of sorts, but transformed by an extraordinary art project – artE pORtas abErtas. The name translates as “Art of the Open Door” and the association has its own website- here.

More than 100 artists were given a simple brief – pick one door and create whatever they could think of. And so the doors in this section were transformed into original works of art. Most of the painted doors are on Rua de Santa Maria. It’s lined on both sides with dozens of restaurants and shops.

Don’t forget to take a peek into the other alleys from here, especially the Travessa do Pimenta. Scenes and characters from The Little Prince are depicted here. It’s like walking between the pages of an illustrated book.

LIVRARIA ESPERANCA 

This huge antiquarian bookstore offers not only new books, but mainly old ones that you can only find in antique shops. The shop is located in a large palace and every book has its own space. Literally.

The books here are not lined up one after the other like in a normal bookstore, but nicely placed on the shelves so that everyone can see the cover and feel the book properly. I was absolutely amazed by such a space.

♥ MERCADA DOS LAVRADORES

I was so excited. It’s this three-story brick building full of booths. At the weekend, farmers from all over the island come in and offer their produce, fresh and full of Madeira sunshine. The market looks like the palette of a mad artist, a feast for the eyes. In a word, perfection. Various exotic fruits are stacked side by side in wicker baskets.

If you are already here, I consider it a must to taste some fruit, and from the plethora of fruit from the local markets, I dare say everyone can choose. If I can give you any advice, and you know I’m very happy to do so, ask the local farmers if you can taste the fruit. So they offered it to us.

And what you should definitely not forget to try is the Monstera Deliciousa fruit or pineapple banana. As the name suggests, it has the taste of banana and pineapple together. It’s simply a banana hidden under a pineapple-like skin.

The most rare are Madeira bananas. The European Union has banned their export to the continent because they do not meet standards. They’re shorter and sweeter than South American ones. When you think about it, it’s a shame.

Another fruit you should definitely try is the maracujobanana. What is it? A yellow oblong fruit with maracuja flesh.

I also tasted maracujorajce and that was great too.

A little taste:

The bottom floor is full of all kinds of fish and sea creatures. Here you will find the aforementioned ESPADA fish. It has big eyes, sharp teeth, its fin stretches from head to tail and its frayed tail gives it an almost scary look. It has a silver body and weighs around five kilograms.

Huge tuna, sardines, cod, swordfish and other fish also appear on the market.

On the other hand, on the upper floor, the scents of tropical flowers, exotic fruits and vegetables mingle. Here you will find beautiful fresh flowers. The variety of flowers on offer is large. Orchids, strelmias and calla lilies are among the most sought-after flowers.

MADEIRIAN COFFEE

Forget espresso or lattes in Madeira! The Portuguese love coffee beans. They have their own names for their drinks.

BICA – a cup of coffee – ESPRESSO

GAROTO – is half espresso and half milk

CHINESA – is a strong milk coffee

CARRIOCA – weak ESPRESSO

GALAO – the drink most similar to a latte

There are also cafes in the market, so pop in here (I’m writing this on purpose, as there’s not much seating) for a great coffee and maybe some sweet stuff to go with it.

MADEIRAN COSTUMES

Madeira’s costumes are very colourful. The women are dressed in hoods, red camisoles and skirts with yellow stripes. The men’s costume consists of a white shirt and trousers with red sashes around the waist.

The most interesting thing about the whole costume is the cap with the “antenna”, which was used when passing through the tunnel of the left-handers. In places where the ceiling was quite low, it warned the men and protected them from head injuries. The boots are made of ox and goat skin.

TROPICAL GARDEN

MONTE PALACE

This magnificent garden complex was built in the 18th century by the British consul Charles Murray, who bought a plot of land on Monte above Funchal.

You will find thousands of plants from all over the world. I really enjoyed the various intricate paths and trails winding through the garden. These are decorated with blue and white tiled panels from the 16th to 20th centuries.

During your visit you will pass various statues, coats of arms, windows and niches in this endless garden, which contrast beautifully with the tropical flowers, giving this place an unmistakable Portuguese atmosphere.

The most beautiful part of the whole garden for me is the central pond. Between 1904 and 1943 it was still a hotel and served as a stylish water park for guests. 🙂 They used to play all kinds of water games, ride boats or take a shower under one of the waterfalls. Today, ducks and swans run around the pond.

The walls around the pond are decorated with Art Deco tiles salvaged from demolished houses in Lisbon.

The exotic Royal Strelitzia grows wild throughout Madeira.

There are also two oriental gardens in Chinese-Japanese style. There are Buddha statues, stone thrones and traditional Shinto lanterns. Koi carp in fire colours frolic in the pond.

Among the flowers, you will find as many as 60 species of cycads and proteas from South Africa, Scottish heather, Belgian azaleas, Himalayan orchids, South African clivias and hydrangeas, American redwoods and acacia from Australia. The millennial olive trees are also beautiful. I admired the beautiful orchid species.

CATHEDRAL SÉ

This main cathedral of Funchal, dating back to 1514, may not impress you with its exterior, but inside it is truly beautiful.

The first thing you should do is look up. There’s a beautiful wooden Moorish ceiling of cedar wood, inlaid with mother-of-pearl and white clay. These ceiling panels are called ALFARJE.

I was here for Christmas, so there were three Christmas angels standing outside the entrance. Beautiful!

BOTANICAL GARDEN JARDIM BOTANICO

The Jardim Botanico is the largest botanical garden in Madeira. With an area of 80,000 m², it is home to plants from all over the world and is spread over steep cliffs. From the garden you have a beautiful view of the whole of Funchal.

It was founded in 1960 and displays all kinds of flowers and plants that grow in Madeira. Some are native to South Africa and Brazil. Desert cacti, orchids from the rainforest, South African plants and local dracaenas are among the plants on display.

AZULEJOS

What I was really impressed with in Madeira were the beautiful painted tiles – AZULEJOS. The tiles are usually in blue and white, which started to appear here in the Middle Ages during the reign of the Moors. At first they were mainly decorative motifs, but later they also represented sacred and everyday themes. They can be found in many places. They decorate the facades of houses and the interiors of churches.

The azulejos tiles on the walls of the houses make the streets of Funchal a small gallery.

AND THEN THERE’S RONALDO!

Football fans probably wouldn’t forgive me for leaving it out. The island will forever be associated with its famous native – the best footballer in the world, Christian Ronaldo. For one thing, the airport you arrive at is named after him and, most importantly, he has his own statue and museum in Funchal. His 240 centimetre high and 800 kilogram bronze statue stands on the seafront promenade not far from the Ronaldo Museum. You’ll find more than 150 trophies from his successful career as a former Sprting Lisbon and Manchester United player, as well as the Ballon d’Or he won. Who can say that a museum has been built in his lifetime?

TRANSPORT AROUND THE CITY

 

WALKING

Of course, the best way is probably on foot. That’s mostly what we walked, but sometimes we didn’t really want to leave the hotel area because we found that the food was much better priced in that area.

BY BUS

We were staying in the hotel area, which is about 45 minutes to downtown, so sometimes we didn’t feel like pedaling. Especially after a physically demanding day, we took the bus about twice. The stops are clearly marked with schedules and a map of the lines. There are a few companies, but the rule of thumb is that Funchal public transport runs with yellow buses. You can buy a GIRO card here which you can top up over and over again with more tickets. However, this didn’t work for us, so we bought normal tickets from the driver – 1 ride for €1.95. Timetables, current ticket prices and route maps can be found on the official website horariosdofunchal.pt.

BY CABLE CAR

There are two cable cars in operation in Funchal. One leads from the centre directly to the Monte Palace and the Jardim Tropical, the other connects the two botanical gardens: the Jardim Botanical and the Monte Palace with the Jardim Tropical. I only went to the gardens on Monte Hill. The trip took 15 minutes and a one-way ticket cost 11 euros (16 euros round trip). You will cross 560 vertical meters here.

More information on madeiracablecar.com.

BY CAR

Since we had a rental car, we parked in town once. Parking in Funchal is always charged in the parking lots. The price for parking was 1,50 euros per hour.

CISSARY SISSI

The island was also loved by Empress Sissi, who spent Christmas here. It is said that in 1860 she came to visit Madeira in a storm, tied to the mast of a sailing ship. The remarkable and misunderstood monarch was capable of this, her ladies-in-waiting blubbering ignominiously in the hold. Today, you’ll find her statue here.

CHRISTMAS IN MADEIRA

Madeira is really beautiful and fancy for Christmas. In fact, the whole island is enveloped in Christmas spirit and at every turn you will come across a nativity scene. It adorns every village, even deep in the mountains or by the sea. The Christmas decorations here are second to none.

And what about opening hours for holidays?

December 24 is normally open. Only the shops close around 6pm. Maybe it’s better to make a reservation for that day. We didn’t have one, but we had a great meal anyway. On December 25th, everything is closed. Most of the restaurants are closed too, but what’s for sure are the Indian restaurants. And I was really looking forward to going to them because it’s been quite a while since I’ve had tandoori chicken nicely pulled out of the oven. Other days, it’s normally open.

And what about New Year’s Eve! The local New Year’s Eve fireworks display is considered one of the most beautiful and largest in the world. And I think rightly so, because I’ve never seen such a long fireworks display. Let alone during Covid!

Just an incredible Christmas!

If you liked the article, I’d love it if you share it or leave a nice comment below.

I would also like to invite you to join me on Instagram a  Facebook.