31 Best Things to Do in Funchal

As the capital city of Madeira, the so-called Island of Eternal Spring, the best things to do in Funchal make the most of the island’s subtropical climate. Gorgeous gardens invite you to relax among exotic flowers, market stalls tease with vivid fruits, and the island’s abundant sugar cane comes calling in cocktails and cakes.

Cascading down mountainous hills towards the North Atlantic Ocean, Funchal is also one of Portugal’s prettiest cities. Yet while there are many similarities to the mainland, the autonomous archipelago retains a distinct personality, ensuring many of Funchal’s top experiences are uniquely Madeiran.

Whether you’re drawn to elegant gardens and weathered palaces, the architectural riches of the low-rise Zona Velha, or prefer to splash around in dramatic, lava-carved natural pools, any visit to Funchal will showcase the city’s magnificent setting and cultural heritage.

Catch a Cable Car to Monte Palace and Gardens

The best place to begin in Funchal is at the top. And, thanks to the Teleférico do Funchal, no hiking boots are needed to relish the city’s finest panoramas.

Departing from near the waterfront, Funchal’s primary cable car glides high above the city, linking downtown with the leafy Monte neighborhood. Hop onboard for the unhurried 15-minute journey and you’ll be dazzled by far-reaching Atlantic Ocean views before stepping out some 1,500 feet above sea level.

From the top, you’ve easy access to one of the top things to do in Funchal, exploring Monte Palace’s Tropical Gardens.

While the palace’s grandeur has weathered, the exquisite grounds are a delight to roam. Veteran trees provide shade, exotic plants add colorful splashes, water features and ponds provide a serene soundtrack, and in season, delicate roses give a sweet fragrance.

More surprises unfurl across the vast estate, a reminder of Monte’s affluent history. Don’t miss the panorama from the scarlet, Japanese-style pagoda or the panels depicting Portuguese royal history and maritime exploration on azulejos, the hand-painted ceramic tiles that Portugal is famous for.

After soaking up all the al fresco delights, allow another hour or so to visit the Monte Palace Museum. Housing a fascinating collection, including some 1,000 contemporary Zimbabwean sculptures and numerous shimmering minerals from Brazil and Zambia, it’s a further reminder of Portugal’s once vast colonial empire.

Slide Down a Hill in a Wicker Basket

One of the most unusual things to do in Funchal is to depart Monte on a wicker sled rather than return via cable car.

Running for over a century, literally in more ways than one, the pushed-by-hand Carreiros do Monte—carreiros is the name given to the two straw-hat-capped men who steer the sleds down the hill—were once the preferred transport method of the city’s affluent.

Nowadays, it’s very much a visitors’ rite of passage. Whooshing down the hill in the compact baskets is quite the rush, and in just 10 minutes, you’ll be transported to Livramento, a short walk from the Botanical Garden.

Marvel at the Botanical Garden

Visiting Funchal’s magnificent Botanical Garden is one of the best things to do in Madeira. Located on the hillside a little below Monte, it showcases even more of the island’s kaleidoscope of exotic plants. Reachable by another cable car from Monte or the carreiros, it’s an excellent secondary port of call for lovers of flowers.

Best known for the photogenic Baroque-style gardens, the estate doubles as a critical conservation ground, with many endangered species studied and preserved in the greenhouses.

Covering 20 acres and planted with some 2,000 species, orchids, strelitzias, and flowers from across the globe are complemented by endemic flora and succulents. The island’s “Eternal Spring” climate ensures the arboretum is awash with color year-round.

See Sé, Funchal’s Cathedral

Since the 16th century, Sé Catedral de Nossa Senhora da Assunção has been Funchal’s centerpiece. Classified as a national monument, the sacred space is rich in Manueline flourishes, the architectural style named for the former king, Manuel I.

During the Age of Discovery, Portugal’s 15th- to 18th-century colonization and exploration era, Funchal’s Sé was home to one of the world’s most powerful dioceses, as it covered all of the “newly discovered” lands in Asia and the Americas.

While the architecture and size might not reflect the cathedral’s previous power, numerous intriguing embellishments exist. The Mudéjar-influenced arched ceilings and heavily gilded interior steal the show, but look closer at the choir, and you’ll see more regional touches, such as cherubs clutching Madeiran’s stumpy bananas.

Explore the Zona Velha’s Architectural Treasures

Funchal’s Old Town, the Zona Velha, is where Madeira firmly establishes its own architectural style.

There are reminders of the mainland, such as streets and squares carpeted in calçada portuguesa, the patterned Portuguese pavements formed from stone. However, the city’s signature is its black-and-white gothic and baroque buildings, predominantly constructed from local basalt.

​​Spanning out from its cathedral nucleus, the narrow streets that snake through the western Zona Velha lead to monumental buildings and low-key family restaurants. It’s the perfect place to get a little lost, as you’ll soon find your way back to the town square, dominated by the Colégio dos Jesuítas.

In the Zona Velha’s east, however, the traditional facades have been given a more vivid appearance, as the animated, restaurant-lined streets have become a hotbed of street art creativity.

Pick Your Favorite Painted Door

For contemporary art lovers, one of the most exciting things to do in Funchal is to appreciate the Art of Open Doors, or Painted Doors project.

Concentrated around Rua de Santa Maria and the laneways in the eastern Zona Velha, the street art project was initiated by photographer José Maria Zyberchem to bring a splash of color and reinvigorate Funchal’s Old Town.

Over 200 doors have been decorated with vivid imagery and murals depicting traditional life in Madeira and Portugal, alongside more playful and creative interpretations.

Another notable Funchal street art piece is Plastic Mero, found opposite Museu CR7 and created by renowned Portuguese artist Bordalo II, recognized for his environmental focus by creating wildlife sculptures from repurposed trash. The giant grouper fish crafted from discarded plastic pieces is as striking for its appearance as it is for its ocean preservation messaging.

Peek Around the São Lourenço Palace Museum

One of the best things to do in Funchal to understand the island’s history and former strategic and military importance is to visit the Palácio de São Lourenço.

Housed inside Funchal’s first fortress, the imposing white structure has stood guard at the front of the Zona Velha since the 16th century.

Over the centuries, the fort has undergone various renovations, especially in the 19th century, when it was separated into military areas and a palatial residence.

As such, the now-museum offers two contrasting spaces. The palace is an opulent blend of stately halls, decorative artworks, and royal-commissioned portraits, while the military museum exhibits decommissioned weapons and a timeline of Portugal’s Age of Discovery.

Tour Teatro Municipal Baltazar Dias

Funchal’s finest performing arts venue brings a slice of Italian glamor to the Atlantic Ocean, a stark contrast to the mostly black-and-white architecture of the Zona Velha.

Inaugurated in 1888, the Teatro Municipal Baltazar Dias is like a time capsule, with three tiers of elegant, velvet-draped balcony boxes decorated with gilded Greek theater masks and a frescoed ceiling by Italian-born Luigi Manini.

Thankfully, even if your visit doesn’t align with a performance, it’s possible to peer behind the scenes of this magnificent venue on a guided tour.

In just 45 minutes, you’ll have the chance to visit all of the auditorium’s spaces, explore the technical areas, and learn more about the blind Madeiran playwright for whom the venue is named. Privileged access also includes the individually styled dressing rooms and the stone-exposed painting room, where sets are assembled.

Dine in a 17th-Century Fortress

Many of the best things to do in Funchal involve visiting foreboding fortresses that recount the stories of maritime exploration. But what’s better than visiting a historic fort? Lunching in one.

For that, you’ll want to make a reservation in Forte de São Tiago. This 17th-century, mustard-yellow defense at the far eastern edge of the Zona Velha has aged incredibly well, with original items such as cannons on display alongside a more contemporary art center.

Book a table at Restaurante Do Forte, though, and you’ll be able to spend longer soaking up the fortress’ atmosphere. With excellent views—request a terrace table overlooking the water—and a decadent menu of local seafood and Italian-influenced dishes, it’s one of the most memorable meals on Funchal’s menu.

Enjoy a Wine Lodge Tasting

No visit to Madeira would be complete without learning more about one of the island’s most famous exports: Madeira Wine. And even though there aren’t any vines in downtown Funchal, Blandy’s Wine Lodge provides all the insights and, most importantly, samplings, you’ll need to become a connoisseur.

As one of the founding families of Madeira’s wine trade, in operation since 1811, Blandy’s guided tours and tastings are particularly informative as their knowledge is unrivaled.

The lodge is also where they age more than 500 barrels. During the tour, you’ll visit their various warehouse rooms, including the award-winning vintage vats, before tasting four of the namesake, nutty wines in varying degrees of sweetness.

Pour a Poncha

Madeira Wine isn’t the island’s only locally-loved tipple. Sugar cane grows abundantly and rum has long been a popular drink, especially among fishermen.

Rather than drinking it neat or with sodas, Madeira’s go-to rum-based drink is the poncha cocktail, first served in Câmara de Lobos, a stunning beach town just west of Funchal.

Nowadays, you’ll find the drink on nearly every bar’s menu. The original recipe calls for a simple mix of Agricole rum, lemon and honey, or sugar, usually mixed in a squat wine glass using a wooden caralhinho stick.

If you find the drink a little bitter, most establishments offer fruitier alternatives, with passionfruit versions being a reliable first-time option. However, if rum isn’t your preferred spirit, choose a locally brewed Coral beer.

Pause for a Biscuit Break

Madeira’s abundant sugar cane has been utilized in countless ways, and for an alcohol-free sampling, there’s no better treat than Bolo de Mel, the island’s lip-smacking sugar cane honey cake.

Swing by Fábrica Santo Antonio, a photogenic, vintage-style bakery, to buy yourself one of the most celebrated versions on the island before trotting down to the waterfront to indulge at a picnic table.

Founded in 1893, the store is a Funchal staple. Their honey or ginger cookies are equally celebrated; wash them down with a can of Brisa, a local passionfruit soda, for a delicious and refreshing picnic pairing overlooking the ocean.

Discover the Convent of Santa Clara

As one of Madeira’s oldest buildings, the late 15th-century Convent of Santa Clara is integral to the history of this remote island. Closed off to visitors for centuries, it was only in the 1890s that the space opened to the public.

Now, the magnificent Gothic cloisters, atrium, and chapel double as a cultural center, displaying a splendid array of artistic wonders, making a visit to the well-preserved space one of the top things to do in Funchal.

The gold and azure 17th-century azulejos adorning the chapel’s walls are particularly noteworthy. But don’t forget to look up—the wooden paneled ceiling containing hand-painted Portuguese symbols is sublime.

Splash in the Atlantic Ocean

Other than a few croissant-colored artificial beaches, Madeira’s bathing spots are far from typical. Dark pebble beaches, lava-carved natural pools, and ocean-sprayed lidos provide memorable bathing moments, so a decent pair of water shoes is recommended.

Funchal’s main beach is Praia Formosa, just east of the city. A curved stretch of pebbles, it’s especially appealing as a kayak departure point, should you want to see Funchal from another angle.

Arguably more inviting are the city’s natural pools and lidos, mainly found along Funchal’s Seaside Promenade.

Head to the Piscinas Naturais da Doca do Cavacas for the best of both worlds. This clutch of swimming holes is striking and serene, with a spacious sunbathing deck overlooking Praia Formosa.

Read: Best Beach Destinations in Europe

Feel Melancholic at a Fado Concert

While fado, Portugal’s hauntingly melancholic musical genre, hails from Lisbon and the mainland, catching a performance is still one of the top things to do in Funchal—especially when paired with a local gastronomic feast.

A few restaurants, such as Restaurante de Fado Casa Portuguesa and Sabor a Fado, offer fado-accompanied meals with the soulful vocals, Portuguese guitar, and evocative lyrics, making the Madeiran menu secondary to the music.

Visit a Museum to Learn Local Culture

Over a dozen galleries and exhibition spaces in Funchal recount the island’s history and culture. These range from the art-focused MAMMA, the Museum of Modern Art, and Henrique e Francisco Franco Museum, which displays the works of two locally born artists, to other educational spaces.

Particular highlights include the A Cidade do Açúcar, which shares the history of Madeira’s once booming sugar cane industry, and the Museum of Embroidery and Handicraft, spotlighting some of the island’s most recognizable ancestral patterns.

House museums are also plentiful, offering insights into Madeira’s strategic importance over the centuries. At Quinta das Cruzes Museum, the former family residence of João Gonçalves Zarco—the sailor who discovered Madeira—the region’s 17th-century affluence is on full display through Qing dynasty porcelain and hand-carved English furniture.

Sample Exotic Fruits

Madeira’s subtropical climate, its position along former trading routes with the Americas and Europe, and nutrient-rich soil have allowed produce to flourish that is impossible to grow elsewhere in Europe.

One of the best places to see all these colorful and sometimes unusual fruits is Mercado dos Lavradores, the city’s primary market since the 1940s. The central space here is ideal for discovering and buying local seasonal fruits to sample.

Keep an eye out for typical products such as the chestnut liquors produced in the interior valleys and curuba, which looks like a banana yet hides a passionfruit interior. Ask the traders to point out the annonas, sweet custard apples, and monstera delicious, a long, green fruit that tastes like a fruit salad when ripe.

Try Mouthwatering Madeirense Dishes

Funchal’s food scene has been developing fast. In recent years, the city has seen an explosion of creative chefs, often returning from abroad or the mainland, reinvigorating ancestral recipes with flair.

Still, even with a growing cohort of accoladed culinarians serving fusion dishes and Michelin-recognized tasting menus, the old favorites still rule supreme in the many tiny, local tascas dotted around Funchal’s Zona Velha.

Making the most of the island’s exotic fruits, many dishes combine unorthodox flavors. The blend of black scabbard fish with fried banana, often topped with a passionfruit sauce, might sound jarring, but after your first sampling, you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the flavorful combination.

Order Espetada Madeirense, juicy, grass-raised chunks of prime beef served on a skewer for a more meaty dish. The real deal should be skewered on a laurel tree’s wooden stick and cooked over open flames for a more flavorsome, tender texture.

Shop Traditional Hats

If there’s one souvenir you should bring back from Madeira, it’s a traditional island hat.

Choose a Madeiran Carapuça, a brimless, pointed wool cap, often dubbed the pigtail cap due to its design, and most commonly seen during folk performances. Or opt for the wide-brimmed straw hats worn by Monte’s carreiros.

You’ll find both options in nearly all the city’s gift shops, though the best and most vivid designs are usually handmade. For these locally crafted designs, visit the twice-weekly market or Loja do Artesanato da Madeira.

Amble The Historical Waterways

One of the most relaxing things to do in Funchal and Madeira is to walk along the levadas, ingenious 15th-century irrigation channels that crisscross this European island.

Thanks to their mainly flat construction, the narrow channels and often new, adjacent walking trails provide easy-going access to some of Madeira’s most magical assets: dense vegetation, viewpoints, hidden waterfalls, and forgotten villages.

For the most impressive levadas, you’ll need to venture deeper into Madeira’s interior. However, a few of these traditional routes begin in Funchal’s metropolitan area.

Funchal’s most impressive is the Levada do Barreiro, which traverses a stretch of the Funchal Ecological Park, a dedicated nature reserve just beyond Monte.

Allow two hours to complete the 3.2-mile trail, best accessed via a taxi to Poço da Neve for a descent rather than ascent, and you’ll be dazzled by native fauna, two-century-old stone buildings, and far-reaching ocean views.

Take in Fortaleza de São João Baptista do Pico’s Panorama

Commanding one of the most striking views over Funchal, São João Batista Fort is perched on a slope 364 feet above the ocean.

Constructed in the 17th century to survey for pirates and defend the city, the fort’s well-preserved appearance is thanks to its 20th-century stint as a naval communication base, and later renovations.

While much of the interior remains off limits except for specific events such as concerts, hidden behind mustard and crimson walls are swoon-worthy panoramas that are reward enough for the detour.

Ambling around the open-access terraces atop the crenelated, weathered walls, you can’t help but imagine the days of Portugal’s early expeditions and imagine forces firing up the cannons to fend off pirates.

Join a Cooking Class

One of the best things to do in Funchal for foodies is to join a local chef to learn how the Madeirense make use of the Atlantic’s bounty and their tropical fruits, sometimes even in the same dish.

On a half-day cooking course, your market visit will be elevated as you’re guided through the produce alongside a local culinary genius before joining the team in the kitchen to turn your finds into delicious local dishes.

Typical places, such as scabbard fish with banana, are usually on the menu, while dessert recipes often utilize passionfruit. After all your hard work and learning more about how the islands’ flavors have changed over the centuries, the reward is to feast on your expertly overseen dishes.

Brave the Cape Girão Viewpoint

Funchal is an excellent starting point to explore the island’s nearby highlights, such as the golden sands of Machico, one of Madeira’s best beaches, or Câmara de Lobos fishing village. Looming over the latter is Cape Girão, one of Europe’s highest sea cliffs, providing arguably Madeira’s best viewpoint.

Soaring to an awe-inspiring 1,902 feet, the lookout is undoubtedly for the brave, especially as the glass Skywalk platform provides near-vertical views of the village below.

Still, those with firm legs won’t regret the short drive out of town to soak up Atlantic Ocean views, Funchal itself, and the island’s rugged topography.

Work Your Camera at More Magnificent Miradouros

If Cape Girão’s dizzying viewpoint sounds a little frightful, fear not. Funchal and Madeira are spoiled with plenty more miradouros, or lookout points.

To the east, Miradouro do Pináculo’s bougainvillea draped balcony provides firmer footings and sensational views across Funchal, framed with vibrant purple flowers.

Drive 10 minutes further and you’ll reach the staircase descending to the Miradouro do Cristo Rei, where a statue of Christ—a smaller version of that found in Rio de Janeiro—gazes out to the endless Atlantic Ocean.

West of Funchal, tree-shaded Miradouro do Pico dos Barcelos is one of the best places to visit in Portugal, reachable on a one-hour uphill climb.

Witness Cetaceans in the Wild

One of the most memorable things to do in Funchal is to spot whales and dolphins in the deep blue. Madeira’s location on important whale migration routes and its year-round bottlenose dolphin population ensure that sightings are highly likely, especially between April and October.

Various boat tours depart from Funchal Marina, including catamaran trips and more adrenaline-fueled jaunts on rigid inflatable boats. Choose an expedition accompanied by a marine biologist to improve your chance of spotting cetaceans in the wild.

Take Afternoon Tea at Reid’s Palace

A traditional British afternoon tea might not seem likely 1,500 miles from England, but Reid’s Palace, one of Funchal’s most opulent and oldest hotels, has been embracing the quintessentially British pastime since 1891.

In fact, it’s considered that the Portuguese princess, Catherine of Braganza, introduced tea to the British in the 17th century upon marrying King Charles II, making a proper pot of steeped tea almost as Portuguese as it is British.

Follow in the footsteps of Winston Churchill and book yourself one of the coveted spots for afternoon tea at Reid’s Palace to soak up the sensational ocean views with a glass of fizz.

Delectable finger sandwiches, warm scones with rich clotted cream, and a wide choice of teas, including Portugal’s own Gorreana Hysson, grown in the Azores, make this a truly indulgent affair.

Stroll Funchal’s Seaside Promenade

From Reid’s Palace, you’re well placed for an easy-going afternoon amble to soak up the ocean views of Funchal’s Seaside Promenade. Heading west, the trail commences at the leafy Jardins do Lido, just behind the public bathing area and adjacent to a significant stone compass carpeting the floor.

Crossing a couple of pebbly Portuguese beaches and bathing areas including Ponta Gorda, with its enclosed lido and pools, the pedestrianized route takes around an hour to complete, though stops for swimming are tempting.

See Some of Cristiano Ronaldo’s Trophy Collection

Cristiano Ronaldo is undoubtedly the most famous Madeiran in the world, and his sporting achievements are celebrated in the Museu CR7.

A visit to pay homage to Ronaldo is one of the best things to do in Funchal for soccer fans, especially those eager to see championship trophies in person. There’s even a VR experience that will allow you to “take” a matchside photo with Portugal’s legendary player.

While it’s surprisingly light on the star player’s life story and career details, the space is decked out with original accolades including trophies from UEFA, Ballon d’Ors, and Golden Boots, alongside former jerseys and kit.

Pop By a “Principality”

One of the most unusual things to do in Funchal is to visit the so-called Principality of Pontinha, anchored in the Forte São José, near the ferry terminal.

This curious defense, crowning the undersized rocky lhéu de São José, was constructed in the mid-18th century to defend the city. It failed at this task as the British invaders used it as their headquarters some 50 years later.

In 2000, Madeiran Renato Barros purchased the island that lies a stone’s throw from the port and later declared it an “independent country” and himself Prince Renato. This was not recognized by the local government Barros was forced into a sale agreement in 2024. But the exterior area of the unusual fort remains accessible and worth a brief visit for the terrace views and eccentric history.

Buy a Book

Funchal’s reading spots are plentiful and inviting, from oceanfront rocks overlooking lava-defined coastlines to benches in the city’s green oases, and there’s no better place to hunt out a new novel than Livraria Esperança.

Access this bookshop via the easily-missed door just beyond Funchal’s Jesuit College and you’ll be greeted by an uncommon sight. All the 100,000 titles are displayed with their cover forward, rather than their spines.

Dating back to 1886, Esperança was Madeira’s first dedicated bookshop and later, printing house, which gradually expanded and moved into larger premises. The additional space became especially important in 1973 when the unusual, cover-forward display method was chosen for all volumes.

While the labyrinth-like library only has a small selection of non-Portuguese books, the unique space is a bibliophile’s dream. And with a foundation supporting reading for the island’s children, all purchases ensure a little something goes back to the local community.

Relax in the City’s Local Gardens

No cable car or ticket is needed to relax amid Funchal’s famed greenery; this is a city of gardens. Most central is Santa Catarina Park, moments from the marina.

Landscaped in the mid-20th century, the vivid lawn is shaded by mature trees and palms, with well-manicured flower beds adding splashes of color. It’s a delightful spot to read a book, contemplate the cerulean ocean views of Funchal Bay, and be calmed by the pond’s fountains.

A former cemetery, the grounds still retain a diminutive chapel, while statues of notable explorers Christopher Columbus and Prince Henry the Navigator survey the ocean.

The Zona Velha’s Jardim Municipal is equally serene, a compact cluster of dense ferns and pines anchored around a statue and duck pond.

Also worth a visit is the Jardins da Quinta da Boa Vista, east of the city. The whole estate is beautiful but it’s the explosion of color inside the greenhouses that makes it so special. With a vast array of orchids and other endangered flora, the garden offers a year-round overview of the plants most celebrated at Madeira’s annual Flower Festival.

Are you eager to explore the Island of Eternal Spring’s gorgeous capital city? Peruse Celebrity’s cruises to Funchal to start planning your next Portugal vacation.