"Funchal" a Funchal Travel Page by sachara

The first time we visited Madeira Island and Funchal was in 1996. In the first place we came for the natural beauty of the island with the many possiblities for walking. We stayed at different places around the island.

In the meantime we visited Madeira eight times and started to love Funchal more and more. So now Funchal is our base to go around the island. We visit Funchal in winter during our ''spring holiday'' end February.

Two times we were in Funchal during the week of carnival! The carnival in Funchal is great.

Funchal, the capital of Madeira, has more than 120.000 inhabitants. The traffic jam in Funchal can be horrible.

When we are in town, we prefer to walk. In the central part of the city are nice old buildings, churches, some museums, shops, bars and restaurants. Many streets changed into nicily paved pedestrian areas.

Funchal is a very green city with a lot of parks and gardens. The whole year round there are a lot flowering trees and plants, even in winter.

The ambiance of Funchal is wonderful, laying at a large bay with nice views at the ocean. We also enjoy the view at the surrounding mountains, especially at night with thousands of lights at their slopes.