"Amphitheatre around a beautiful bay." Top 5 Page for this destination Funchal by Jerelis


Funchal Travel Guide: 543 reviews and 943 photos

Capital of Madeira

Funchal city is the capital of the island of Madeira. It's a city of white rows of houses that climb up the hills, like an amphitheatre around a beautiful bay of blue sea. We loved to explore the city, and therefore we saw a lot of old and characteristic churches, mansions, palaces and monuments.

Pretending to know where you are ...

The compact town of Funchal is easy to get around, and the ideal place to explore on foot. Funchal is Portugal, and yet it is a culture unto itself. Historical buildings to stroll around include the 15th century cathedral, numerous churches, elegant colonial houses and the charming cobbled streets reveal delights at every turn. Nature lovers will appreciate the rich array of tropical plants found throughout Funchal. Time to explore it!

We can honestly state that the best way to explore Funchal is by foot and the second best way is also by foot! Besides giving you the opportunity to roam the narrow streets and the cosy squares, it is the quickest way too. If you really want to, you can cross the city in approximately 45 minutes. Remember that sometimes it might be quicker (and nicer!) to take a few short-cuts into picturesque alleys instead of following the masses of tourists. Maybe this is easy for us to say as we stayed for a longer period of time and not like most of the tourists only for one day. But even when your stay is rather short, do try to get away from the crowds and just have a 'look around'. Funchal is simply a perfect place to walk for a few hours and pretending to know where you are.

Madeira Island

Don't forget to have a look at our Madeira Island page.

Madeira is a small archipelago of volcanic origin in the middle of the Atlantic. The weather is mild throughout the year. The landscape is luxuriant, irrigated by cascading streams, while mountain peaks seem to rise abruptly from the ocean.

  • Last visit to Funchal: Jul 2002
  • Intro Updated Aug 30, 2007
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Reviews (46)

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  • freddie18's Profile Photo
    freddie18 Jul 27, 2007 at 7:22 PM Report Abuse

    Great tips and useful information on Funchal. Thanks for sharing.

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    atufft Jul 3, 2007 at 12:37 PM Report Abuse

    Thoughtful coverage of Funchal and Madiera. Thanks also for visiting Flores. Happy Traveling with your family.

  • yooperprof's Profile Photo
    yooperprof Apr 2, 2007 at 11:37 AM Report Abuse

    I love those toboggans! This is a place that I would dearly love to visit some time.

  • tini58de's Profile Photo
    tini58de Feb 2, 2007 at 4:38 AM Report Abuse

    Great page with lots of useful information and great pictures! Thanks!

  • CHAMPY's Profile Photo
    CHAMPY Jan 14, 2007 at 3:04 AM Report Abuse

    Nice pictures of MADEIRA and comments too. We can learn something in your HP. Cheers !

  • Maurizioago's Profile Photo
    Maurizioago May 23, 2005 at 1:11 AM Report Abuse

    Very useful tips. Ciao!

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    onecut Dec 12, 2004 at 12:42 PM Report Abuse

    we went a year ago it was wonderful

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    hunterV May 11, 2004 at 10:57 AM Report Abuse

    Those are wonderful places worth visiting, of course...I wish I could go there, too...

  • ettenaj's Profile Photo
    ettenaj Mar 10, 2004 at 8:25 AM Report Abuse

    Brilliant and accurate description of this fantastic place.

  • Piet_braker Feb 23, 2004 at 12:09 AM Report Abuse

    Very accurate update on this Funchal page. Great to see the addresses and directrions present. Keep it going!

Jerelis

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