Travel Tips

Funchal has now a panoramic balloon that goes up to 150 meters to show visitors a different perspective of the wonderful city bay and the surrounding areas.
The scenary is just great and you feel like flying around the town... :)

The first buildings on the former square Campo do Duque were the Town Hall houses including the Notary’s Palace and the Assembly Rooms. This construction was completed in 1491 and two years later the construction of the ‘big church’, consecrated ‘Se’ in 1514, started.
Now, there were no doubts left about Dom Manuel’s intention of building a new city. It was also in this area, where during the 16th century the major governmental organs were built.

Read a book, take a stroll or simply sit under a tree and listen to the birds and the water of the fountain in the Parque de Santa Catarina. This park is the perfect place to relax and enjoy all these leisure activities.

With a total area of 36.000 square meters the Parquede Santa Catarina offers a lovely view over the bay of Funchal, several paths provided with benches and flanked by many species of the world’s flora and a lovely lake with a small island where swans and ducks thrive.

The farmer and trader Joao de Esmenaut, or Esmeraldo, one of the most famous traders of his time, built houses that during the 16th century were very famous for their wealth and size.