Whether you have come for the wild UNESCO forests, towering peaks, or to experience the collision of subtropical jungle and Old Europe in the middle of the Atlantic, Funchal is the place where almost every journey to Madeira begins.
This island is Epic Expedition’s second home. Our founder, Chris, lives here year-round between leading adventure trips around the world, meaning we have spent years separating the tourist traps from the real deal. We know how to get off the beaten path on Madeira, but we also know that a great expedition anywhere starts with a solid lay of the land in the capital.
But don’t make the mistake of wandering the city aimlessly. Look past the floating hotels and souvenir shops and you will find a city with real history, incredible food, and steep streets that serve as a serious calf warm-up for the island adventures ahead.
From coming face to face with an espada to finding the perfect Poncha, here are some fun things to do in Funchal that you won’t find on cruise ship brochures.
Wander Around the Mercado dos Lavradores
Right in the center of Funchal, within its historical old town, the indoor Mercado dos Lavradores or “Workers’ Market” has served as Funchal’s commercial hub since 1940.
Our advice? – Get here early and head straight for the back.
This is where international buyers barter over some of the world’s best tuna. The quality is so high that if you look interested enough, a vendor might slice you off a raw sashimi right there on the spot to try. This is also where you may come face-to-face with the Espada (Black Scabbard Fish). It looks like a deep-sea creature, jet black with huge eyes, slimy but when prepared the Madeiran way (lightly fried and topped with banana) it is surprisingly delicate and delicious.
Beyond the fish market there are many other areas dedicated to fresh local produce, exotic flowers and artisan goods. You could easily spend a whole day here, but there’s much more to see if you only have one day in Funchal.
Go for a Walk at the Port of Funchal
Here is a fact you will learn quickly: flat ground is a luxury in Madeira, and something that’s very hard to come by outside Funchal.
Once you have had your fill of the market, head down to the water to scrub the scent of raw fish from your nostrils and to treat your legs to likely the only flat ground they’ll traverse on the entire island – especially if you’re joining one of our hiking-focused Madeira expeditions.
Walking the Avenida Sá Carneiro, look up for the best perspective of the sheer scale of Funchal’s “amphitheater”. Thousands of white houses clinging to volcanic slopes that rise 1,200 meters straight into the clouds.
This is the perfect spot to map out the city from below before you continue your adventures and why we recommend it as one of the first stops on your Funchal itinerary.
Visit the Madeira Photography Museum
Perhaps the most interesting crash course in the history of Funchal can be found at Atelier Vicente’s photography museum. This is the oldest active photography studio in Portugal, and preserved exactly as it was in the 19th century.
Walking through the collection gives you a raw look at island life long before the cable cars and cruise ships. Seeing images of early pioneers hauling cargo up these vertical cobbles by hand will give you a whole new respect for the streets you walk up today.
Beyond the 3 million housed images, you will also find the original 19th-century cameras, specialized furniture, and painted scenography still standing where they were used over 150 years ago!
Take the Monte Cable Car Up to the Palance Gardens
When you first arrive in Madeira, it is impossible to miss the lines of gondolas silently gliding up the mountain. Your instinct might be to label it a classic “tourist trap” and write it off. Don’t.
While it is undeniably one of the more popular things to do in Funchal, the Teleférico do Funchal is one of the few “TripAdvisor number ones” that actually lives up to the hype.
We don’t see it as just a lazy way to get up the hill, it is a 15-minute aerial survey of the island’s insane geography. Floating 560 meters above the city, you get a bird’s-eye view of the vertical challenges that define Madeiran life. Terrace gardens hanging off cliffs, streams disappearing into ravines…
Once you reach the top at Monte, skip the overpriced cafes and head straight for the gardens, trust us, there’s better coffee on Madeira anyway.
While the sign says “Botanic Gardens” (which requires a second cable car ride), we recommend walking a few minutes to the Monte Palace Tropical Garden. This is a surreal, multi-level wonderland featuring Japanese koi ponds, a massive collection of Zimbabwean stone sculptures, and perhaps the most impressive collection of tile art (azulejos) in Portugal. It feels less like a manicured city park and more like exploring the private estate of an oddball billionaire – because that is exactly what it used to be.
Spend the Evening at Barreirinha
While Doca do Cavacas and Formosa dominate the west side of Funchal, Barreirinha is the soul of the Old Town (Zona Velha). Located beneath the bright yellow walls of the São Tiago Fort, this is the spot to go straight from afternoon swim to evening seaside drinks.
It is technically a bathing complex like Doca do Cavacas, but as the sun goes down it becomes one of the city’s best waterfront hangouts. The vibe here is completely different from the hotel district, it’s where the local crowd gathers to sit on the sea wall, listen to music, and watch the dusk settle over the Atlantic.
Relax at Praia Formosa
If you’re looking for “beach weather”, Madeira really can be visited at anytime during the year. Even in the dead of winter, the water is still pretty comfortable and doesn’t require anything like a wetsuit (unless you’re staying in for a long time).
If you are looking for a swim close to Funchal, skip the hotel pool and head to Praia Formosa, located just 10 minutes from the center of town.
This is the city’s largest free public beach and offers a totally different energy from the famous swimming platforms we discuss below. Formosa is a long stretch of black sand and smooth pebbles, offering a great place to swim and relax after a long morning of exploring. Praia Formosa also offers one of the clearest, most unobstructed views of nearby Cabo Girão: one of the highest sea cliffs in the world!
The best way to arrive is on foot via the Doca do Cavacas tunnel, a pedestrian tunnel carved straight through the rock connecting the main Lido promenade directly to the beach.
Dive Off One of the Many Coastal Piers
If you are looking for powdery white sand, you are on the wrong island. This is a key distinction in the Canaries vs Madeira debate. But if you want to see how Madeirans enjoy the sea, embrace the local culture of the Lido.
Since the coastline is naturally rocky, Madeirans have mastered the art of building seaside concrete platforms and sun decks that extend straight out into the Atlantic. This is the authentic Funchal swimming experience but most of these charge an entrance fee.
That said, the water is deep, clear, and refreshing, and the concrete walls offer the perfect place to dive straight into the sea that’s easily worth a couple of euros.
If you are already at the tunnel mentioned above, we recommend the Doca do Cavacas complex. It is smaller and more atmospheric than the massive Lido nearby, and it features natural volcanic rock pools that fill with the high tide. It’s a fantastic spot to swim in the ocean without getting battered by waves, then dry off with a cold drink at the nearby bar.
Then Sled Down the Hill on a Toboggan
This is another strategic reason we recommend the Monte Palace Garden over the Botanical Gardens. The starting line for Madeira’s most famous adrenaline hit is located just steps away from the garden exit. To visit the regular Botanical Gardens requires a second cable car across the valley, and you’d miss the epic Carreiros do Monte experience.
Dating back to the 1850s, this was originally a serious form of public transport for wealthy residents who wanted to get down to Funchal quickly. Today, it’s more of a tourist activity but still serves that purpose. You sit in a wicker basket mounted on wooden runners while two men in white cotton suits and straw hats pilot you down 2 km of steep, winding public roads, using nothing but their rubber-soled boots as brakes.
The trip ends in the suburb of Livramento. From there, you will be greeted by taxi drivers who know you are stuck and can often charge a premium. To return and continue exploring the many unique things to do in Old Town Funchal, you can negotiate a fare (anything under €20 is generally acceptable for a group), hop on a local bus (roughly €2 – Line 2) or walk the remaining 30-40 minutes downhill.
Taste Local Madeiran Wine and Spirits
You will find Madeira is famous for its sweet wine, which, if you love wine, have likely heard of already. The truth is you’ll find great wine on almost every dessert menu in the city. However, for a real education, walk into Pereira d’Oliveira. Unlike the polished museum tours, this place feels and looks like a dusty 19th-century warehouse – the perfect place to dive into the Madeiran culture of wine.
There are no tickets or guides, so all you need to do is rock up, find a seat on a barrel and ask for a taste (and maybe buy a bottle if you like it).
Then there is Poncha. Originally created by fishermen to fight off the cold with what they had available by the boatload (sugar cane rum, local fruits, and sugar), this is now THE quintessential Madeiran drink. However, to do it right, authentic Poncha must be muddled by hand with a wooden stick called a caralhinho. So if you see a bartender, no poncha!
If you want to try authentic Poncha and see where the rum comes from, we recommend a trip to Engenhos do Norte (North Mills Distillery). It is one of the last steam-powered mills on the island. We stop at Engenhos de Norte on our Madeira hiking expeditions to show guests the history behind the spirit.
Stare Down into the Abyss at Garajau
For a quick trip just outside of Funchal, (about 15 minutes east), head to the headland of Ponta do Garajau.
Most travelers assume the massive “Christ the King” standing here is a copy of the famous monument in Rio de Janeiro or Lisbon. But it isn’t! Madeira actually built this one here first, inaugurated way back in 1927! That’s four years before Brazil and actually decades before Lisbon.
But the real draw here for us is the landscape. Walk past the statue to the very edge of the headland and you’ll be standing on a thin slice of rock with a massive 150-meter vertical drop on both sides! Pretty cool for a spot just 15 minutes outside of the city…
Discover All the Old Colonial Architecture
You don’t need a guidebook to see that Funchal was once one of the richest ports in the Atlantic. The city was built on “White Gold”, the massive wealth generated by the 15th-century sugar trade and the architecture is the direct result of that boom.
As you wander back from the Old Town, it’s hard not to notice the details. The streets themselves are art, paved with calçada portuguesa (black and white basalt mosaics hand-laid by craftsmen).
Two spots we highly recommend:
- The Sé Cathedral – Built in 1514, this is one of the few structures that survived the city’s history of pirate raids intact. It looks like a fortress on the outside, but inside the ceiling reveals a rare masterpiece of Mudéjar design carved entirely from local Madeiran cedar wood.
- Igreja do Colégio – Located near the municipality square, this Jesuit church is widely considered one of the finest examples of 17th-century gilded woodcarving in Portugal.
Get Lost in Old Town
If you took our advice and finish your day at Barreirinha, you’ll be standing right at the back entrance of the Zona Velha, Funchal’s Old Town.
A few decades ago, this was the gritty fisherman’s quarter that everyone avoided after dark. But today, it is the beating heart of Funchal’s nightlife and restaurant scene.
You will likely start at the main artery, Rua de Santa Maria. While this is the tourist hub, it is worth walking down to witness the open-air art gallery where almost every door and shutter has been painted by local artists as part of the Arte de Portas Abertas (Art of Open Doors) project.
Our advice is to take a look, but ignore the touts trying to pull you into the main restaurants. Once you’ve had enough, duck into the side streets. The best way to experience the Old Town is to put away Google Maps and let your instincts lead the way. These narrow cobblestone alleys are filled with the scent of garlic butter, grilled Lapas, and charcoal smoke and it is here that some of the best hidden bars and restaurants in Funchal are tucked away.
Organize a Sailing or Fishing Day Trip
If you look at a depth map of Madeira, you will see why Funchal is a global hotspot for life on the water.
The island’s vertical volcanic slopes continue far beyond the waterline, plunging thousands of meters deep just a few miles from the shore. For those who just want to relax, this means you can hop on a leisure sailing catamaran and spot whales or dolphins without ever losing sight of the city or the cliffs. The marina is packed with bookable sailing activities in Funchal, with many excellent operators offering sunset cruises and day trips.
But if you are here for the thrill, then you should know that Funchal is a global pilgrimage site for sport fishermen. The crazy depths just off shore create a rare nutrient-rich super highway for the ocean’s top predators. This is exactly why you won’t only find some of the best tuna in the world at the Mercado dos Lavradores, but also some record-breaking Blue Marlin caught just off the coast of Funchal!
You’ll find many sportfishing tours at the same marina, but we recommend reaching out to Josef (WhatsApp: +351 927 846 195), a local competition veteran who offers private charters and knows exactly where the giants run. Our advice if you want big fish: book this tour within the Spring and Autumn migratory windows.
Learn More About Ronaldo: Madeira’s Golden Boy
If you’re making a list of what to do in Funchal as a football fan, you’ll already have this on your list. Cristiano Ronaldo isn’t just a celebrity in this city; he is a local deity. Likely you’ll land at his airport, but the true epicenter of the fandom is the Museu CR7 on the Funchal waterfront.
It is surprisingly legitimate, housing his actual Ballon d’Or trophies and Golden Boots rather than just replicas. Outside stands his bronze statue, you will notice the groin is polished gold from tourists rubbing it for luck, funnily enough. It sits directly in front of his Pestana CR7 Hotel, making this corner of the marina a literal shrine to the island’s favorite son.
Find Your “Hole in the Wall”
In Funchal we’ve found that some of the best food isn’t in the nicest restaurants with the whitest tablecloths, but in tiny places simply labeled “Snack Bar.”
To an outsider, the name suggests chips and cold sandwiches. To a local, it means home-cooked comfort food, cheap prices, and zero pretension. These are the fluorescent-lit, noisy spots where you will find old men arguing over football and office workers grabbing a quick lunch.
In Funchal, you are looking for one specific item, the Prego no Bolo do Caco. This is the island’s unofficial burger: a thin, garlic-marinated steak grilled and stuffed inside a disc of warm, potato bread (Bolo do Caco), usually slathered with garlic butter.
Don’t overthink the location. If you see plastic chairs, paper tablecloths, and a lack of English menus, that’s your “Hole in the Wall”.
Things to Know Before Visiting Funchal
There are a few local realities that catch every first-timer off guard. Here’s some advice for first-time visitors to Funchal.
- First, trust the webcams, not the forecast. Funchal is a city of microclimates; it can be pouring rain at your hotel in the hills and blazing sunny down at the marina.
- Maps lie, you need to respect the geography. Funchal is vertical. What looks like a “quick 10-minute walk” on Google Maps is often a 45-degree uphill hike that will leave you drenched in sweat.
- Save the rental car for the days you leave the city. Downtown Funchal is a nightmare of narrow one-way streets and expensive parking, and Bolt and Uber are everywhere.
- Finally, bring shoes with grip. The beautiful Portuguese pavement (calçada) is polished smooth by centuries of foot traffic. As soon as we get a single drop of rain, it turns into an ice rink!
While this list will make you feel like you need a week in Funchal, we recommend picking a few standouts and spending a day or two in the city. We treat Funchal as the kickoff to adventures on the island, which is packed with hidden gems and epic trails waiting to be discovered.
If you want to skip the noise and find the real magic, check out our Madeira trips page for what we believe is the ideal combination of culture, hiking, and food.
