Funchal Favorites

Favorite thing: Funchal, the capital of the archipelago, combines well a cosmopolitan atmosphere (with numerous bars, hotels and casino) with its historical monuments, museums and a typical and colourful market.

Fondest memory: Everything can be explored by footh. Parking the car is no prblem at all. Have a look at the map of Funchal and see that all the major attractions are in the very compact city centre.

Favorite thing: Madeira and Funchal are really the island and town of flowers.
Nearly every winter we visit Madeira and we are always surprised again about the many flowers and flowering plants.

Fondest memory: Coming from home with a nude garden and then arriving in this paradise of colours and flowers.

Favorite thing: Funchal is a real green garden city.
There are a lot of small and large parks everywhere in town and many streets have nice flowering trees. Around the houses, estates and hotels you see also very nicily designed gardens with abundant sub-tropical trees and plants. I think the climate and the soil are really suitable for the most beautiful and fast growing gardens.
We are always surprised how much the plants have grown, when we return after one year. A real paradise for gardeners and landscape architects, like me.

Favorite thing: The city of Funchal is intersected by deep ribeiras, coming from the mountains and leading to the ocean.
At some places in town the in- and outcoming roads are following the sides of the ribeiras. Driving a car, it is not always easy to find your way in town, when you are at the wrong side of the ribeira and have to be at a destination at the other side.
Some ribeiras are deep and wide enough to have a lot of green like flowering trees.

Favorite thing: Taking one of the roads uphill in Funchal you will be very soon in a wonderful green landscape of forests, valleys and mountains.
In this area are also some nice walking paths.
From nearly every place you will have breathtaking views at the town deep down with the ocean at the background.
So when you go up, do look back.

Favorite thing: From the harbour you have a nice view at the Ponta do Garajau at the east side of the town, forming the eastern end of the bay of Funchal.
At a distance of 30 KM from the coast you can see the Ilhas Desertas, three small rocky islands of together 20 KM. The islands are not inhabited.
They told me, that the local people can forecast the weather in Funchal by looking at the situation at the Ilhas Desertas.

Favorite thing: Funchal is wonderfully located at the southern side of the Madeira Island.
The first settlers in the 15th century choose this location at the wide bay, naturally sheltered by the surrounding mountain slopes, as their port and settlement.
Nowadays Funchal, the capital of Madeira, has more than 120.000 inhabitants.
The houses are built on the gentle slopes around the bay. From here you have at many places nice views at the town with its harbour.
I enjoyed also from the other side the view at the mountain slopes, especiallly at night with thousands of lights, sitting on my balcony downtown.

Favorite thing: If culture is your thing, then you really should take the time to visit some of our wonderful museums, monuments and art galleries. On show you will find work by names that are famous within Portugal and beyond.
This pot was considered by guiness contest in 2000 the tallest pot in the world.