Funchal Nightlife

The island is not short of bars, pubs, clubs and live music. Funchal, capital of the island, is the place where all the action is concentrated and there are several pubs in the Casino area, especially in the Imperatriz Dona Amélia Street worth a visit. One of them is The Prince Albert Pub, a typical English pub with snooker.

I used to go there to watch the football games during the EuroCup2004 in June because there are two big screens, one in each of the rooms and I could be seated watching it while tasting a pint of beer.

Joe's bar is between Funchal and Reids hotel, part of the Quinta da Penha da Franca hotel.

They make the most delicious cocktails, and if the bar is not to busy will take some time to sculpt a sailing boat to decorate your glass. My favourite cocktail bar in Funchal.

After drinks you can always have dinner upstairs on the terrace - the steaks are very good.

Dress Code: smart casual

The "Café Teatro" is a must in the night scene of Funchal. It's an open space with a very nice decoration.

In the first month I used to go to this place every weekend, however, after I've made some friends I stopped to go there just because they showed some other places. Cafe Teatro in fact is where everyone is going to show the new dress or shirt....

Vespas, the “ex-libris” of Funchal, is known as the “cathedral” of the Madeiran night. It usually opens at midnight and goes until 6am or 7am. The music here is more on the underground scene, with strong beats and lots for young people.

The right time to go to Vespas is around 5AM so I've been there only for a couple of times. I think the space is too big for the crowd in a normal day... however sometimes they organize parties and when that happens it gets really busy

Located on the liners Pier, in an old fort, it has a bar, disco, and an esplanade for those who don’t want to dance or listen to disco music. The only disadvantage is that you can only go up in an elevator with capacity for 12 persons. This doesn’t seem to be a problem until 1am, but after that get ready to join a long queue.
If you're lucky and it's full moon you can enjoy a great vue...

Show starts at 9.00 and finishes about 10.30. It takes place in the Moonlight Bar in the Tivoli Ocean Park Hotel (downstairs from the main bar). The singers/dancers perform songs from musicals, etc. Entrance is Euro 10 per person. You can get tickets on the night at the Moonlight Bar. The show is on each Thursday.

Dress Code: Comfortable/casual wear, not shorts. Its a 5 star hotel.

For anyone staying in Funchal, some of the hotels put on free shows for guests and some hotels are open to non-residents. The Monumental Lido Hotel (Estrada Monumental - in the centre of the hotel - tourist zone) has a nice bar area, comfortable seating. Most evenings there is a keyboard player, sometimes a singer (depending on the day of the week there are different people). Usually Tuesday to Sunday there is additional entertainment which starts at 10.15 pm. Tuesday folklore group, Wednesday and Sunday the Hot Dancers, Friday, a dance show, Saturday the magic show. The Hot Dancers, folklore and Magic shows are definitely worth going too. You can get to see a good show for the price of a drink. Opposite reception (on the wall the other side) is a board listing the entertainment for the week. If you are not staying in the Lido area you can get a bus from downtown, numbers 1, 2, 4 and 6, they stop outside the hotel on the way here.

Dress Code: No dress code, suggest not shorts for the evening.

Funchal has a very nice and very big Casino were it's very relaxed to have a small bet... It's also a nice place to sit and watch the people and then afterwards you can go downstairs and pary in the "Copacabana club"!