Funchal Things to Do

Take buss nr. 56 from Funchal to Ribeiro Frio, costs 2.40 Euro one way. The buss ride takes about 40 min.

The Levada from Ribeiro Frio to Portela is one of the most popular levadas in Madeira. It takes between 3 and 4 hours the 12 kilometres to Portela and the route is very beautiful and scenic.

There is a trout farm in Ribeiro Frio and sometimes you can se trout's swimming in the levada, it's fun to see them swimming by in high speed...

Few things are so relaxing and peaceful then walk in slow pace on a levada. I really recommend every visitor to Madeira to do the same, you won't regret it!

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The Madeira Cable Car or Teleferico operates between Funchal and Monte.
There are 41 cabines and the modern system can handle a maximum of 800 passengers an hour.
Normally we visit Monte by car, but walking along the promenade and looking at the cabines going up and down, we decided to take the cable car uphill.
We had the cabine with 8 seats for ourselves and had a splendid panorama of the town, the port, the ocean and the mountains all aorund. It was nice to look down at the winding roads, steep ribeiras and houses with the red roofs. So we really enjoyed our ride.

The ride one way lasts about 15 minutes.
Operation times from 10.00 am till 7.00 pm
One way: 8 euro.
Round trip: 13 euro.
Children 4-14 years: half price.
Children 0-4 years: free.

Not only in the museum, but also outdoors in the garden are historical objects to see.
In the wonderful ambiance of trees and flowering plants you can see tombstones, coats of arms (like the one of Portugal with the five wounds of Christ, the seven Moorish castles and the crown of the king) and sculptures.
The most striking objects are the two window frames (1577), nicily decorated in the Manueline style. With the ivy, growing abundantly around, they look really nice.

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Botantical Gardens well worth a visit. Entrance was Euros 3 in December 2007 The gardens are built on terraces so have some great views also of Funchal and the Harbour. Lots of different plants, flowers, trees to see. Plenty of seats too. The cafe was still closed, but there are seats still in the area with two vending machines one for cold drinks, the other for chocolate...best of all why not bring your own picnic...I am sure you will not be disappointed with a visit here. It is certainly one of the best value paid gardens in Funchal.

After you have visited the gardens, near to the exit there is a parrot, turn right and you will fid the bird park (mainly birds, but has a very large old tortoise and some turtles).

The Botanical Garden boasts harmonious forms, contrasting colours and more than 2000 plants. It is government owned and, apart from being a beautiful place of leisure, it also serves as a Science and Culture Centre. Throughout the gardens visitors can find the plants labelled with their scientific names, common name and origin.

This beautiful garden has delighted visitors since 1960. It houses more than 2000 exotic plants from all continents. The garden also serves as a conservation centre, and many plants suffering the risk of extinction are being studied there.

The Botanic Gardens are open from 9 am to 6 pm daily.

The entrance fee is 3 euros for adults and 1 euro for children (7-18 yrs). The same ticket entitles you to a free entry to the parrot park next door.

At 1,207 feet, this peak provides an excellent view over Funchal. Take the Rua Dr Pita north from the Hotel Zone, bearing left along Caminho de Santo Martinho. This leads to the church of Sao Martinho, which enjoys a dominant position overlooking the west of the city. Turn right here and you will reach Pico do Barcelos

The museum centre of the Madeiran Institute for embroidery, tapestry and handicrafts is a non-pompous and discreet look at the role and economy of three areas of handiwork still practised today in Madeira: that is, embroidery, tapestry, and handicraft work - especially wickerwork. The centrepiece of the museum is the collection of valuable 19th and early 20th century embroidered cloths and decorative pieces.

This square in unique in Funchal. Recently restored you can find here The City of Sugar Museum that serves as a retrospective on the history of Funchal guided along the central theme of sugar - the industry that helped shape the early vestiges of Funchal, and Madeira.

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The centre of Funchal has lovely squares with fountains, nicily decorated paved pedestrian streets and nice buildings like churches, mansions, some museums.
The Sé cathedral of Funchal (in the middle of the picture), started in 1485 and about 30 years later completed, is one of the oldest buildings in town. The interior of the cathedral is rather dark. The ceiling is made of wood in a Moorish style.

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The centre of Funchal has nicily decorated pavements in the pedestrians streets and alleyways. There is a lot of variety in the black and white patterns.
There are wide streets with fancy shops and restaurants. Between these streets are lovely alleyways with white houses and buildings, but you can find here also nice boutiques, bars and restaurants.
It's a joy to walk here, away from the traffic jam.