Funchal
Now a museum, the Quinta das Cruzes is a quintessential old Madeiran manor house complete with gardens and a private chapel. Originally the home of João…
Must-see attractions in Funchal
Funchal
Built in 1940 by architect Edmundo Tavares, Funchal's art deco market is one of its top attractions as well as still serving as the island's best fresh…
Funchal
Once a run-down area between the Mercado dos Lavradores and the Fortaleza de Santiago, in recent years the 'Old Zone' of merchant's houses and 19th…
Funchal
Funchal's 16th-century cathedral once oversaw the world's largest diocese – all of Portugal’s overseas territories from Madeira to Brazil to Angola – and…
Funchal
Anyone who says Madeira has no beaches should hop on bus 1 or 43 to the boulders and browny-black sand of this wild strand in Funchal's western suburbs…
Funchal
One of the island's top tourist attractions, Madeira's famous botanical gardens are a must for most visitors. Extending over 80,000 sq metres, the gardens…
Funchal
Run by the fifth generation of the D'Oliveira family, this is Funchal's most easily accessible wine experience. Anyone can enter the strongly aromatic…
Funchal
High above Funchal, the villa neighbourhood of Monte is one of the most popular half-day trips from Funchal seafront. The Igreja da Nossa Senhora and the…
Funchal
One of the highlights of any visit to Monte is a wander round the Monte Palace Tropical Gardens. This former hotel began life in the late 18th century as…
Funchal
Housed in the Adegas de São Francisco, the former Franciscan monastery, Blandy's brings together the British-Madeiran wine companies that were given…
Casa da Luz – Museu de Electricidade
Funchal
Decommissioned in 1989, Funchal's old power station, still the headquarters of EEM (Empresa de Electricidade da Madeira – Madeira Electric Company), has…
Funchal
This interactive museum tells Madeira's story in an easily digestible way, from the moment the first volcanic rock seethed through the Atlantic's waves to…
Funchal
If after a few days in Funchal, the fact has escaped your attention, now you know: the world's greatest footballer, Cristiano Ronaldo was born and grew up…
Funchal
IBTAM is the organisation that oversees Madeiran embroidery production – anything bearing their hologram label is guaranteed to be the genuine, locally…
Casa-Museu Frederico de Freitas
Funchal
Built by the counts of Calçada in the 17th century, this tasteful mansion was purchased by a local lawyer, Frederico de Freitas, in the 1940s. An avid…
Funchal
Housed in the former 16th-century bishop's palace dominating the south side of Praça do Município, Madeira's most fascinating art collection is a major…
Funchal
Some 68 stone steps climb dramatically to the doors of one of Madeira's finest churches, Monte's Igreja da Nossa Senhora. Rising in eye-balancing baroque…
Funchal
Set up by Vicente Gomes da Silva in 1865, this exquisitely preserved photographic studio, above a shady cobbled courtyard, was in use until 1982. The…
Funchal
Easy to spot, but taxing to reach, it's worth the slog up to this rock-top fortress northwest of the city centre for the stupendous views, possibly the…
Universo de Memórias João Carlos Abreu
Funchal
Housed in an elegant 19th-century mansion, this museum–arts centre is another repository of knick-knacks donated to the city by an avid collector, this…
Funchal
The ochre and dark-pink fortress that caps the Zona Velha seafront was built in the first half of the 17th century, when Funchal was vulnerable to pirate…
Funchal
This undervisited attraction ambitiously promises 'the island's history in 30 minutes' and, it must be said, doesn't disappoint. With a soundtrack in…
Funchal
This impressive clifftop church at the eastern end of the Zona Velha is a 1750 rebuild – the original was destroyed in the earthquake of 1748. Slightly…
Funchal
Borges is the smallest of Funchal's Madeira wine operations and its diminutive, timber-rich tasting room feels like the furthest away from the tourist…
Funchal
The highlight of this 15th-century convent, once the island's richest, is one of the island's most attractive churches, with floor to ceiling azulejos…
Funchal
High above west Funchal rises the highly visable, whitewashed spire of the Igreja de São Martinho, a big early-20th-century creation. The interior is…
Funchal
Created from an old sugar works – hence the huge chimney in the middle and old bits of machinery scattered around the place – this undervisited city…
Funchal
Funchal's Jesuit Church dominates the city's prettiest square, Praça do Município. No surface is left unadorned in the baroque interior with its azulejos,…
Funchal
Verdant old park in the city centre, created on the site of the Convent of San Francisco, with tens of exotic labelled trees, twittering birds, basalt…
Funchal
Some 500m up in the hills east of Funchal, these much-loved subtropical gardens are a beautiful mix of formal and 'wild' areas with thousands of unusual…
Funchal
Featuring in many a holiday brochure, the view from this miradouro (lookout) east of Funchal is unique as it looks slightly back at the city from the…
Funchal
This large sloping park contains a well-equipped children's playground, a cafe and Madeira's first chapel. It's a lovely picnic spot amid exotic greenery.
Museu Henrique e Francisco Franco
Funchal
The works of early-20th-century Funchal sculptor Francisco Franco can be found at this small museum, which also displays works by his painter brother.
Funchal
This toy museum occupies seven rooms at the Armazém do Mercado and is essentially made up of the 20,000-piece private collection of one José Manuel Borges…
Funchal
This old-fashioned museum, housed (in classic Funchal fashion) in a surplus palace, has an ageing aquarium on the ground floor, and stuffed local fauna,…
Funchal
One of Funchal's largest cemeteries and well off the tourist path, making it all the more fascinating to visit. Funchal's wealthy were once laid to rest…
Funchal
Just below Igreja de São Martinho, you'll discover the lovely Jardim de São Martinho, a south-facing, artificially created set of gardens with thousands…
Funchal
Founded by a former Honorary British Consul Cecil Garton, this garden is the best place to experience Madeira's exquisite orchids. The orchid houses are a…
Funchal
Up a set of steps from the seafront, the terraced Jardim Panorâmico is a sun-catching spot ideal for a lazy afternoon with a book. It's also a superb halt…
Funchal
This down-to-earth swimming and sunbathing area is located at Ponta Gorda, just west of Funchal. The pools, cafe bar, table tennis area and concrete …