Things to Do in Funchal — 20 Best Activities for 2026

Spread across 70,000 m² of terraced hillside, Monte Palace is the most spectacular garden on Madeira. It has two sections — a Japanese garden with koi ponds and stone lanterns, and a South African section with enormous cycads and cacti. The tile panels alone (hand-painted azulejos depicting Portuguese history) are worth the trip. Allow at least 2.5 hours.

Combine with the cable car: ride up from the seafront, spend 2–3 hours in the garden, then walk or take the wicker toboggan back down to Zona Velha.

The cable car runs from the seafront in Zona Velha up to Monte, climbing 560 metres in about 8 minutes. The views over Funchal's terracotta rooftops, the harbour and the Atlantic are extraordinary. Each cabin holds up to 8 people and runs continuously — queues move fast.

Buy the combined ticket: cable car up + Monte Palace entry + toboggan down. It's cheaper than buying each separately and makes a perfect half-day loop.

One of Madeira's most famous experiences: a wicker sledge guided by two men in straw hats down a 2 km road from Monte to Livramento. It's been running since 1850. The ride takes 10–15 minutes, reaching speeds of up to 48 km/h on the steeper sections. Purely for the experience — it won't get you far.

The price is per toboggan (not per person), so it's better value for two. From Livramento, take a taxi or bus back to the seafront — it's about a 20-minute walk downhill if you want to keep going.

The covered market in the centre of Funchal has been running since 1940. Ground floor: flowers and fruit you won't find anywhere else — passion fruit, tamarillo, anona, pitanga, monstera deliciosa. Basement: fish and meat, including the black scabbardfish (espada) that is unique to Madeira and caught at depths of over 1,000 metres. The building itself is decorated with beautiful blue and white tile panels.

Go on Friday or Saturday morning for the biggest selection. The fish market in the basement is most active from 7–10am. Vendors on the upper level can be pushy — it's fine to look without buying.

The official Botanical Garden of Madeira sits on a hillside above Funchal with panoramic views over the city and sea. Over 2,000 plant species are arranged across terraced plots — the succulent garden, the orchid section and the parterre (a geometric garden visible from above) are highlights. More orderly and scientific than Monte Palace, but equally beautiful.

There's a second cable car between the Botanical Garden and Monte Palace — it's included in some combined tickets and saves a lot of walking.

Watching the sun set over Funchal from the water is one of the best experiences the city offers. Local boats leave from the marina in the late afternoon, heading west along the coast. On most trips you'll see dolphins — Madeira's waters host year-round pods of Atlantic spotted and bottlenose dolphins. Sunset cruises typically last 2–3 hours and include wine or poncha.

Book directly with local owners — you get a smaller group, a more personal experience, and no agency markup. Our boats go out daily weather permitting.

Madeira has no sandy beaches in Funchal, but what it has instead are ocean pools — natural or carved rock pools filled with Atlantic seawater. The Lido complex has multiple pools plus a restaurant; Doca do Cavacas is quieter and more natural, with a small cafe, sun terraces on the rocks and direct access to the sea. Both are west of the city centre along the coastal road.

Doca do Cavacas is the local favourite — far fewer tourists, better atmosphere. Go on a weekday morning. The sea temperature around Funchal is 20–24°C from June to October.

Madeira's waters are among the best in Europe for cetacean sightings. Sperm whales are resident year-round; blue whales, fin whales and humpbacks pass through seasonally. Dolphins — spotted, bottlenose, common and striped — are seen on almost every trip. Sightings are spotted by onshore lookouts (vigia) using traditional methods, then radioed to the boats — a system that's been used for generations.

Morning trips (8–10am) tend to have calmer seas and better visibility. Most reputable operators use rigid inflatable boats (RIBs) that get closer to the animals than large catamarans.

Madeira has three dishes and one drink you need to try. Espetada — beef cubes marinated in garlic and bay leaf, grilled on a laurel skewer over an open fire. Usually hung vertically at the table. Espada (black scabbardfish) — a deep-sea fish unique to Madeira, typically served with banana and passion fruit sauce. Bolo do caco — a flat bread made with sweet potato, served with garlic butter. And poncha — local sugarcane spirit with honey and lemon, the traditional drink of Madeira. One glass is enough to understand why it's famous.

For espetada, go to a restaurant in the village of Câmara de Lobos (15 min drive from Funchal) — it's where the dish originated. For espada, the Old Town restaurants do it well and competitively priced.

Funchal's Old Town (Zona Velha) is the most atmospheric part of the city — narrow cobbled streets, painted doors (each one an artwork, part of a running festival), small restaurants with tables outside, and the smell of grilled fish. It's where locals eat dinner. The famous Rua de Santa Maria is one street of painted doors that you'll see in every Funchal guide — and it deserves the attention.

Come for dinner around 7–8pm. The neighbourhood fills up after 8pm with locals, not just tourists. Restaurants here are good and reasonably priced — expect €15–25 per person for a full meal with wine.

Madeira wine is one of the world's most remarkable — a fortified wine that's been aged through a heating and oxidation process that gives it extraordinary longevity. A 1900 Madeira wine is still drinkable. The main lodges (Blandy's, Henriques & Henriques, D'Oliveiras) offer free or paid tastings in Funchal. Blandy's Wine Lodge has an excellent guided tour of the cellars.

Try all four styles in order: Sercial (driest, aperitif), Verdelho (medium, nutty), Bual (sweet, rich), Malmsey (dessert, honey-thick). The older the vintage, the better — ask for a 10-year reserve if the budget allows.

The Cathedral of Funchal was completed in 1514 and is the oldest complete building on Madeira. The ceiling of the nave is made of inlaid Madeiran cedar and ivory — one of the finest examples of Manueline craftsmanship in Portugal. The exterior is Moorish-influenced; the interior is surprisingly quiet and cool even in summer.

Go early morning (8–9am) when it's completely empty and the light comes through the east windows. Takes only 20–30 minutes but worth every second.

The 17th-century yellow fortress at the east end of Zona Velha is one of Funchal's most photographed landmarks — and almost nobody goes inside. The interior houses a contemporary art museum and the ramparts offer views over the bay that are better than anything you'll get from the seafront promenade.

Entry is just €3. The ramparts at sunset are spectacular and almost always empty. Combine with a walk through Zona Velha and dinner.

Most tourists visit the Pico do Facho or Cabo Girão viewpoints — Pico dos Barcelos is quieter and gives the best aerial view of Funchal itself. At 355 metres above the city, you can see the entire bay, the harbour, the pattern of streets and the hills rising behind. There's a small café and a children's play area — locals come here for Sunday picnics.

Sunset here is excellent. Less visited than the main viewpoints, easy to drive to, and the view of the city at golden hour is as good as it gets.

One of Madeira's best-kept secrets — a collection of Flemish paintings from the 15th and 16th centuries that were brought to Madeira during the island's sugar trade with Flanders. The quality is remarkable: works by Jan Gossaert, Gerard David and their contemporaries, in a quiet museum that almost nobody visits. A complete contrast to the botanical gardens and views.

If you have any interest in Northern Renaissance painting, this museum is genuinely worth an hour. It's in the old Bishop's Palace next to the Cathedral. Budget 45–60 minutes.

Just 9 km west of Funchal, Câmara de Lobos is a working fishing village famous for two things: it's where Winston Churchill came to paint during his visits to Madeira, and it's the home of espetada. The harbour — colourful boats, fishermen mending nets, the smell of the sea — is exactly as picturesque as it looks in photographs. The cliffs of Cabo Girão (580 m, one of Europe's highest sea cliffs) are a 10-minute drive from here.

Come for lunch (espetada at a village restaurant), walk the harbour front, then drive up to Cabo Girão for the vertigo-inducing glass platform view. Back in Funchal by 3pm.

Madeira's levada walks are its most famous attraction — hundreds of kilometres of narrow irrigation channels with paths running alongside them through the island's interior. The most accessible from Funchal is the Levada do Caldeirão Verde (PR6): a 13 km round trip through laurisilva forest to a dramatic waterfall. The path is flat for most of the route (levadas don't go uphill — water doesn't), making it accessible even for non-hikers.

Take a car or book a taxi to the trailhead at Queimadas (about 40 min from Funchal). Wear a waterproof — there are tunnels and the forest is wet. Bring a torch for the tunnels.

At 1,818 metres, Pico do Arieiro is Madeira's third-highest peak and one of the most accessible — there's a paved road to the top. On clear mornings, you stand above the cloud layer and watch the peaks of the central mountains emerge like islands from a white sea. The sunrise from here is one of those experiences that doesn't translate to photographs.

Leave Funchal at 5:30am in summer, 6:00am in winter. Check the weather forecast — it changes fast at altitude. The drive takes 45–55 minutes. The peak can be 10–15°C colder than Funchal, even in summer. Bring a warm layer.

The Garajau Marine Reserve, just east of Funchal, is one of the best snorkelling spots in the Atlantic. Protected since 1986, the underwater life here is extraordinary — moray eels, parrotfish, barracuda, octopus, and enormous shoals of bream. The reserve is accessible by boat from Funchal marina (20–30 minutes), or by steps from the Garajau headland (a very long climb down and back up).

Going by boat is far easier and gives you more time in the water. Most snorkelling trips combine Garajau with dolphin watching. Water clarity in summer is exceptional — 20–30 m visibility on good days.

Funchal is the obvious base, but Madeira's best moments are in the north, the east and the central mountains — places that are hard to reach on day trips and impossible to appreciate properly on a tour bus. Renting a campervan for 3–5 days lets you wake up in the laurel forest above Faial, swim at Porto Moniz's volcanic pools, and drive the vertiginous north coast road at your own pace. A completely different island from the one seen from Funchal hotels.

Our two hand-built campervans — Geko and Casa da Avó — are equipped with kitchens, proper beds and everything you need. Both are maintained by Oleg, who has driven every road on the island. Pick-up in Funchal.