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
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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Funchal
Housed in the Adegas de São Francisco, the former Franciscan monastery, Blandy's brings together the British-Madeiran wine companies that were given…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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Funchal
IBTAM is the organisation that oversees Madeiran embroidery production – anything bearing their hologram label is guaranteed to be the genuine, locally…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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,…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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.
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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.
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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…
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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,…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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 …