Funchal was made a city on 21 August 1508 by Royal Charter issued by King Manuel I. It is the most important business, tourist and cultural in the Madeira Archipelago.
Its name comes from a sweet-smelling wild herb called Foeniculum vulgare, more commonly known as fennel, which was abundant there when the first settlers arrived.
Funchal is the largest municipality in the region and has 10 parishes.
The city of Funchal has plenty of leisure activities to offer. You can visit its magnificent gardens, wander through its picturesque streets and squares with Portuguese cobblestone pavements or simply stop and relax at one of the pavement cafés in the city centre.
Funchal’s museums and historical buildings are also well worth a visit and there are art galleries with works by national and international artists.
The sea breeze around the city’s bay invites you to come and call at Funchal Marina, full of vessels from all over the world.
Santa Maria Maior
The settlement of the island began more than five centuries ago in the traditional, colourful Santa Maria neighbourhood, where the street of that name, built in 1430, is the oldest thoroughfare in the city.
The narrow cobbled streets and the restored façades of the old buildings invite us to take a stroll to the traditional Mercado dos Lavradores. Added to the exuberant colours of the flower sellers’ outfits is the exotic mixture of subtropical fruits and vegetables. At the fish market, the scabbard fish and huge, exotic tuna on display beside more common types of fish are a great attraction.
In this neighbourhood, on the way to Forte de São Tiago, now occupied by the Contemporary Art Museum, you will find a variety of cafés and restaurants, some fado houses, the Madeira cable car building, the starting point for the cable car up the city’s hillsides to Monte, the small Corpo Santo Chapel and the Barreirinha Bathing Complex, with access to the sea. Nearby is the Church of Santa Maria Maior, which dates back to 1803, also known as Igreja do Socorro.
Monte
Monte is often compared to Sintra, in mainland Portugal, as it has some of the most beautiful old palaces and its bucolic surroundings exude the charm of days gone by.
Monte has a wealth of romantic attractions that fascinate all who go there. One of these attractions is the exotic Monte Palace Tropical Garden. This garden, which originally belonged to the late 18th-century Quinta do Prazer, was once a hotel. It was then bought to be the headquarters of a charitable organisation, Fundação de Solidariedade Social José Berardo.
The garden is full of a wide variety of species of plants and flowers, some of which belong to Madeira’s indigenous forest, lakes, fountains, oriental gardens and collections of fine panels of old tiles.
A museum has recently been added to the building. It has two permanent collections, one of minerals and the other of contemporary sculpture from Zimbabwe.
Along with the Monte Palace Garden, the Church of Nossa Senhora do Monte is very popular with pilgrims. It is dedicated to Our Lady of the Mount, the patron saint of Madeira, in whose honour the region’s biggest religious feast is held on 15 August. Many faithful come here to pray or fulfil vows at the tomb of Charles I of Austria. The emperor died in 1922 at Quinta do Monte, now called Quinta Jardins do Imperador.
To learn a little more about the history of the emperor’s stay here, go along to the quinta that bears his name and stop to have tea in the beautiful Malakof Garden while basking in the tranquillity and beauty.
>From the strikingly beautiful Malakof Tower you will get a fine view of the landscape from Monte to Funchal.
In addition to once being the home of Emperor Charles of Austria and of the famous artist Lourdes de Castro, it has also been visited by distinguished figures such as King Carlos and Queen Amélia of Portugal, the aviators Gago Coutinho and Sacadura Cabral and the fado singer Amália Rodrigues.
There is another interesting belvedere in Largo das Babosas, with a fantastic view of the Ribeira de João Gomes Valley. In this square is the Chapel of Nossa Senhora da Conceição (Our Lady of the Conception), which dates back to the early 20th century and contains a piece donated by Queen Amélia.
Quite nearby, only 2 km from Monte and well worth a visit, is the largest monument in Madeira. It is dedicated to Our Lady of Peace and was built in Terreiro da Luta following the bombing of Funchal by German submarines in 1917.
For the grand finale of your trip to Monte, go back to the entrance of the Monte Palace Garden and take a unique, exhilarating ride in one of the traditional Monte sledges. These wickerwork sledges pushed by two carreiros, or sledge drivers, slide on wooden runners for 4 km down to Funchal.
To get to Monte, take the cable car from Funchal. It is the best way to enjoy the magnificent views of the bay and the city’s deep valleys.
Terreiro da Luta
If you are interested in history, visit the largest monument in Madeira, about 2 km from Monte.
In Terreiro da Luta, this monument, dedicated to Our Lady of Peace, was built following the bombing of Funchal by German submarines in 1917. The islanders vowed that, if peace was restored, they would build another statue in honour of Senhora do Monte, or Our Lady of the Mount. Ten years later, work was completed on a huge, 5-metre-high marble statue.
Funchal Ecological Park
Half way between Monte and Poiso is the Funchal Ecological Park, which occupies about 1,000 hectares. In this park, you will find Pico Alto, in the Ribeira das Cales area, with its excellent belvedere looking out over Funchal, and Chão da Lagoa which will take you to two of the highest points in Madeira, Pico do Areeiro (1,810 metres) and Pico Ruivo (1,862 metres).
We recommend a walk to Poço da Neve, a kind of stone igloo, built 1,600 metres above sea level, which was once used to store ice gathered from the winter snow and hail.
Population: 103,962
Bathing areas: Barreirinha Bathing Complex, Lido Bathing Complex, Praia do Gorgulho, Ponta Gorda and Poças do Governador Bathing Complex, Doca do Cavacas Bathing Complex, Praia Formosa Bathing Complex, Praia dos Namorados, Praia do Areeiro, Clube de Turismo and Clube Naval do Funchal.