While there’s no shortage of picturesque towns and villages that you could stay in on Madeira, if you want easy access to the island’s many hiking trails Funchal is (in my opinion, anyway) the best place to base yourself. We headed for the hills first thing in the morning, and then spent whatever was left of the afternoon exploring Funchal. There will doubtless be places that some consider a must-see that we didn’t prioritise, but hopefully this post gives you a flavour (pun intended) of what there is to see and eat in Funchal.
Jardim Botânico da Madeira
We lucked out with our visit to the Jardim Botânico da Madeira (Madeira Botanical Garden), as 1st July is Madeira Day – so bus travel within the city centre and entry to the gardens was free. Bus 31 dropped us a short distance from the entrance, and we spent a good couple of hours meandering round the gardens. I especially liked the succulents and cacti, some of which were absolutely enormous. We also spotted a few cats snoozing around the frog ponds (an added bonus!).
Nata 7
A pastel de nata and a coffee for 1,50€ was a deal Laurence couldn’t refuse. There are quite a few of these dotted around the city, so chances are you’ll never be further than a ten-minute walk from one.
Street Art in the Zona Vela
Rua de Santa Maria runs the length of the Zona Vela, and is where you will find many of the murals the area is known for. After refuelling at a nearby café – a pastel de nata for Laurence and a slab of something chocolatey for me – we spent an hour pottering around the side streets after a hike from Monte to Camacha (more on that next time). Here are a few of the doors that caught my eye:
Infinito Wine Bar
We tried Infinito Wine Bar off the back of some Reddit reviews, and it was so good. (And if, like me, you don’t drink wine, you can enjoy a Madeiran staple instead: passionfruit Brisa. Think Fanta, but passionfruit flavoured.) There’s no menu here; instead, the owner simply asks you if you’d like meat or fish, and then reels off what’s available today. Towards the end of our trip, I spotted him shopping for fish at the Mercado dos Lavradores – so you are definitely getting fresh produce here.
Laurence opted for ribs, while I had fish (an entire fish at that – which was more than I had bargained for!). We were given a nibble of cheese and a sliver of ham while we waited for our mains, plus a chocolate to round off our meal, and were pleasantly surprised when the bill came to 36€. When it comes to eating out, Madeira felt on the more affordable end of the scale.
Gelateria Chafariz
Usually, I am an ice-cream-a-day type tourist (old habits die hard, what else can I say?). On this trip, I only had three. One – a delicious scoop of passionfruit gelato – was from Gelateria Chafariz, which was only a five-minute walk from our hotel. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a chance to try more of their flavours as they then closed for their annual holiday for the rest of our time in Funchal.
Bela 5
We loved Bela 5 so much we went twice – once in the evening, and once in the afternoon before our flight home. Both times, the service was speedy and the food delicious. There’s no fuss or frills here, just simple food done well. If you want to try poncha (the island’s traditional drink, made with Madeiran rum, sugar and lemon juice), Laurence rated this one pretty highly.
Passionfruit cheesecake pops up on almost every dessert menu on Madeira, and Bela 5’s is one of the best. Save room for a slice. I promise you won’t regret it.
Taberna Madeira
Taberna Madeira is a brilliant choice if you want to sample a few of the local specialities, as their ‘portions’ menu enables you to order a selection of dishes. We had tea here twice, and tried a few different things on each visit: bolo do caco (Madeira’s answer to garlic bread), octopus (I didn’t partake, but Laurence said it was good), milhau frito (these are fried cubes of polenta), chicken in soy sauce, assorted vegetables, fish cakes and tempura espada (scabbard fish). It’s a little pricier than Infinito Wine Bar and Bela 5 , but we felt it was worth it.
Catching the Cable Car to Monte
For a bird’s eye view of Funchal, the cable car to Monte is hard to beat. We caught it mid-afternoon, and the queue moved fairly quickly. Before too long, we were gliding up the hillside. Funchal sprawled out beneath us: brightly-coloured houses with terracotta rooves, gardens filled with palm trees and the occasional swimming pool, and banana plantations squished into any leftover space.
Carreiros do Monte (Monte Toboggan Wicker Sledges)
I remember the first time I came across Madeira’s toboggans: an episode of Travel Man, back when it was hosted by Richard Ayoade. It’s one of those things that you’re not going to do anywhere else, and it is worth experiencing just the once. We queued for about 45 minutes, but it was mid-afternoon on a Saturday – so if you didn’t want to queue for that long, a weekday might be a better bet. As we inched towards the front of the queue, we had a good view of the toboggans setting off.
Once upon a time, toboggans were the only way to transport goods across Madeira. Now, they provide tourists with a chance to hurtle down (some of) Funchal’s steep streets at a top speed of 25mph (though our average speed was a more leisurely 8mph, according to Laurence’s Strava).
The tarmac is super shiny in places and – I’m not going to lie – it was a bit disconcerting to be whizzing along in what is essentially a wicker basket when cars also use the road, but it was great fun. The only thing we didn’t like about the experience was being pestered for a tip at the end, given it’s not the cheapest ‘attraction’ as it is.
Churrascaria São Roque
One of Madeira’s most popular dishes is espetada – chunks of meat (traditionally beef) which are skewered and grilled, and then hung from a hook above your table so that garlic butter melts over them. We caught Bus 17 to São Roque (alight by the church) to try espetada at a popular local spot, Churrascaria São Roque. We chose two skewers – one beef, one pork – plus sides of milhau frito and bolo do caco. Half the fun for us was the novelty of getting to cook the meat ourselves over the open flames (the food was delicious too).
Pub Number 2
A prego (that’s a bolo do caco with a thin, tender slice of steak inside) at Pub Number 2 fuelled us up perfectly for our walk along the coast to Praia Formosa. And it was only 2,90€, which is less than you’d pay for a meal deal. (I think Pub Number 2’s prego had the edge over Ô Leque, which we visited on a couple of occasions, but Laurence preferred Ô Leque.)
A Walk Along Frente Mar
Lonely Planet’s Pocket Madeira describes this as a “sun-drenched walk”, and I can confirm that is true. I am less sure about describing it as a “lazy first-day stroll”, however. If we are equating ‘lazy’ with ‘flat’, then sure, it ticks that box. But it is almost entirely devoid of shade, which means it is rather unforgiving on a warm summer’s afternoon. Take a bottle of water with you, or prepare to punctuate your walk with frequent stops in the many cafés and bars to be found along the route.
On our way back towards Funchal, we stopped off in the Jardim Panorâmico. A pádel tennis tournament was in full swing, and there were plenty of benches to chill on and enjoy the sea views (the park’s resident lizards seemed to be this way inclined too).
Rei da Poncha
We swung by Rei da Poncha a few times. For those (like me) who aren’t interested in sampling their extensive range of ponchas, there is limonada frappe: a tasty homemade lemonade, served with lots of crushed ice and garnished with mint. (They also showed lots of the football matches, though we found it quite funny that they stopped streaming them as soon as Portugal was knocked out.) Make sure you have some cash on you, as they don’t take card.
Informal
Informal was a recommendation from Luis, our driver for the Pico do Arieiro to Pico Ruivo hike (more on that soon). Contrary to what the restaurant’s name might suggest, we found this place quite fancy – and it was evidently pretty sought-after, as we nabbed one of the last tables and there was a steady queue outside for the duration of our meal.
Laurence chose the catch of the day (amberjack, which is similar to tuna), while I opted for the steak (a rare treat, especially when eating out). I am the person who will always choose a dessert over a starter, and often eyes up the dessert menu before choosing a main. We shared the trio of chocolate and the mango cheesecake, both of which were divine.
Mercado dos Lavradores
We didn’t make it in time to see the fish market in action (for that, you need to go first thing in the morning – a time when we were usually on a bus to the starting point of whichever hike we’d chosen that day), but it is still worth a wander round later on in the day. There are all sorts of weird and wonderful fruits on display in the courtyard (pineapple banana, anyone?) and, much to our surprise, the souvenirs upstairs are competitively priced. Cue: a brightly-coloured magnet purchased to add to our growing collection on the fridge at home.
Fábrica Santo António
If you’re looking for edible souvenirs for friends and family, Fábrica Santo António is a solid choice. Established in 1893, this fifth-generation family business sells biscuits in a wide range of flavours (plus other delights, like passionfruit jam and the traditional bolo de mel).
Slice
Although Slice was opposite our hotel, we didn’t venture inside until our final day. It was worth the wait, though, as their cakes were very moreish.
Readers who have visited Funchal may have noticed this post contains no photos of the colourful Madeira sign (or Letreiro Madeira). When we arrived, it was in situ along the front. We would get a photo with it on our last day, I decided; when we passed it, we tended to be en route either to a bus or to the hotel for a shower after a sweaty hike. And so our last day rolled round – and the sign had… gone. Gone. Vanished. Disappeared. We even went to the tourist information office to enquire after it, and they were bewildered as to why it had been moved to make way for some food festival. Moral of the story: never assume something will be there later, and just take the photo when you see it.