Santa Maria Maior

One of the island's oldest temples, in the heart of the Zona Velha: raised at the end of the 15th century by Funchal's fishermen in honour of St Pedro Gonçalves Telmo, patron of fishermen and sailors, it long served as the seat of their mutual-aid brotherhood for shipwrecks or illness. Also called the Espírito Santo chapel, it keeps a 15th-century pointed-archivolt portal; the interior, remodelled in the 16th and 17th centuries, shows a painted panel of the saint blessing a Manueline caravel — probably one of the oldest images of a ship in Madeira. Rua de Santa Maria and its restaurants are next door.

Funchal's first settlement, today its liveliest quarter: narrow cobbled lanes, old façades and, since the "Portas Pintadas" (Painted Doors) project, doors and fronts handed to artists that turned Rua de Santa Maria — one of the city's oldest streets — into an open-air gallery. At the heart of the quarter, the Corpo Santo chapel, one of the few 15th-century buildings still standing; up the street, traditional houses such as the Fábrica de Chapéus and the Fábrica de Botas de Vilão, then the Baroque Socorro church and a small lookout. By day for the heritage, by night for the buzz.

The "Casa da Luz", housed in Funchal's former power station, opened in 1897 by the Madeira Electric Lighting Company, the island's first concessionaire, and shut down in 1989 after the municipal electricity services were created in 1949. Rare old machines and appliances, and three routes: "Lights of Funchal" (the city's successive lighting), "A Century of Electricity" (the archipelago's electrification) and "Energy Sources", looking to renewables. Interactive resources, a temporary-exhibition room, a documentation centre and an auditorium.

Fourteen million years summed up in an interactive visit of an hour and a half, on Rua Dom Carlos I near the cable-car station: authentic historical objects and multimedia, in eight chapters — volcanic origins, legends of discovery, discovery of Madeira, turmoil and trade, strategic island, development, after navigation, exploring Madeira. From pirates to centuries-old traditions, for all ages, with a panoramic terrace over the centre.

Dreamed of since the 17th century, opened in 1960 in Quinta do Bom Sucesso (founded in 1881 by the Reid family), the Madeira Botanical Garden is run by the regional forestry institute: about eight hectares, five of them landscaped — ornamental trees and shrubs, an orchid area, lawns, an amphitheatre, lookouts over the capital — and more than 2,000 exotic plants from every continent, some endangered in their home countries, with a research and conservation section; on site, the garden's Natural History Museum and the Herbarium. Caminho do Meio, Bom Sucesso; the Botanical Garden cable car arrives here from Monte. Since 1 January 2026 entry is free for residents of the Region and remains charged for visitors.

A viewpoint in motion: 3,200 m of cable between the centre of Funchal — the Rua Dom Carlos I station on the seafront, near the Madeira Story Centre — and the parish of Monte (Largo das Babosas 8), above a garden city where the blue of the sea, the orange of the roofs and the green of the vegetation mingle. At the top, Monte church, Monte Palace, the municipal park and the sledge departure; from Babosas a second cable car goes down to the Botanical Garden. Operator's 2026 fares: €22 return, €16 one-way, free up to age 6, half price from 7 to 14; open daily 8:45–17:45 except Christmas Day. Maintenance closures announced on the site (for example 20–24 July 2026, with a shuttle).

The small beach of Funchal's old town, tucked against the São Tiago fort: a pebbly recess where the traditional fishing boats rest after their night at sea, shared with bathers. Free access, a beach bar with a terrace over the bay. The regional tourism board reminds you that the beach is unsupervised: take care. Bathing season 2026: 1 June – 15 September, but lifeguard cover not yet confirmed. In a swell follow the flags: red = no bathing.

The lookout of the Madeira Botanical Garden, about three kilometres from the centre, at the top of the left bank of the João Gomes stream: a plunging view over the whole Funchal amphitheatre, a mosaic of colours edged by the sea. The garden occupies Quinta do Bom Sucesso, built in 1881 by the Reid family and opened to the public in 1960: about eight hectares, five of them landscaped, more than 2,000 exotic plants from every continent (some endangered in their home countries), an orchid area, lawns, an amphitheatre and a research and conservation section. Reaching the lookout means going through the garden's paid entrance (fee and hours: see the garden's own entry); the Jardim Botânico cable car arrives here from Monte.

Created in 1938, 77 m above sea level on Rua Conde Carvalhal, it frames Funchal bay almost perfectly. It sits in the Vila Guida garden, 2,000 m² on two levels: below, botanical species including several very large trees visible from the marina; above, the viewpoint and its benches, with a tile panel by Adriana Lajinha showing the old amphitheatre of Funchal.

A viewpoint at Estrela, municipality of Funchal. Wheelchair accessible. It stands 61 m above sea level, 71 m from the coast; the DROTe 2023 orthophoto shows a platform or a parking area there.

A viewpoint at Jardim Botânico, municipality of Funchal. It stands 319 m above sea level, 1,923 m from the coast; the DROTe 2023 orthophoto shows a platform or a parking area there.