21 Best Sights in Funchal, Madeira

The Blandy family has been making Madeira wine for more than 200 years. At Blandy's Wine Lodge, visitors can hear how the wine is made, visit the wine cellars, see the wine museum, and listen to tales about Madeira wine from knowledgeable guides. There's plenty of time for a generous tasting at the end of the visit.

The Botanical Garden is on the grounds of an old plantation 3 km (2 miles) northeast of Funchal. It's home to more than 2,000 well-labeled plants—including anthuriums, bird-of-paradise flowers, and a large cactus collection—hailing from four continents. From the grounds, it is possible to savor wonderful views of Funchal, and check out the petrified trunk of a 10-million-year-old heather tree. There's also a natural history museum and a small birds garden. You can get here on Bus 29, 30, 31, or 31A, or you can ride the cable car, departing from the small hilltop settlement of Monte.

This 30-acre estate 5 km (3 miles) northeast of Funchal is a lovely spot to see the many colorful plants that bloom year-round in Madeira. Visitors will see hibiscus and bougainvillea most of the year, while jacaranda and bauhinias crop up seasonally. Owned by the wine-producing Blandy family, the manicured gardens make for a pleasant afternoon, and the teahouse here serves delicious homemade cakes and tarts. It's a steep drive—Nos. 36, 37, and 47 buses pass several times a day, and it's a popular stop on organized tours of the island.

This vast art deco building will delight architecture buffs, while the interior is a riot of colors and scents. In the center patio of the market, vendors sell orchids, bird-of-paradise flowers (the emblem of Madeira), anthuriums, and other blooms, alongside enormous piles of fruits and vegetables. The bustling lower-level seafood market displays the day's catch. (Note the rows of fierce-looking espada: their huge, bulging eyes are caused by the fatal change in pressure between their deepwater habitat and sea level.) On the upper floor—where you can stand and watch the colorful market scene below—you will find handicrafts and a handful of cafés and coffee shops that offer a chance to refuel with a bica (espresso) and a sandes de carne vinho e alhos (pork, wine, and garlic sandwich).

This narrow alley of Santa Maria in Funchal's Old Town is worth walking down for the atmosphere alone: diners eat at small sidewalk cafés (though many of them are touristy), restaurant owners beckon you in for a glass of poncha, and the smell of grilled fish fills the air. But this street holds an even greater lure, as there's colorful artwork that covers almost every door. There are more than 200 paintings, depicting everything from bookshelves to musicians, created by local artists in an attempt to revitalise the area. Go early if you want to capture the paintings on camera as the street can get busy towards the afternoon.

The sleek, Austrian-engineered cable car service travels from Funchal's waterfront up to Monte at 1,804 feet above sea level. The trip takes 15 minutes each way, and there are great views to enjoy as you float silently up and over the city's white-washed houses. The orange roofs form a patchwork from above, complemented by swooping birds of prey, scampering mountain goats, and new blooms on the trees. A great option is to ride the cable car up, then take one of the renowned snowless "basket toboggans" part of the way back down.

The stately Old Customs House is home to Madeira's parliament (which is closed to the public). From here deputies govern the island, which is part of Portugal but enjoys greater autonomy than the mainland provinces. The building's original 16th-century Manueline style was given baroque touches during renovations that followed the devastating 18th-century earthquake that almost leveled faraway Lisbon.

This delightful rose-colored museum has been renovated in the style of a 19th-century quinta (country estate). You can find antique furniture, hand-woven carpets, and paintings collected by the Madeirian lawyer and world traveler Frederico de Freitas, who resided here in the early 20th century. Don't miss the adjacent Casa dos Azulejos, a museum dedicated to decorative tiles from Spain, Persia, Turkey, Holland, and Syria that date from medieval times to the 19th century, as well as Portuguese tiles rescued from demolished buildings on the island.

Located inside the Pestana Casino Park, this betting house was designed by the world-renowned Brazilian modernist architect Oscar Niemeyer. You must be at least 18 years old to enter, although children are permitted in the Bahia restaurant. Dress is smart casual (no beach sandals allowed). There's also a dance club downstairs called the Copacabana, which holds neon light-filled parties—often with live Brazilian music—on weekend nights.

It's a steep walk to get to the fortress, but it's worth the effort for the dazzling views of Funchal. The Fort of the Peak was built in 1611 to protect the settlement against pirate attacks. Today, you can view parts of the ramparts, as well as visit a small museum that has prints of the building over the years on display. A coffee shop with great views over the city offers a chance to refuel before heading back down the hill.

The robust yellow fortaleza dates to 1614, if not earlier, when French corsairs began to threaten Funchal's coveted deepwater harbor. Thanks to continuous use—by British troops when their nation was allied with Portugal against Napoléon, and during the visit of Portuguese King Dom Carlos in 1901—much of the military stronghold has been preserved, though it's now a bit decrepit. You can wander around the ramparts, which offer interesting views over the old town and sea below.

Fun for children, this museum is a great introduction to Madeira for first-time visitors. It's not high tech, but a series of models, paintings, archival footage, and multimedia displays explain the history and culture of the island, from volcanic beginnings through the days of pirates to the flying boats that brought the first plane passengers to Funchal. There's a rooftop terrace with fine views over town—including the cable car that glides past—as well as a souvenir shop, café, and daily activities for kids.

Once the home of a Genoese wine-shipping family, the 17th-century building and grounds of this museum are as impressive as its collection of antique furniture, paintings, drawings, sculpture, and ceramics. Of special interest are the palanquins—lounge chairs once used to carry the grand ladies of colonial Madeira around town. Don't miss the small garden filled with ancient stone columns, window frames, arches, and tombstone fragments rescued from buildings that have been demolished around the island. It also has an alluring café.

Funchal's Museum of Sacred Art has Flemish paintings, polychrome wood statues, and other treasures displayed in a former bishop's palace. Most of the priceless paintings were commissioned by the first merchants of Madeira, who traded sugar for Flemish art so they could decorate their private chapels. The Adoration of the Magi was painted in 1518 for a wealthy trader from Machico and was paid for not in gold, but in sugar. You can tell how important this commodity was to the island by examining Funchal's coat of arms: it depicts five loaves of sugar in the shape of a cross. The museum offers guided tours in English on Wednesday and Thursday at 11 am.

The Funchal Natural History Museum, the oldest museum in Madeira, displays more than 41,000 specimens of animals and plant life found on Madeira and in its seas—including a ferocious-looking collection of stuffed sharks. Attached is a small aquarium where you can watch the graceful movements of an octopus and view a family of sea turtles. The museum is just a short walk from the city center, near the Sao Pedro Church.

Built in the 17th century as Madeira's first fortress, the St. Lawrence Palace is still used as a military headquarters. If you make an appointment in advance, you can see the grand ballroom and other state rooms filled with sumptuous works of art and antique furniture.

Abloom with flowers all year-round, Santa Catarina Park covers an area of nearly nine acres, making it one of the largest parks on the island. It offers fantastic views over Funchal and its bay up to the Ponta do Garajau. In the center of the park rests the tiny Capela de Santa Catarina (St. Catherine's Chapel), built by Madeira's discoverer João Gonçalves Zarco in 1425. Just above the park is a pink mansion called Quinta Vigia, the residence of the president of Madeira—it's closed to the public but you can visit its 18th-century chapel, lined with beautiful tiles.

Vast cruise ships dock at Funchal's central port, which has been given a major face-lift over recent years, and the surrounding promenade now features marinas, cafés, and manicured green spaces. The backdrop, with cloud-shrouded mountains in one direction and blue sea in the other, makes it a more than picture-worthy spot, and it's also a good place to pick up leaflets about boat tours and excursions or to stop for a bite at one of the refreshment kiosks and food trucks.

Renowned for its ceiling with intricate geometric designs of inlaid ivory, Funchal's cathedral dates from 1514 and reveals an Arabic influence throughout. Don't miss the elaborately carved and gilded choir stalls in the side entrance and in the chancel (they depict the prophets and the apostles), or the intricate tile work at the side entrance and in the belfry.