Funchal? What to do?

[Trickie Dickie]

Anyone been to Funchal, Madeira? What is there to do? Are there any beaches? Is there anything I shouldn't miss? Thanks in advance for your help! :D

[tgjr]

Anyone been to Funchal, Madeira? What is there to do? Are there any beaches? Is there anything I shouldn't miss? Thanks in advance for your help! :D

 

Luckey you......Funchal Madeira is a butiful place. NOT> for beaches but for city walks. It all depend how long time you have. If I can recomend you a shorte day of Funchal experience:

 

Go out from the vessel in the morning wear good shoes and take a Taxi up on the mointans. Your vessel docks in the city center ( almost) It is perfet place to take som pictures and look and smell all the flowers. Then you walk around and buy som suvernies. Then you can take the man driven slegs down again. The hills in Fungchal is steep, and the sledgs slides on the stown roads. It does not take too long, but you easely kill a few houers. Then you walk around the OLD city and have some fish dinner or Lunch. I did use to eate on a divers resturand that is easy to spott on the left hand side when you enter the main street in the old city. It has a fey old brass diving helmets as display.

 

Then you have a taste of the local wine Madeira to follow a good bite og strong cheese. The sweetnes of the (strong) wine mixex butifull with a bite of blue cheese.

 

Then you are tired and happy and you can go back onbord the vessel mailing pictures to all yr frends telling them about the greate day of Madeira.

 

( short trip go to the Beatels vessel that is converted to a bar and get drunk )

[The Big Booper]

There is also a tram ride going up and down the mountain, you can do one way or round trip. Not that expensive.

[vjh8799]

Funchal is called the Garden of the Atlantic. Dont miss the beautiful indoor market. The flowers, fruits etc are lovely. Madeira is semi tropical and the flowers are amazing.

Walk from the ship to the funicular for a ride up to Monte - great view. From there stroll around to the sleigh run. The most popular tourist activity in Madeira is to take a sleigh ride down the cobble streets thru town.

The people are very friendly but English is not widely spoken.

Then stroll back to the ship along the promenade.

[jenny wren]

There are also lovely botanical gardens to wander near to Monte where the tobaggan rides begin.

We found most people speak English... unlike the previous poster!

 

At the back of the flower market there is a fish market where you will see fish you've never seen before from the sea locally which is very, very deep.

[aggie1]

By all means do the sledge, sleigh or toboggan ride (whatever it is called) down the mountain. It is a blast. Two locals are behine steering and stopping or slowing down at intersections. My DH didn't go and then was sorry he didn't. At the bottom of the mountain is a small store that had beautiful tablecloths and souviners. Funchal is beautiful. You will really enjoy it.

[truffles2]

I would heartily recommend at least a half day City tour that shows you some of the highlights. I agree with others that it is a beautiful and unusual place that should be explored.

[cruisinfever]

My husband and I spent a week in Funchal, Mediera and it was probably the most beautiful island we have ever been on. We rented a car and toured the entire island. (We never met another American the whole entire trip, which was kinda cool.)

 

If there is a tour taking you to the top of the mountains you should take it. The views were breathtaking. There are built in hiking trails all along the mountain tops. I could not believe how high the mountains were and you look down into the ocean.

 

There are no beaches in Mediera because it is a volcanic island.

 

We also did the toboggan ride. It was alot of fun.

 

This was such an awesome place to visit.

 

Have fun.