How to Spend Two Days in Funchal, Madeira

Funchal is the beautiful capital city of Madeira, Portugal. It is much bigger than I was expecting – it’s the sixth-largest city in Portugal and home to over 100,000 people. What really makes Funchal special is its setting. Madeira is a volcanic island in the Atlantic, known for its dramatic mountains, lush green valleys, and rugged coastline. Funchal stretches up the hillsides from the ocean, so even within the city, you’re never far from a beautiful view.

Day One

Day one in Funchal is a great way to ease into your Madeira trip. The itinerary is a bit slower-paced, giving you time to recover from your travels while still seeing some of the city’s highlights. I recommend staying right in town (at least for part of your time in Madeira) so you can walk everywhere. Parking in Funchal can be difficult to find, and we really enjoyed how walkable the city was.

Brunch Club

Start your morning at Brunch Club, a very popular restaurant. Make sure to get there when they open at 9am – there are a limited number of tables and it will fill up quickly. When we went, all of the tables were taken by 9:15 and there were several people waiting outside until the first people to arrive were done eating. The food was delicious and portion sizes were big. I got the salmon and labne toast, Mike got the English breakfast, and we split an order of the pancakes. Everything was amazing and we weren’t able to finish our food (even though Mike is a big eater)! The fresh squeezed OJ was also a hit.

Funchal Cathedral

Funchal’s main cathedral was built in the 1500s and is one of the few original structures in Madeira that remains virtually untouched. Visitors can enter the church for free or climb the bell tower for €4. I thought this part of town was really cute and I liked the vibe.

Mercado dos Lavradores

Check out the bustling farmers’ market in the old town. The market sells fresh fruit and local goods. There are also several restaurants and a gelato shop just outside of it. We stopped here for gelato and wandered through the market to see it.

Old Town

The Old Town is the heart of Funchal. It is mainly centered on the pedestrian street of Rua de Santa Maria. This street is packed with traditional restaurants, local bars, and souvenir shops.

Sabor a Fado

I highly recommend spending the evening at Sabor a Fado. This is a family-run restaurant that combines traditional Fado music in an intimate setting with traditional local Madeiran cuisine. I made a reservation on their website a few weeks before our visit. We arrived at 7pm and were escorted to a table where another couple was already sitting, and then a family of four were seated right after us. We ended up having a great conversation with everyone at the table, which really added to the experience.

I was quite impressed with how they ran the restaurant. As people trickled in, the two waitresses would take orders and then sing a few songs in between. One of the waitresses even took orders while she was singing! Mike and I split the bolo do caco (incredible Portuguese garlic bread), shrimp on the stone, and steak on the stone. Everything was delicious!

One thing to note is that the dinner took quite some time since there were several singing breaks – we didn’t end up leaving until around 10pm, which was a bit difficult since we hadn’t gotten much sleep the previous night. We still really enjoyed it, and it was one of our favorite dinner experiences we’ve ever had!

Day Two

Nata 7

Start your day with one of the best things Portugal has to offer: a pastel de nata (or a few)! The custard-filled pastries were one of my favorite finds during my first trip to Portugal, and I was so glad that they were just as popular in Madeira. Nata 7 is a shop that only sells pastel de natas. There are a few locations around Funchal. There are also plenty of other places that sell them, but I thought they were the best at Nata 7.

Take the Cable Car Up to Monte

The cable car transports visitors from the city 1,800 feet up to the mountaintop village of Monte. The ride takes about 15 minutes and offers panoramic views of Funchal. The cable car opens at 8:45am. You can purchase a ticket online ahead of time. We just bought them at the office, which only added a couple extra minutes since we were there when they opened and the line moved quickly.

Monte Palace Tropical Garden

This is often described as one of the most beautiful botanical gardens in the world. The property was originally a private estate, before it was turned into a hotel. After the owner passed away, the estate was transformed into a vibrant tropical garden. The garden features over 100,000 different species of plants from around the world.

The tropical garden opens at 9am and I recommend coming as early as possible. When we arrived at 9:15, we had it mostly to ourselves. By the time we left around 10:15, it was getting pretty crowded.

It’s built on a steep mountainside, so you’ll start at the top and wander your way down. Make sure to keep your ticket stub for a complimentary wine tasting at the Bluehouse Cafe at the very bottom of the garden.

Note that you will be climbing back up at the end, so make sure to wear appropriate shoes. Ask about their golf cart services at the ticket gate if you have limited mobility.

LocalShop for Coffee and a Snack

Just down the road from the tropical garden is a small coffee shop with a great view. It’s a great spot to stop if you want a little break.

Church of Our Lady of Monte

Next, walk back towards the tropical garden and a little past it to see the main church of Monte. You’ll have to climb quite a few stairs to get there, as it is perched up on a hill.

Toboggan Ride

Next, you’ll take the thrilling journey back down to Funchal (partly) on the traditional wicker sleds. I loved reading about the origins of these toboggans. They started around 1850 as a public transportation method when locals needed a quick way to descend the steep hills. The toboggans are steered by two drivers who use their thick rubber-soled boots as steering and breaking mechanisms.

This was such a fun experience! They actually go pretty fast – the toboggans can get up to 24 mph (38 kph). This is one of the most popular activities for tourists in Madeira, so keep in mind that there will be a line. We got in line around 10:45am and waited about an hour.

Uber/Bolt Back to Town

The toboggans only take you about 2 kilometers down from Monte, so you can walk back to Funchal or get a ride. We took a Bolt back to our Airbnb, which saved us about 30 minutes of walking. I recommend having food at your place to have a quick lunch since you’ll be heading back out for the rest of the afternoon.

VIP Dolphin Cruise

Dolphin and whale watching is a must while in Madeira. You can see many species year-round. There are several different companies to choose from. We decided to go with VIP Dolphins because they have a maximum of 17 guests per trip. We loved knowing that the boat wouldn’t be packed with other tourists. The tour is also all inclusive, which we thought was a nice touch.

The afternoon trip leaves at 2:30pm, and we arrived at the marina a little after 2pm to check in. Our boat was manned by a captain and two deckhands, who also doubled as guides for marine life. The boat is a small luxury catamaran yacht, and we thought it was very nice! Mike and I chose to sit out on the bunny pad, which was the best spot on the boat. The crew came around multiple times to offer us drinks and snacks.

The company has spotters on land who are scanning for marine life throughout the day. They let us know there was at least one whale that we were headed towards. We saw the whale and a pod of dolphins!

Madeira has strict regulations that only allow a single vessel to observe a whale or pod of dolphins for a maximum of 15 minutes. After our time was up, we navigated closer to the shore for a swimming break. The water was too chilly for me, but Mike got to see a sea turtle on his swim.

Then we navigated back to the marina. The whole trip lasted about 3 hours.

Drink & Appetizer at Barreirinha Bar Café

Have a drink at Barreirinha Bar Café, a popular restaurant with a large terrace overlooking the ocean. It’s located on the edge of the old town, and was a quick and easy five-minute walk from our Airbnb. The Caesar salad was very good!

Dinner at A Nova Celha

Have a classic Madeiran dinner at A Nova Celha. We really enjoyed the picado (steak bites with gravy on a bed of fries), espetada (steak skewers), and bolo do caco (garlic butter flatbread).

Where to Stay

I recommend staying somewhere in Funchal that is within a 15-minute walk from the main attractions. Note that the further north you stay, the more you will have to climb uphill to get back to your place. We also really loved having a kitchen for a few meals, so getting an apartment was perfect. If you are planning to get a rental car, make sure to look for a place that includes parking. Our place had a parking deck below our building, and we never had a problem getting a spot.