Best Things to Do in Funchal
How to spend two or three days in the capital without a car, and what to skip.
By Madeira.Vacations · 7 min read · Last checked 10 July 2026
Morning: the market, early
The Mercado dos Lavradores is at its best before nine, when it is still a working market. Upstairs is fruit and flowers; downstairs is the fish hall, where the black scabbard fish is the main event.
Be direct about pricing if a vendor offers you fruit to taste — agree the price per piece before you accept.
Prices, opening hours and trail access change often. We last checked this on 10 July 2026 — confirm before you set off.
Late morning: the Zona Velha
Rua de Santa Maria's painted doors are a genuine public art project from 2010 and still the most photogenic street in the city. It is quiet before lunch and packed after.
The Barreirinha bathing complex at the end of the street is where locals swim.
Afternoon: cable car, Monte, toboggan
The cable car climbs 550 m in fifteen minutes with a continuous view over the bay. At the top, the Monte Palace Tropical Garden deserves a full two hours.
The wicker toboggan back down to Livramento is two kilometres of controlled sliding steered by two men in straw hats. It is unashamedly touristic and completely worth doing once.
Evening
Eat in the old town or walk west along the promenade to Câmara de Lobos for grilled fish and poncha. The seafront path is lit and flat the whole way.
