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Funchal is the capital and main city of the autonomous region of Madeira on the island of Madeira in the south between Santa Cruz and Camara de Lobos cities.
The city's name comes from the abundance of fennel (funcho) found on the island. It was an important shipping center during the 15th-17th centuries. It is one of the most beautiful cities in Portugal.
Today Funchal is a major tourist town, with hotels, port, and an international airport Funchal Airport (FNC), located in the nearby municipality of Santa Cruz.
Besides the city of Funchal, tourist destinations include Ribeira Brava, Curral das Freiras, Porto Moniz, Santana, the Laurisilvaforest, a UNESCO Natural Site, in the center of Madeira Island and the beaches in Porto Santo island. There is also a passenger gondola lift (Funchal Cable Car),... Read more
Funchal is the capital and main city of the autonomous region of Madeira on the island of Madeira in the south between Santa Cruz and Camara de Lobos cities.
The city's name comes from the abundance of fennel (funcho) found on the island. It was an important shipping center during the 15th-17th centuries. It is one of the most beautiful cities in Portugal.
Today Funchal is a major tourist town, with hotels, port, and an international airport Funchal Airport (FNC), located in the nearby municipality of Santa Cruz.
Besides the city of Funchal, tourist destinations include Ribeira Brava, Curral das Freiras, Porto Moniz, Santana, the Laurisilvaforest, a UNESCO Natural Site, in the center of Madeira Island and the beaches in Porto Santo island. There is also a passenger gondola lift (Funchal Cable Car), that transports people from the lower section of the city to the suburb of Monte and another that runs between Monte and the Botanical Gardens.
The harbor of Funchal was the only major port in Madeira. Since 2007 it has been fully dedicated to passenger transport – cruise ships and ferries – and other tourist-related boats and yachts. In that year all remaining fishing activity and cargo trade was moved to the newly developed port of Caniçal, 12 mi (19 km) to the east. A ferry between Funchal and Portimao, on the mainland, provided by Naviera Armas used to sail weekly, but was discontinued in 2013 due to a dispute over harbor fees. A ferry runs in two hours between Funchal and Porto Santo Island, called the Lobo Marinho. A highway provides access to Camara de Lobos and Ribeira Brava to the west, and Santa Cruz, Machico, and Caniçal to the east.
The park is situated on 500 m altitude. Between 9 - 11:30 the park is often crowded by bus tourists, choose the afternoon for a more laid-back visit. Public busses frequently connect Funchal with the park: line 36 or, if you have strong nerves, line 37 for a more spectacular ride.
Visit the fair/market; old port; jardim; casino.
Funchal has an abundance of good, if not necessarily cheap, eating places. Most places serve traditional Madeiran and Portuguese food, which is well-prepared and well-tasting, but not terribly exciting. One of the most typical dishes and served almost everywhere, is espada com banana, scabbard fish with banana. It is usually served with fresh salad and potatoes. A bit more expensive, bacalhau (dried, salted codfish) is served in many restaurants. One of the more common, and best, varieties is "bacalhau com natas," codfish in cream sauce.
Not the party capital of the world: most bars are very quiet, except during a football match.
Flowers & fruit (check with the ship if they can be brought abroad).
The island is world-famous for its wines. Several stores offer varying selections.
LOCAL TIME
12:10 am
January 17, 2021
Europe/Lisbon
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I really liked Madeira , I do not even know why. Probably because this small island reminded me of my beloved Greece in many ways. And because here you really feel that you are in the ocean - there is a thousand kilometers (620 miles) to Lisbon, more than five hundred kilometers (... |
We came to the Portuguese port of
Funchal
on the island of Madeira after 7 days spent in the open ocean.
It is only ten minutes on foot from the port to a
cable car
.
Our friend told us that the most interesting thing there was on the mountain where we... |
We are heading back from Porto Moniz to Funchal. We'll make a couple of stops to admire the surroundings.
We are climbing above Porto Moniz.
We made a stop.
You can see the island in the distance. Maybe this is Porto Santo?
Traveling further:
We stopped to admire the... |
Porto Moniz
is located on the northern coast of
Madeira
, where you can swim in natural pools. Except during a storm!
We looked at the fish in the
Madeira aquarium
and continued further to take pictures of the surrounding area. This is one of the views from... |
The fish at the
Madeira
aquarium are local, not tropical.
We came to
Porto Moniz
.
The ocean is rough.
Our first stop was for dinner because it was included - it took so long!
We were given some soup.
And espada fish with banana.
We decided not to wait for dessert,... |
From
the town of Sao Vicente
, we made our way toward
Porto Moniz
along the north coast. The ocean is harsh and powerful here! Below are photos from the bus window.
This is a view from the back.
Here you can see an old road.
There are a lot of waterfalls in
Madeira... |
This picture is from the inside of a church in the town of Sao Vicente:
On our way down from
Boca da Encumeada
to S. Vicente.
Let's visit the local church.
We are going inside.
This was the only place that we visited in the town, so we took several pictures of surroundings.
Below... |