Things to do in Funchal, splurging
Blandy's wine lodge, the Cabo Girão skywalk, poncha and dinner at Il Gallo d'Oro.
This is Funchal for people who eat well, sleep well, and don't apologise for either. The days move between the Lido strip, the fishing villages to the west, and the dramatic eastern coast, with a serious dinner most evenings. If you want to understand what Madeiran cooking actually is at its best, and pair that with some of the Atlantic's most vertiginous scenery, this is your three days.
Day 1: Wine, cliffs, and poncha in the Lido
The day opens in a 200-year-old wine lodge, sharpens over great-value island cooking, and ends at an acclaimed table above the sea before a nightcap of €3.50 passion-fruit poncha with the locals.
- 10:30 AM
Blandy's Wine Lodge
Old Franciscan lodge where the Blandy family has aged Madeira since 1811; taste a 10-year Malmsey.
Map - 12:30 PM
Restaurante Casal da Penha
Family restaurant above the Lido road for limpets, espada and grilled octopus, cooked the island way.
Map - 2:30 PM
Santa Catarina Park
Clifftop park with sweeping harbour views, the easy afternoon walk west toward the Lido promenade before dinner.
Map - 7:30 PM
Avista Restaurant
Clifftop terrace restaurant at Les Suites at The Cliff Bay; Josper-grilled fish as the sun drops into the sea.
Map - 9:30 PM
Rei da Poncha
Rei da Poncha, the benchmark poncha bar, €3.50 passion-fruit cups and locals' stools, the perfect nightcap after a big dinner.
Map
Day 2: Cabo Girão and the fishing villages
Espresso in Churchill's favourite harbour, a glass-floor moment 589 metres above the Atlantic, a proper espetada lunch in the parish that invented the dish, then dinner at Akua back in Funchal.
- 9:30 AM
Câmara de Lobos
Start with espresso in Churchill's favourite fishing village, harbour views, colourful boats, and the famous espada-and-beer atmosphere kicking off.
Map - 11:00 AM
Cabo Girão skywalk
Stand on the 589 m glass-floor skywalk over one of Europe's highest sea cliffs, the single most dramatic viewpoint on the island.
Map - 12:30 PM
Restaurante Santo António
Espetada pilgrimage: beef on laurel sticks in the parish that owns the dish, served with milho frito and bolo do caco.
Map - 7:30 PM
Day 3: Machico bay, whales and fish
Pico do Facho above Machico bay, the Museu da Baleia in Caniçal, fish at Mercado Velho, an afternoon on Machico beach and dinner at Il Gallo d'Oro.
- 9:30 AM
Pico do Facho
Walk or drive up to the old beacon point: all of Machico bay below, and the airport runway on its stilts.
Map - 10:45 AM
Museu da Baleia
Caniçal's whaling history in a modern museum, with life-size sperm whale models; closed Mondays.
Map - 12:45 PM
Restaurante Mercado Velho
Lunch in Machico's restored old market by the beach; order espada with banana and passion fruit.
Map - 2:30 PM
Machico beach
Machico's sheltered sandy bay inside the breakwater; the sea is still around 22°C in late October.
Map - 7:30 PM
Il Gallo d'Oro
Tasting menu at The Cliff Bay turning Madeiran fish, fruit and herbs into precise Mediterranean plates.
Map
Where to stay
Belmond Reid's Palace
The grand address on the Lido coast: a clifftop terrace, impeccable service, and exactly the right distance from every stop on Day 1.
The Cliff Bay
Sleek, sea-facing, and steps from Avista: the most seamless base for a trip built around serious dinners and the western promenade.
Make Funchal your trip
Swearby drafts the days from places people swear by. Swap any stop, then invite the crew by text, even friends without the app. Vote on dates, track costs as you go, and everyone gets one number at the end.
Get Swearby on the App StoreBefore you go
Book ahead
- Blandy's Wine Lodge: a few days ahead
- Funchal food and wine walking tour: a few days ahead
- PR1 Pico do Arieiro to Pico Ruivo: weeks ahead
- PR6 Levada das 25 Fontes: a few days ahead
- PR9 Levada do Caldeirão Verde: a few days ahead
- PR8 Ponta de São Lourenço: a few days ahead
Skip these
- Mercado dos Lavradores fruit pricing: look, photograph and sample, weigh and agree a total before bagging, and buy picnic fruit at Pingo Doce.
- Toboggan plus return taxi bundle: the ride ends at Livramento, not the centre, so price the whole chain before sitting in the basket.
- Cable car queues on cruise ship mornings: go before 10:00, after the excursion wave, or take bus 20 or 21 up and the cable car down.
- Santana houses are mostly replicas and demonstrations now, an enjoyable east day stop not a destination alone.
The full Funchal travel guide: when to go, safety, getting around