| Funchal, Madeira 10:40 - Apr 12 with 2113 views | wiganblue |
Hello, I'm planning on going to Funchal, Madeira in October. Going to be there for a week and just wondering of any tips of must do's? For hikes, is it better to go via a tour from Funchal or hire a car? Looking at trails they appear to be linear so thinking the former may be the better option.
Not looking to cram loads in so will do a couple of days wondering Funchal (staying here) but want to see if there are any hidden gems that are a must do to do. Cheers. |  | | |  |
| Funchal, Madeira on 10:42 - Apr 12 with 2090 views | noggin |
earlsgreenblue is your man. He lives over there. |  |
| |
| Funchal, Madeira on 10:50 - Apr 12 with 2057 views | StochesStotasBlewe |
Was there last October. Weather was good. Botanical gardens were lovely, went up in the cable car and came down in the toboggans.
Recommend going on a 4x4 jeep safari. Takes you off road up in the centre of the island. Stunning views and scenery then down to the other side to the wild coastal region. The levada walks are lovely too.
Restaurants are on the whole really really good and plenty of decent bars.
Hope to go back in a year or two as so much more we wanted to see. |  |
| We have no village green, or a shop.
It's very, very quiet.
I can walk to the pub. |
| |
| Funchal, Madeira on 11:09 - Apr 12 with 2023 views | hatch |
Not been but a girl on my Instagram is there at the moment and uploaded a photo last night of a hike which looks absolute stunning above the clouds. The location was tagged as Pico Do Arieiro and now I want to visit Madeira just to do that hike. |  | | |
| Funchal, Madeira on 11:30 - Apr 12 with 1988 views | Churchman |
I love Madeira. Green and hilly! The people are lovely too. Funchal is great. The cable car is fun. You can even toboggan down the hill if that’s your thing. The Blandys Madeira wine tour is a bit of a laugh. I’d recommend doing a walking tour around Funchal. There’s lots to see and it’s a good way of orientating yourself.
Madeira itself? Plenty to do. I’ve not driven there - public transport, buses, taxis, but if you have a mind to hire a car the roads, though twisty, are pretty good.
Food and drink: thumbs up. All in all one one of my favourite places. |  | | |
| Funchal, Madeira on 11:39 - Apr 12 with 1965 views | Ryorry |
| Funchal, Madeira on 11:30 - Apr 12 by Churchman |
I love Madeira. Green and hilly! The people are lovely too. Funchal is great. The cable car is fun. You can even toboggan down the hill if that’s your thing. The Blandys Madeira wine tour is a bit of a laugh. I’d recommend doing a walking tour around Funchal. There’s lots to see and it’s a good way of orientating yourself.
Madeira itself? Plenty to do. I’ve not driven there - public transport, buses, taxis, but if you have a mind to hire a car the roads, though twisty, are pretty good.
Food and drink: thumbs up. All in all one one of my favourite places. |
The numerous free drinks in that Madeira wine place is a *must*! It's the most memorable thing for me of trips there. |  |
| |
| Funchal, Madeira on 13:26 - Apr 12 with 1897 views | gobs93 |
Went a couple of years ago and it's really lovely. Would highly recommend doing the Pico Do Ariero to Pico Ruivo hike as it's incredible. We rented a car and drove up for sunrise - Pico Do Ariero is a peak so you're over the clouds. You then head down the peak and up Pico Ruivo for more amazing views, then back down and up again. It took about 6 hours in total and isn't easy - would only recommend if you enjoy hiking.
We also went on a few Levada walks through the mountains which were great, with one leading to a waterfall that you could swim in. If you're renting a car, then going from Funchal to the other side of the island via one of the roads is also v nice - you drive in between mountains and end up at fishing villages on the coast.
Other than that we went to the CR7 museum (interesting to see how much he's won and some of the memorabilia), ate a tonne of food and went to a local wine festival.
Plenty to do so i'm sure you'll have a great time - be conscious of the fact it's very steep so try and avoid booking a place at the top of a large hill. We made that error which made walking back to the hotel after a few beers and a heavy meal very unenjoyable lol.
Hope this helped! | | | |
| Funchal, Madeira on 13:54 - Apr 12 with 1853 views | noggin |
Be sure to have a grab of Ronaldo's brass balls. You'll understand when you see it.
I was there last summer but my daughter was ill so didn't do much. The cable car is fun and we did a boat tour and saw the dolphins. Apart from that, the food and drink is cheap and very good. Taxis are a great way to get around. | |
| |
| Funchal, Madeira on 15:00 - Apr 12 with 1792 views | solemio |
There's also the excitement that if the wind gets up you can't land on the tiny landing strip at Funchal but get diverted to Casablanca in Morocco. Yes, that Casablanca! | | | |
Login to get fewer ads
| Funchal, Madeira on 15:09 - Apr 12 with 1781 views | Radlett_blue |
| Funchal, Madeira on 15:00 - Apr 12 by solemio |
There's also the excitement that if the wind gets up you can't land on the tiny landing strip at Funchal but get diverted to Casablanca in Morocco. Yes, that Casablanca! |
We have been going to Madeira for 10 years & last time we had an aborted landing, even though the rear wheels had touched the runway. Super scary. I've never been in a plane with such a deathly hush for 10 minutes or so. The plane climbed again, went around in a long loop & we landed on at the second attempt. The pilot was greeting passengers as they disembarked so I said "Bit scary that?" He replied as confidently as Captain Flashheart in Blackadder "No, not at all. Was always perfectly in control".
Even though the runway was lengthened at Funchal in 1986 & in 2002, pilots still need special training before being allowed to land there. |  |
| |
| Funchal, Madeira on 15:23 - Apr 12 with 1749 views | LancsBlue |
Madeira has two teams in the Portuguese Liga, Maritimo and Nacional, both in Funchal. They play at home alternate weeks so you should be able to catch one of them. I saw Maritimo v Guimaraes. There were about 7,000 there including quite a lot of tourists and about 100 away fans. We sat next to some Wolves fans on one side and Wednesday fans on the other! Evidently that sort of crowd is normal although it can double for matches against the 'Big Three' of Benfica, Sporting or Porto. Not expensive and definitely worth a visit. Local fans were extremely friendly. |  |
| |
| Funchal, Madeira on 15:28 - Apr 12 with 1737 views | noggin |
| Funchal, Madeira on 15:23 - Apr 12 by LancsBlue |
Madeira has two teams in the Portuguese Liga, Maritimo and Nacional, both in Funchal. They play at home alternate weeks so you should be able to catch one of them. I saw Maritimo v Guimaraes. There were about 7,000 there including quite a lot of tourists and about 100 away fans. We sat next to some Wolves fans on one side and Wednesday fans on the other! Evidently that sort of crowd is normal although it can double for matches against the 'Big Three' of Benfica, Sporting or Porto. Not expensive and definitely worth a visit. Local fans were extremely friendly. |
Which team plays at the stadium high in the mountains? Apparently driving/taxi is the only way to get there. | |
| |
| Funchal, Madeira on 15:29 - Apr 12 with 1727 views | Ryorry |
| Funchal, Madeira on 15:00 - Apr 12 by solemio |
There's also the excitement that if the wind gets up you can't land on the tiny landing strip at Funchal but get diverted to Casablanca in Morocco. Yes, that Casablanca! |
You should have tried it *before* they extended the runway! 😱 Straight into the drink if the pilot got it slightly wrong ... the only time on a plane I wished I hadn't had a window seat! | |
| |
| Funchal, Madeira on 15:36 - Apr 12 with 1698 views | mrshallisfit |
Nice cake. | | | |
| Bleedin' lizards everywhere. (n/t) on 15:38 - Apr 12 with 1690 views | Bloots |
|  |
| "He's been a really positive influence on my life, I think he's a great man" - TWTD User (May 2025) |
| |
| Funchal, Madeira on 15:41 - Apr 12 with 1684 views | LancsBlue |
| Funchal, Madeira on 15:28 - Apr 12 by noggin |
Which team plays at the stadium high in the mountains? Apparently driving/taxi is the only way to get there. |
Nacional - which is where Ronaldo played before moving to Sporting. | |
| |
| Funchal, Madeira on 16:10 - Apr 12 with 1656 views | hatch |
| Funchal, Madeira on 15:23 - Apr 12 by LancsBlue |
Madeira has two teams in the Portuguese Liga, Maritimo and Nacional, both in Funchal. They play at home alternate weeks so you should be able to catch one of them. I saw Maritimo v Guimaraes. There were about 7,000 there including quite a lot of tourists and about 100 away fans. We sat next to some Wolves fans on one side and Wednesday fans on the other! Evidently that sort of crowd is normal although it can double for matches against the 'Big Three' of Benfica, Sporting or Porto. Not expensive and definitely worth a visit. Local fans were extremely friendly. |
I enjoy going to football games abroad. My better half is fairly amenable to it too. Did Fiorentina v AS Roma last May and weekend just gone we were in Nice so managed to watch OCG Nice v PSG when Messi scored right in front of us. We were sat next to a similar age couple and the bloke supported QPR. Made for an enjoyable Saturday evening discussing Luongo and Dozzell. | | | |
| Funchal, Madeira on 22:33 - Apr 12 with 1533 views | mikeybloo88 |
A great little bar you should go to is Bar O Avo which has the largest collection of football scarves in the world...brilliant place with a great owner who loves to talk football. For food, we had a great meal at a place called Regional Flavours, yes not the most appealing name but was great food and wine |  | | |
| Funchal, Madeira on 22:48 - Apr 12 with 1509 views | Churchman |
| Funchal, Madeira on 15:29 - Apr 12 by Ryorry |
You should have tried it *before* they extended the runway! 😱 Straight into the drink if the pilot got it slightly wrong ... the only time on a plane I wished I hadn't had a window seat! |
Out of kindness I decided not to mention the runway! It has been extended now, but landing is still an event. Pilots need to qualify to land there thanks to the eddies/up currents. The second time we went it took the pilot two goes to get it down. I thought if interesting.
The runway is now now long enough to take an A330, so it is a bit easier for your average holiday 737 or A310. | | | |
| Funchal, Madeira on 09:43 - Apr 13 with 1391 views | Radlett_blue |
| Funchal, Madeira on 22:48 - Apr 12 by Churchman |
Out of kindness I decided not to mention the runway! It has been extended now, but landing is still an event. Pilots need to qualify to land there thanks to the eddies/up currents. The second time we went it took the pilot two goes to get it down. I thought if interesting.
The runway is now now long enough to take an A330, so it is a bit easier for your average holiday 737 or A310. |
I was also stranded in Madeira for one night after they closed the runway because of strong crosswinds. | |
| |
| Funchal, Madeira on 09:44 - Apr 13 with 1390 views | noggin |
| Funchal, Madeira on 09:43 - Apr 13 by Radlett_blue |
I was also stranded in Madeira for one night after they closed the runway because of strong crosswinds. |
That must have been some Vindaloo. Hope you're feeling better now. | |
| |
| Funchal, Madeira on 09:55 - Apr 13 with 1383 views | solemio |
| Funchal, Madeira on 15:09 - Apr 12 by Radlett_blue |
We have been going to Madeira for 10 years & last time we had an aborted landing, even though the rear wheels had touched the runway. Super scary. I've never been in a plane with such a deathly hush for 10 minutes or so. The plane climbed again, went around in a long loop & we landed on at the second attempt. The pilot was greeting passengers as they disembarked so I said "Bit scary that?" He replied as confidently as Captain Flashheart in Blackadder "No, not at all. Was always perfectly in control".
Even though the runway was lengthened at Funchal in 1986 & in 2002, pilots still need special training before being allowed to land there. |
Yes, when the cabin crew look really scared you know you've got problems landing at Funchal! | | | |
| |
By continuing to use the site, you agree to our use of cookies and to abide by our Terms and Conditions.
