Funchal, Madeira Things To See

Everyday brings new interesting things to see and experience and we're loving it! Here's a few things we've enjoyed as we get our steps in walking all around the capital of Madeira:

Waterfront & Fort

One day we headed to see the outside of the Forte de São Tiago which is a colorful old fort right at the waterfront. We weren't able to go inside at all (not sure if there are things in there to even see) but it was fun to walk around and see people swimming there down at the water. This was the first time we had walked along the waterfront and it's really pretty with lots of places you can sit to enjoy the views.

Viewpoints

After leaving the Fort we walked up narrow streets and past a pretty church to reach Miradouro da Vila Guida which we had spotted on the map. It's a very small little park with a nice platform that offers great views.

Wander the area around Rua de Santa Maria (Santa Maria Street)

This part of the city is just wonderful to explore as it's filled with beautiful painted doors and lots of places to stop and sit outside for food or a drink. This time we enjoyed Restaurante Lá ao Fundo, where we sat and had a scrumptious meal and watched the people passing by.

Another day while wandering we dodged some intense rain showers by eating a yummy tofu bowl outside under a sturdy overhang at Art Food Corner Madeira. It was incredible to see how hard the rain came down for about 15 minutes and then it stopped as suddenly as it started!

The Farmers Market

Mercado dos Lavradores is a really fun place to experience as it's filled with vendors offering the most incredible fruit we've ever seen! We bought a couple of different spices and sat with a coffee to watch all the activity and take in the bright colors all around us. This is typically very crowded with tourists coming in from the cruise ships but on the day we went the rain really reduced the crowds and made it perfect to visit.

Enjoy Tea & Yummy Food.

Of course there's always eating beautiful food at various little places like Prima Caju and having tea (and chestnut cake) at our favorite tea shop - Loja do Chá where you can either sit outside or at an inside balcony seat overlooking the square.