Funchal, capital of the autonomous region of Madeira, rises like an amphitheatre around a bay on the island's south coast, climbing from the harbour quays to over a thousand metres in the hills. Founded around 1424 by the first Portuguese settlers led by João Gonçalves Zarco, it is named after the wild fennel (funcho) that grew here in abundance. Enriched by sugar and then wine, it became a city in 1508, and since the nineteenth century it has been a favourite resort of the British.
The centre
The heart of the city is the Sé, the cathedral built between the late fifteenth century and 1514, with a magnificent inlaid cedarwood ceiling. Nearby are Praça do Município, with its black and white mosaic paving, the eighteenth-century town hall and the Jesuit College church, and the Museum of Sacred Art, with an extraordinary collection of sixteenth-century Flemish paintings bought with sugar money. Quinta das Cruzes, a former manor house, holds decorative arts and a garden with archaeological remains.
Market and Zona Velha
The Mercado dos Lavradores, the 1940s covered market decorated with azulejos, is a riot of colour: tropical fruit, flowers and, downstairs, fish, including the black espada, the deep-water scabbardfish. Just beyond, the Zona Velha, the old fishermen's quarter, has Rua de Santa Maria with its doors painted by local artists and many restaurants. On the seafront is the yellow seventeenth-century fort of São Tiago.
Monte and the gardens
From the Zona Velha a cable car climbs to Monte, where you can visit the church of Nossa Senhora do Monte, with the tomb of the last Emperor of Austria, Charles I, and the Monte Palace Tropical Garden. From Monte you can go down in the famous carros de cesto, wicker toboggans steered by two men, along about two kilometres of downhill streets. Another cable car links Monte with the Botanical Garden, with plants from around the world and a superb view.
Wine and festivals
In the town-centre lodges, such as the historic Adegas de São Francisco, you can discover and taste Madeira wine, aged in casks in warm attics. Spring brings the Flower Festival, September the wine festival, and New Year is famous for its firework display over the bay, one of the largest in the world (see New Year in Portugal). The museum devoted to Cristiano Ronaldo, born in Funchal in 1985, is on the seafront.
Practical information
Madeira airport, named after Cristiano Ronaldo, is about 20 minutes from the centre. Funchal is easy to explore on foot, though the slopes are steep; to explore the island it is best to hire a car or join organised excursions.