The atmospheric old town east of the centre — cobbled lanes of painted doors, packed with restaurants and bars, next to the market and the cable-car station. The most characterful and lively base, walkable and buzzing in the evening; the heart of Funchal's dining and its gentle nightlife.
A look around
What you’ll be living next to. Swipe through.
€75–130
typical per night in Portugal
The sensible middle
Typical prices for Funchal — neither steal nor splurge.
Where it sits
The circle is Zona Velha and roughly a 10-minute walk around it.
How far is everything?
From the middle of this area to the city's headline sights — pick your own on the city page and these become your list.
- Madeira wine tasting11 min walk936 m
- The Monte toboggan ride25 min walk2.1 km
- Monte Palace Tropical Garden28 min walk2.3 km
- Hotel Zone (Lido) (beach)10 min taxi3.5 km
- The Lido promenade & ocean pools10 min taxi3.5 km
- Câmara de Lobos22 min taxi7.2 km
- Cabo Girão skywalk26 min taxi8.8 km
- A levada walk28 min taxi9.2 km
- Pico do Arieiro30 min taxi10.1 km
On your doorstep
What you’re living next to if you stay here.
- 1.The Monte cable car — Glide up in a glass cable car from the old town high over the terracotta rooftops and terraced gardens to the village of Monte, the whole bay spread out below and the peaks above. A spectacular ride and the classic Funchal outing; go up for the gardens, then toboggan back down.
- 5.Mercado dos Lavradores — The 'workers' market' — a lovely tiled Art Deco hall piled with Madeira's extravagant produce: custard apples and passion fruit, garlands of chillies, exotic flowers, and a fish hall of glistening scabbard fish and tuna. A feast for the senses; come in the morning, and mind the aggressive tasting-sellers.
- 6.The old town & its painted doors — Wander the cobbled lanes of the Zona Velha, where an art project turned dozens of battered old doors into a gallery of paintings, and the streets fill with restaurant tables come evening. Pretty, atmospheric and the heart of Funchal's dining; stroll it by day for the doors, return at night to eat.
- 14.Poncha — The island's potent traditional drink — sugarcane rum (aguardente), honey and citrus juice, muddled with a wooden 'caralhinho', deceptively smooth and lethal. Sink one (or two) at an old-town bar; the traditional lemon version is the classic, but every bar has its passion-fruit twist. The taste of a Madeiran night.
When are you staying?
Booking.com & Airbnb open searched to Zona Velha; flights via Google Flights.