Funchal (City Center)

Funchal`s city center comprises four `freguesias` (parishes, similar to our counties in the United States). Those four counties are Se, Sao Pedro, Santa Luzia, and Imaculado Coracao de Maria. Approximately a fifth of the 110,000 residents who live in the city limits of Funchal live in the city center. This area includes many of the points of interest we recommend seeing in Funchal, including, but not limited to, the Se Catedral, the Madeira Story Centre, the Praca da Autonomia, the Fortaleza do Pico, Santa Catarina Park, and the Palacio de Sao Lourenco.

The boundaries of this area are roughly as follows: the Via Rapida to the north, Rua Doutor Pestana Junior to the east, and the Funchal ferry terminal to the west. Important northern arteries are the Rua Brigadeiro Oudinot and the Rua 31 de Janeiro. Important southern arteries into the city are the Rua 5 de Outubro and the Rua do Visconde de Anadia. Avenida do Mar is a main west-east artery along the waterfront, and the name of this street changes to Avenida Sa Carneiro past the ferry terminal.

Sao Martinho

Sao Martinho is considered one of the fanciest parts of Funchal. When tourists first started coming to Funchal in the late 19th century, and since then the `moneyed classes` of Europe and elsewhere have flocked to the resorts which dot the coastline.

Sao Martinho is bounded to the east by Sao Pedro, which begins roughly around the Funchal ferry terminal, and to the west by Camara de Lobos. In short, the Sao Martinho area of Funchal is the western portion of the city. The Lido Promenade, Praia Formosa, and the Igreja de Sao Martinho are all located in this `freguesia`. Approximately one-fifth of Funchal`s 110,000 residents live in Sao Martinho, which sprawls to the west and makes up a near-continuous urban conglomeration with Camara de Lobos, which was once its own suburb. Every November 11, the feast day of St. Martin is celebrated in the parish with roasted chestnuts, Madeira wine, and bacalhau.

Monte

The `freguesia` of Monte (pop. 6,700) was settled in the sixteenth century. The Church of Our Lady of Monte, the centerpiece of the district, was built in 1741; this is also the final resting place of Emperor Charles I, the last emperor of Austria, who lived in Monte and died in 1922. The Madeira Cable Car connects the waterfront with Monte, and thousands of tourists visit the Church of Our Lady of Monte and the Monte Tropical Gardens each day. A fun tourist experience in Monte is the toboggan ride, which takes riders 1.2 miles down Monte from the Church to Livramento. For more information on the toboggan ride and the Madeira Cable Car, consult the `getting around` page.

Santo Antonio

A quarter of Funchal`s 110,000 residents live in Santo Antonio, located about 2,800 feet above sea level. It is the most populous `freguesia` on Madeira, and it is the largest bedroom community in Funchal, with many people living in this area and commuting into the city center for work each day. Tourists will be traveling to Santo Antonio for two reasons, either to visit the Igreja de Santo Antonio or to shop at Madeira Shopping, the largest shopping center on the island. Cristiano Ronaldo grew up in this part of Madeira; you can learn more about him at the Museu CR7 on the Funchal waterfront.

Camara de Lobos

The first `suburb` of Funchal, Camara de Lobos was founded in the fifteenth century and was so named for the number of sea lions (`lobos` in Portuguese) which lived in colonies off the coast. (Today, the sea lions are endangered in Camara de Lobos and are best seen by day-tripping to the Ilhas Desertas.) Today, 35,000 people live in Camara de Lobos, and it is the second-largest city on the island. It is bordered by the town of Ribeira Brava to the west and the cove and coastline of Cabo Girao to the east. Many vineyards selling the prized Madeira wine are located in Camara de Lobos.