Luxury holidays in Funchal

Head to Madeira’s sunny southern coast, where you’ll find the red-roofed city of Funchal, framed by lofty green landscapes, crossed by buzzy wide avenues and fronted by a picturesque harbour. Cable cars pepper the sky as locals linger below on mosaicked avenidas of calçada Portuguesa (Portuguese pavement, essentially). Fuel up with a few custard-filled pastéis de nata, then check out former fisherman’s neighbourhood, now lively hub Zona Velha, saunter to the shore for a sun-soaked surf; or roam the bountiful botanical gardens; thrill-seekers can hike up into Monte for those speedy downhill rides in a wicker toboggan manned by two Carreiros.
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When to go

Set off the west coast of Africa, Funchal boasts balmy temperatures year-round with averages of 20°C and highs of 28°C.

Getting there

  • Planes

    Fly straight into Funchal, where Madeira’s main airport resides. European cities often have direct flights, but those travelling from further afield may have to catch a connecting flight in Lisbon.

  • Automobiles

    Cars aren’t necessary here, unless you want to go beyond the city limits – after all, it’s a great tradition to have the suited-and-booted toboggan-pushers show you around. If you did want to rent a set of wheels, the airport has a number of hire booths.