Funchal Travel Forum

Hi I am going on a cruise and one of the ports of call is Funchal unfortunately this is also Easter Monday. I was just wondering if this means that everything will be closed up. Also I was looking for advice on what are the best places to visit what are the must see places. There are five of us two pensioners, a 17 year old a 27 year old and a child of 6. We will be in funchal for around 7-8 hours any help on this is greatly appreciated.

Donna

Dear Donna,

Do not worry …. on Easter Monday there are places that will be still open for you to visit …. such as shops, restaurants, etc.

There is much to see .... unfortunately that you only have 9 hours. I would suggest two options:

A. Charter a (large) taxi. Ask first how much it costs for a trip around Funchal, and to Cabo Girão, Camara de Lobos, Ribeira Brava, Ponta do Sol. If you do not have problems getting car sick, then ask the cab driver to take the old road instead of the new highways.
B. Go to the Zona Velha of Funchal (Old Town), take the cable car up to Monte, and visit the Tropical Garden, surroundings of Monte and the church. After that you can take the local bus back to the centre of Funchal.

Sometimes the cruise-ship has arrangements with local agents on the island which offers trips. You can collect some information on the web about Madeira:

http://del.icio.us/madeira
http://madeira.eigenstart.nl

... and then choose a trip on board. Please do not wait till the last moment in booking aboard ... because otherwise it makes it difficult to organize things on the island (my wife works for a local travel organization).

I hope this information helps you ...

Take care and .... I whish you happy seasons.

Cumprimentos,

Don Amaro