| Overview | Things to do | Suitability | Country Info (Portugal) |
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A charming, vibrant island capital, Funchal stretches along the coast for 4 mls and sprawls back into the hills inland for about 3 mls; it is home to half the island's population, with 125,000 inhabitants. Its original attraction for tourists was as a convalescent resort for 19th-century Europeans, and it was sought out by many famous names and minor royalty for its genteel atmosphere, tranquil gardens and temperate climate.
Modern-day Funchal can be divided into 3 main sections: the hectic downtown area, incorporating the Old Town, business district and marina; Lido, the flatter tourist zone 1½ mls SW of the centre, where most of the hotels as well as many shops, restaurants and cafes are located; and the residential areas which pack the surrounding hillsides. Downtown offers a mix of busy shopping areas, elegant 18th-century mansions, tiny churches and lush, subtropical gardens all crammed into a bewildering 1-sq-ml maze of steep, narrow 16th-century streets trying to cope with 21st-century traffic. A pleasant promenade with tourist shops and restaurants runs along the ocean front, where you can sit and watch the many cruise ships docking. The centre and some enclaves around the port retain an old-fashioned feel, particularly in the bohemian area near Sao Tiago Fort, which boasts narrow, cobbled lanes, old buildings, renovated fishermen's cottages, pavement restaurants, and art and craft shops. The style is changing in the Lido area, however, with old colonial mansions being converted to hotels or more usually giving way to modern, high-rise buildings. Funchal is located on the SE coast of the island of Madeira, located in the N Atlantic Ocean (700 mls from the Portuguese mainland, 14 mls SW of the airport by fast dual carriageway). It is set in a natural amphitheatre overlooking a wide bay, with a scenic backdrop of lush, green, volcanic mountains. |
