Funchal, Portugal

Funchal, Madeira
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2010-03-02_Funchal_01.jpg
Author: Hansueli Krapf


Funchal is the largest city and capital of Madeira. It is located on the southern coast of the island of Madeira, which is located in the North Atlantic Ocean, some 400 km to the north of Tenerife, the Canary Islands.


Nossa Senhora do Monte Church, Funchal
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Monte_-_Igreja.jpg
Author: Luke H. Gordon


The urban area of Funchal includes the municipality and surrounding civil parishes. The city comprises ten civil parishes. It has a population of around 150,000 people, making it the most populous city of the country outside mainland Portugal.

Funchal was established by João Gonçalves Zarco in 1424. With the success of its position as a maritime port, it soon became the biggest town on the island. It attracted many merchant families. However it was vulnerable to pirate attack, the most severe of which was by the French corsairs under the command of Bertrand de Montluc in 1566.

Since the 19th century Funchal has diversified its economy towards tourism. The visit of several famous visitors such as Winston Churchill helped it towards becoming a center for health tourism.


Madeira Botanical Gardens
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2010-03-05_13_27_45_Portugal-Nossa_Senhora_do_Monte.jpg
Author: Hansueli Krapf


The warmest months in Funchal are August and September, when average high temperature reaches above 26°C (78.8°F). The coldest months are January until March, with average low dropping to 13°C (55.4°F). November to January are the wettest months, with total precipitation of at least 99.9 mm (3.93 in) for each month.

Going to Funchal

Funchal Airport (FNC) is now the main gateway to the island. There are daily flights from major cities in Portugal such as Lisbon and Porto. A flight from Lisbon takes about 1 1/2 hours to reach Funchal.


Igreja do Colégio, Funchal
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Igreja_do_Col%C3%A9gio_-_Interior.jpg
Author: Mark Woodbury

Sights in Funchal

Civil Parishes of Funchal

 Latest updates on Penang Travel Tips

About this website

Hello and thanks for reading this page. My name is Timothy and my hobby is in describing places so that I can share the information with the general public. My website has become the go to site for a lot of people including students, teachers, journalists, etc. whenever they seek information on places, particularly those in Malaysia and Singapore. I have been doing this since 5 January 2003, for over twenty years already. You can read about me at Discover Timothy. By now I have compiled information on thousands of places, mostly in Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore, and I continue to add more almost every day. My goal is to describe every street in every town in Malaysia and Singapore.