Funchal's monuments

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Visitors walking through central Funchal pass five centuries of buildings in a few streets and often cannot tell which are worth going into. The short list is clear. The Sé, the cathedral, inaugurated in 1514, has one of the finest cedar ceilings in Portugal. The town hall, a palace of 1758, opens its tiled courtyard on weekday tours. And two forts, São Tiago in the old town and the Fortaleza do Pico on the hill, guarded the city against pirates.

Around them stand the statues that tell the island's story: Zarco, the navigator who landed in 1419, in bronze on Avenida Arriaga since 1934; the Empress Sissi, who wintered here in 1860-61; and Cristiano Ronaldo, on the marina.

Two things to know first: the cathedral is closed to visits on Sundays and holidays, and both forts are listed as closed in September 2026.

The Sé

The common mistake is to look at the cathedral from the outside and walk on. The ceiling is the reason to go in.

The Sé was commissioned in the reign of Dom Manuel and inaugurated in 1514, with Manueline and Gothic features. Its Gothic central portal, of stone from Cabo Girão, has eight archivolts, and inside, the ceiling is Mudéjar work in the island's own cedar, considered one of the most beautiful in Portugal.

It stands on Rua do Aljube, at the heart of the centre, and entry is free. Its tower is a paid visit on weekdays. The cathedral is closed to visits on Sundays and holidays.

Look up as soon as you are inside, and give the ceiling time. Then step back out to see the portal.

Within 500 m of the cathedral lie 171 of the city's listed places, among them the town square, the Sacred Art Museum and the Zarco statue, which makes the Sé the natural start of any walk.

The town hall and its square

People often cross the Praça do Município without knowing that the palace on one side can be visited.

The Paços do Concelho, the town hall, was built in 1758 as the residence of the Conde de Carvalhal and bought by the city in 1883. Its courtyard holds tile panels of 1940 from the Maria de Portugal factory and a fountain with a marble statue of Leda and the Swan by Germano José Salles. Guided visits in several languages run on weekdays at 11:00 and take about 60 minutes; the building is closed to visits at weekends and on holidays.

On the other side of the square stands the Igreja do Colégio, the church of São João Evangelista, with a fountain between the two. The Sacred Art Museum is a minute's walk away, on Rua do Bispo, with the island's main group of Flemish paintings.

Stand in the middle of the square for the view of all three, then take the 11:00 tour of the town hall on a weekday.

The forts

Visitors often expect to walk into the forts they see on the skyline. In September 2026, both were closed, so check first.

The Forte de São Tiago, the large yellow fort at the eastern end of the old town, was built in the 17th century against pirate attacks, its construction dated to 1614. It is listed as temporarily closed.

The Fortaleza de São João Baptista do Pico stands on the hill above São Pedro, at 111 m. A wooden castle was built there in 1602-1603, and the stone fort, begun in 1606, was completed in 1632, according to the inscription on its gate. It first served as the island's gunpowder store, for all the forts and towers of Madeira; in the mid-20th century it was handed to the Navy as its communications centre, and its antennas earned it the name Pico Rádio. Inside are an old house, the chapel of Nossa Senhora da Piedade and gardens.

It has usually been free, open Monday to Friday from 10:00 to 12:30 and from 14:00 to 17:00, but it was listed as closed on 18 September 2026. When it reopens, the walk up is steep; the view over the whole city and the bay is the reward.

The statues

People often photograph the Ronaldo statue and miss the older ones. The city's history is in bronze along its avenues.

The statue of João Gonçalves Zarco, the navigator who landed in 1419, stands at the crossing of Avenida Arriaga and Avenida Zarco. The sculptor Francisco Franco was commissioned in 1918 and finished it in 1927; it was first shown on Avenida da Liberdade in Lisbon for the Ibero-American exposition of 1929 and was inaugurated in Funchal in May 1934. The pedestal, by the architect Cristiano da Silva, carries figures of the themes of the Discoveries.

The bronze of the Empress Elisabeth of Austria, Sissi, life size at about 1.72 m, is by Lagoa Henriques, of 2000, in the gardens of the Casino Park hotel on Avenida do Infante. Sissi first stayed in Madeira from November 1860 to April 1861.

By the marina, the bronze Cristiano Ronaldo by Ricardo Velosa stands 3.40 m with its pedestal outside the CR7 museum. And at Monte, a statue of Emperor Karl I of Austria recalls his exile and death there in 1922.

The bronze statue stands 3.40 m with its pedestal outside the CR7 museum.

Churches beyond the cathedral

The mistake is to stop at the Sé. Two other churches carry more of the city's story.

The Capela de Santa Catarina, in the Santa Catarina Park above the marina, is the first church built on Madeira, in 1425. The park around it, 36,000 m², is open daily from 07:00, to 22:00 in summer and 20:00 in winter, with a statue of Columbus and a viewpoint over the port.

On the hill above the city, the church of Nossa Senhora do Monte was completed in 1818, after an earthquake destroyed the earlier church in 1748. It holds the tomb of Emperor Karl I of Austria, who died in exile at Monte on 1 April 1922. Its feast falls on 15 August. The cable car from the old town reaches Monte in about 15 minutes.

In the square, the Igreja do Colégio faces the town hall.

The Igreja do Colégio faces the town hall in the main square.

Smaller monuments of the old town

Visitors often assume the old town's monuments are all big. Several are small, and easy to walk past.

In the Zona Velha, the Zona Histórica itself, around Rua de Santa Maria with its painted doors, is the monument most people come for. Among the sculptures in the streets are the monument to the footballer in the Almirante Reis garden, by the cable car station, and the monument to the Madeiran embroiderer.

On the seafront, the monument to the 500 years of the Diocese of Funchal stands on Avenida do Mar. And at the eastern end of Rua de Santa Maria, at number 276, the Socorro viewpoint looks over the sea.

The old town guide covers the doors, and the Sé guide the streets around the cathedral.

A walking order

The common mistake is to zigzag between the monuments. They lie along one line from west to east.

Start at the Santa Catarina Park and its chapel of 1425, then walk east past the marina and the CR7 statue to Avenida Arriaga and the Zarco statue. Turn up to the Sé, then climb one block to the Praça do Município for the town hall, timing it for the 11:00 tour on a weekday. From there, the Sacred Art Museum is a minute away.

Walk down to the seafront and east to the old town: the Mercado dos Lavradores, Rua de Santa Maria and its doors, the São Tiago fort and the Socorro viewpoint. The whole walk takes a morning, with the town hall tour the only fixed time.

Do it on a weekday: the cathedral is closed to visits on Sundays and holidays, the town hall tours do not run at weekends, and the market closes on Sundays. Visit Madeira and Visit Funchal post the current status of each site.

Common questions

Is Funchal Cathedral free?

Yes, entry is free; the tower is a paid visit on weekdays. It is closed to visits on Sundays and holidays.

Can you visit the forts in Funchal?

Check first: the São Tiago fort is listed as temporarily closed, and the Fortaleza do Pico was listed as closed on 18 September 2026.

What is the oldest church in Funchal?

The Capela de Santa Catarina, in the Santa Catarina Park, built in 1425 as the first church on Madeira.

Can you go inside the town hall?

Yes, on a guided visit at 11:00 on weekdays, about 60 minutes, which shows the tiled courtyard.