What to do in Funchal for Free - part three

What to do in Funchal for free – part three

Welcome to Funchal, the capital of Madeira island, again. In the previous articles about Funchal we visited Fortaleza de Sao Tiago, the main market Mercado dos Lavradores and we finished in Praca do Munícipo where many events happen throughout the year.

Today, I am going to take you for another walk. We will visit beautiful and definitely interesting places. And, as the title says – these places of interest are free of charge. Of course, I will give you also some additional tips where money is needed but it is not compulsory to do these tips. You know it J.

Cathhedral of Our Lady of the Assumption

Picture: The main cathedral

Cathhedral of Our Lady of the Assumption or in Portuguese Sé Catedral de Nossa Senhora da Assuncao) is the main cathedral which you can find in Funchal. More specifically, it is right at the beginning of a street that looks like a square. The street is called Avenida Arriaga. You might know this street from my previous articles because you can find here also the Information tourist centre.

I suggest you not to have a look at the cathedral from the entrance side, but walking around it. It will open for you unexpectedly. Its beautiful towers that are nicely decorated seems to be hidden when looking at it just from the main side. Otherwise, this cathedral might not surprise you so much if you imagine it as Milano Dóm or Sagrada Familia in Spain (Barcelona). Sé Cathedral looks very clear and simple. It is not too decorated and not that high. But still, it is impressing because its unique Madeiran stylewill let you enjoy the view. And again, if you walk around, then you will see some masterpiece towers.

Picture: Walk around to see this!

It is also possible to get inside and see the cathedral from there. It usually has its gate opened when it is possible to entre. There is no entrance fee, but as in many churches, there is a possibility of putting some money into a box to support the church.

Joao Goncalves Zarco statue, Bank of Madeira and a palace

Now, I suggest that we walk forward towards a huge statue of Joao Goncalves Zarco. This statue from year 1927 introduces you a very important historical figure. J. G. Zarco was one of those who discovered Madeira. As such an important person, he does not have only one statue in Funchal You an find another in Lido part (which is a zone with many hotels).

Turn around and enjoy the view of the ocean. If you walk down there, on the right you can see a palace (before crossing the road). The palace is called Palacio de Sao Lourenco and it is connected nowadays with a Military museum as well.

When heading back to the statue, check what is behind it. You can admire a giant building of Madeiran bank. It is also just white and brown/black but if you are the architecture lover, you will please your eyes.

Blandy’s wine lodge

As you will be moving forward, you will find a wine lodge on the right side. This wine lodge was founded by a British family – The Blandies. Its history goes back to the first quarter of the 19th century (1811).

Picture: Blandy's wine lodge.

You can do a tour there which is not for free, but it is really well organised and entertaining. They offer many tours from Monday to Friday (in some languages even on Saturdays). You can check the itinerary and entrance fees on their website. As I mentioned, the tours are paid but by the end of it you will be offered some wine for tasting and you do not have to pay anything extra. It is included in the ticket price. I am not a huge fun of wine in general but I have to say that when I tasted wine from there, I tasted probably the best wine which I have ever drunk.

Moreover, there is a thing connected to the Blendy’s wine lodge which you could do for free. Feel free to enter the complex. Even the bit that you will see before getting to the paid zone is fantastic!

Theatre – Teatro Municipal Baltazar Dias

There is one building on the left which is more or less in the same colours as the rest of the buildings you have been reading about. The building I am talking about now is a theatre – Teatro Municipal Baltazar Dias. Believe it or not but if you love going to the theatre, you should remember this spot. There are not many theatres in Madeira, so this is the most important one.

Picture: The main theatre from inside.

Again, looking at this building and know that is the main theatre is nice. From time to tme there are also some events happening for free. I got to a dance class Danca inclusiva which was organised in cooperation with CiM from Lisbon.  It was amazing. So when in Funchal, check whether there is something special happening in the theatre as well.

The rest of Avenida Arriaga

What I would like to share with you is that there is a beautiful park where you can also enter when visiting Funchal. But as always, I believe it would be better to leave this park for another article of this series.

There is still much to see in the same street, because it is full of restaurants which are usually nicely decorated, you can also check some typical products in souvenir shops.

This street is also one of the main and most important streets in Funchal because there are so many events held. So when it is a Carnival time, you will walk through beautifully decorated street full of some stalls with cakes, poncho and other Madeiran specialities. In Christmas time, you will be listening to some choir concertsand enjoying the lovely Christmas atmosphere which you can really feel in this street even though there is no snow and you might walk some days outside, wearing shorts or a skirt.

Picture: Beautifully decorated street.

That is all clear now. Put your clothes on, get your shoes and go to explore this lovely street.

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