Funchal City Guide
Funchal City Centre
The Funchal city centre is the flat stretch around Avenida Arriaga, between the old town and the marina, and it holds more paid sights in one straight line than anywhere else in the city. The Sé cathedral, Blandy's Wine Lodge and the tourist office all sit on or just off Avenida Arriaga, and the CR7 Museum and the cruise-facing marina are a short walk further down toward the water. This page covers what stands here, what each place costs, and how the centre connects to the old town on one side and the seafront on the other. Each paid sight also has its own page with full hours and prices. The full Funchal city guide has the rest of the city.
Quick answer What's on Avenida Arriaga, what it costs, how it connects
The Funchal city centre runs along Avenida Arriaga, flat and walkable, with the Sé cathedral, Blandy's Wine Lodge and the tourist office all within a few minutes of each other. The Sé is free. Blandy's tours run $19.48 (€17) to $67.61 (€59). Down toward the marina, the CR7 Museum charges $5.73 (€5). The old town's painted doors are a short walk one way, and the marina and cruise terminal are a short walk the other.
Key takeaways
- The Sé cathedral has no published entry fee and opens generous hours, including Sunday, which makes it the sight open when others are shut
- Blandy's Wine Lodge at Avenida Arriaga 28 runs a 30 minute Lodge Tour at $19.48 (€17), and the H.M. Borges winery tour with tasting is a smaller alternative
- The CR7 Museum near the marina is $5.73 (€5), Monday-Saturday, with no Sunday hours published
- A city highlights tuk-tuk tour covers the centre and the wider city in about two hours if you would rather ride than walk it
Sights in the Centre: Hours and Price
The centre's paid and free sights, priced and timed from each operator's own page and the municipal city hall page.
| Sight | Hours | Adult price |
|---|---|---|
| Se cathedral | Mon-Fri 07:15-18:30, Sat 08:00-12:00 & 16:00-19:00, Sun 07:15-12:00 & 16:00-19:00 | Free, no fee published |
| Blandy's Wine Lodge Lodge Tour | Mon-Fri 10:00-18:30, Sat 10:00-18:00, Sun 10:00-13:00 & 14:00-18:00 | $19.48 (€17) |
| CR7 Museum | Mon-Sat 10:00-17:00, no Sunday hours published | $5.73 (€5) |
| Funchal City Hall guided tour | Weekdays 11:00, about 60 minutes, closed weekends and holidays | Not stated |
| Tourist office, Avenida Arriaga 16 | Mon-Fri 09:00-19:00, weekends and holidays 09:00-15:30 | Free, information only |
Blandy's and the CR7 Museum each carry more tour options and full hours on their own pages. Figures current for Q3 2026.
City Centre Tours Compared
Three ways to see the centre without walking the whole route on foot. Prices are the platform's own listed US dollar figures.
from $91.89
City Highlights Tuk-Tuk Tour
A 2 hour small-group tuk-tuk ride to 25 Funchal highlights including Pico dos Barcelos, the fortress, the Cathedral and the Farmers' Market, hotel pickup included.
Check Availability
from $29.86
City Sightseeing Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tour
A 24 or 48 hour Funchal hop-on hop-off pass with a 14-language audio guide, a free Historic Centre walking tour and a wine tasting stop at Blandy's.
Check Availability
from $91.89
Funchal 2-Hour Tuk-Tuk Tour with Cable Car Finale
A 2 hour small-group Funchal tuk-tuk tour ending with a ride on the Monte cable car, with a local driver-guide and fuel included.
Check AvailabilityPrices, ratings and details are the platform's own. dollar figures are the listed prices — the platform bills in your account's currency.
Avenida Arriaga: The Spine of the Centre
One street carries most of what a first visit to the centre needs.
Avenida Arriaga at dusk, looking toward the cathedral tower. Photo: Michael Gaylard from Horsham, UK, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The Tourist Office and the Street It Sits On
Avenida Arriaga is the flat, tree-lined avenue that runs through the heart of the centre, and the official Posto de Turismo do Funchal sits on it at number 16, open Monday to Friday 09:00-19:00 and weekends and public holidays 09:00-15:30, phone +351 291 145 305. It is the easiest place in the city to ask a question in person rather than guess from a blog. Blandy's Wine Lodge stands further along the same avenue at number 28, so the two errands, a question at the desk and a wine tour, sit within a few minutes' walk of each other.
Shopping and Everyday Errands
The avenue and its side streets carry the centre's everyday shopping, from souvenir shops to ordinary Portuguese retail, though no official source publishes a ranked or curated list of stores, so this page names none. What is worth knowing in practical terms is that the centre is flat for its whole length between the old town and the marina, so walking it end to end needs no climb, unlike the ground above it toward Monte.
Praça do Município and the City Hall
One block off Avenida Arriaga, the civic square carries the building the city has governed itself from since the 19th century.
Praça do Município, the civic square in central Funchal, with the city hall on the right. Photo: Dr. Thomas Liptak, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
1758 to 1883: A Private Residence Turned Town Hall
The building on Praça do Município was built in 1758 as the residence of the Count of Carvalhal, and it has served as Funchal's city hall since 1883. Guided tours run on weekdays at 11:00, about 60 minutes, closed on weekends and public holidays, arranged by phone on +351 291 705 060. No official source publishes a ticket price for the tour, so this page prints none.
The square itself, tiled in the calçada mosaic pattern common across the city centre, is free to stand in at any hour and is a natural midpoint between the Sé and the old town.
The Se Cathedral, Open When Others Are Not
The Sé is the oldest major building in the centre. King João II ordered it in 1493, it was completed in the early 16th century, and it has been a National Monument since 1910. Its hours are the most generous of any sight in the centre: Monday to Friday 07:15-18:30, Saturday 08:00-12:00 and 16:00-19:00, and Sunday 07:15-12:00 and 16:00-19:00, with no entry fee published by any official source, so treat a visit as free.
That Sunday window matters on the one day the market and the toboggans are shut. The full history, the Mudéjar cedar ceiling and the Gothic portal cut from Cabo Girão stone are covered on the cathedral's own page.
Toward the Marina: The CR7 Museum and the Water
The centre's flat ground continues past Blandy's down to the marina, where the second half of the centre's paid sights sit.
The CR7 Museum
Down by the marina, at Praça do Mar Nº27, the CR7 Museum holds the trophy collection of Madeira's most famous footballer. It opened on 15 December 2013, over a floor of about 400 m², and charges $5.73 (€5) for adults, free for children up to age 9. It runs Monday to Saturday 10:00-17:00, and the operator's own site does not publish Sunday or holiday hours, so this page states none rather than assume it opens.
The full detail is on the museum's own page.
The Marina Itself
Marina do Funchal, further along the water, is the departure point named by both whale and dolphin operators covered on the whale watching page, and it sits within easy walking distance of the CR7 Museum. No official source publishes a berth count or a walking time from the centre to the marina, so this page states neither. What is confirmed is the geography: the centre's flat ground runs continuously from Avenida Arriaga to the water, with no climb along the way.
Getting Around the Centre and On to the Rest of the City
The centre connects to the old town on one side and the marina on the other, both on foot, and Avenida Arriaga is the reference line for both directions. For sights above the centre, city buses 20, 21, 22 and 48 climb to Monte at $2.35 (€2.05) on board, and the getting around page has the full fare table for buses, the Aerobus and taxis. The centre itself needs no bus: everything on this page sits within a flat walk of Avenida Arriaga.
Building histories and hours from Visit Madeira and each venue's own site.
Funchal City Centre Map: Avenida Arriaga to the Marina
The tourist office, the cathedral, Blandy's, the city hall and the CR7 Museum, in the order a flat walk reaches them from the old town toward the marina.
Coordinates from OSM Nominatim for each address.
Next Stop From the Centre
The three paid sights of the centre, each with the fact that decides a visit.
Se cathedral
Free, open longer hours than anything else in the centre including Sunday. The cathedral guide has the Mudejar ceiling and the full hours table.
Blandy's Wine Lodge
Tours from $19.48 (€17), open every day including Sunday. The wine lodge guide compares every tour length and price.
CR7 Museum
$5.73 (€5), Monday-Saturday, near the marina. The museum guide covers the collection and the hours gap on Sunday.
Funchal City Centre Questions
What is the centre of Funchal?
The flat district around Avenida Arriaga, running from the edge of the old town to the marina. It holds the Se cathedral, Blandy's Wine Lodge, the tourist office and, toward the water, the CR7 Museum.
What is the main street in Funchal city centre?
Avenida Arriaga, the tree-lined avenue that carries the tourist office at number 16 and Blandy's Wine Lodge at number 28, with the Se cathedral just off it.
Is Funchal city centre walkable?
Yes. The centre is flat for its whole length between the old town and the marina, unlike the ground toward Monte, which climbs about 550 m. Everything on this page sits within a flat walk of Avenida Arriaga.
Where is the tourist office in Funchal?
Avenida Arriaga 16, 9004-519 Funchal, phone +351 291 145 305. It opens Monday to Friday 09:00-19:00 and weekends and public holidays 09:00-15:30.
What is free to do in Funchal city centre?
The Se cathedral has no published entry fee, and Praça do Município and the shopping streets along Avenida Arriaga cost nothing to walk. The paid stops are Blandy's Wine Lodge and the CR7 Museum.
Funchal City Centre on Film: Avenida Arriaga to the Marina
Three walks along the flat centre, from the cathedral tower to the marina.
Funchal City Centre Walking Tour - Madeira Island
A street-level walk along Avenida Arriaga and the centre's main squares.
Video: Charlie's Pride & SmileFunchal City Center (English) - Madeira
A guided pass through the centre naming the main buildings along the way.
Video: TIP MADEIRA - CITADELS ParadiseFunchal Walking Tour: Downtown Madeira in 30 Minutes
A continuous walk through downtown Funchal at ground level.
Video: Walking City GuideVideos load from YouTube only when you press play. Prices and opening hours shown in older films may be out of date.
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