The capital of Madeira, built like an amphitheatre around its bay — and where the route ends.
Funchal takes its name from funcho, the wild fennel the first settlers found growing here in the 1420s. The city climbs from the harbour straight up the hillside, so almost every street ends in a view of the Atlantic.
Start at the Mercado dos Lavradores, the farmers' market opened in 1940, for fruit you have never seen before. Walk east into the Zona Velha, where the doors of Rua de Santa Maria have been painted by local artists, and on to the yellow Fortress of São Tiago by the water.
From the seafront, the cable car lifts you over the rooftops to Monte in about fifteen minutes.
A tipZECARTE TATTOO is at Campo da Barca 7, a few minutes' walk from the Mercado dos Lavradores. We are open every day until 22:00, and later by prior appointment, so the city can come first.
- Coordinates32°39′N 16°55′W
- City since1508
- From the cruise port15–20 minutes on foot to the city centre
At the end of the route, in Funchal, four artists draw whatever you bring back from the island: a place, a flower, a word, a set of coordinates.
A Madeira stamp
The passport stamp nobody gives you any more.
The coordinates of Funchal
32°39′N 16°55′W, so the way back is always written down.