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Click here for the 48 Hours in… Funchal map
Travel esssentials
Why go now?
One month ago, Madeira capital was pounded by catastrophic floods and landslides, which killed 42 people across the island. Much of the damage has now been cleared up. With its grand seafront promenade, black-and-white mosaic pavements, attractive historic buildings and old-fashioned shops and cafés, Funchal is back in business. The annual flower festival takes place 15-18 April.
Touch down
The main scheduled carrier to Funchal is easyJet 0905 821 0905; easyjet.com, which has flights from Gatwick, Stansted and Bristol. A taxi to the city centre takes around 25 minutes and costs €26-€30 more at weekends and 10pm-7am.
Get your bearings
Madeira is 550 miles south-west of Lisbon, but retains its Portuguese roots – as well as strong connections with Britain. Most places of interest are close to the stony Atlantic shore, where three rivers that carve through the centre meet the ocean.
The seafront promenade, the Avenida do Mar, is recovering well from its recent battering; its palm-shaded cafés and bolo do caco flatbread stalls are as lively as ever. Set back from the promenade is the old town, Zona Velha, a jumble of terracotta-roofed cottages that was also hit. This quiet guesthouse has basic but tidy doubles from €50, including a simple breakfast.
Madeira has the best selection of five-star hotels of all the Atlantic Islands. The grande dame is Reid Palace 4 at Estrada Monumental 139 00 351 291 717171; reidspalace.com; doubles from €234, including breakfast.
Nearby a modern alternative with equally stunning ocean views is the Pestana Carlton Madeira 5 on Largo António Nobre 00 351 291 239500; pestana.com where doubles cost from €175, including breakfast.
Funchal hippest new addition is The Vine 6 at Rua dos Aranhas 27A 00 351 291 009000; hotel thevine.com, with a rooftop pool and a vinotherapy spa; from €220 including breakfast.
Day one
Take a hike
Start at the Story Centre 7 00 351 291 000770; storycentre.com; 10am to 6pm daily; €9.60, a lively museum of Madeiran history and culture. From here, Rua Santa Maria leads to the art deco market hall, Mercado dos Lavradores 8, on Rua Brigadeiro Oudinot, best on a Friday or Saturday morning when the displays of subtropical fruit, giant octopus and evil-looking espada scabbard fish are at their most impressive. Head west along Rua Fernão Ornelas and cross Funchal central river to reach the attractive Cathedral quarter, much of which is pedestrianised, with ornate balconies overlooking cobbled lanes. Tours take place on Saturdays at 11am or 10.30am and 3.30pm from Monday to Friday; the price of €5 includes a tasting. A bottle of the popular five-year-old vintage costs €11. A traditional accompaniment is bolo de mel, chewy cake made with molasses. One of the oldest makers is Fabrica St Antonio 11 at Travessa do Forno 27 00 351 291 220 255.
For hand-embroidered linen – one of several Madeiran traditions started by British expatriates – head for one of the stores in the Bordal chain 00 351 291 222965; bordal.pt; one branch can be found in the new Dolce Vita centre 12 on Rua Dr Brito Câmara.
Lunch on the run
At the stylish Café do Museu on Praça do Municipio 9, a main course costs under €7. More substantially, Gavião Novo 13 on Rua Santa Maria 00 351 291 229238 serves Madeiran favourites such as espada with banana, and espetada beef kebabs with laurel and garlic; for €11 or less.
Cultural afternoon
In the 15th and 16th centuries, Madeira prospered by supplying sugar to Flemish traders, some of whom offered priceless religious paintings as part-payment. Many of these can be seen in the Museu de Arte Sacra adjacent to the Praça do Municipio 9 at Rua do Bispo 21 00 351 291 228900. The Casa-Museu Frederico de Freitas 14 at Calçada de Santa Clara 7 00 351 291 220578; open 10am to 5.30pm Tuesday-Sunday is one of the classiest small museums in Europe. It occupies a mansion where a family lived until 1988, and has been preserved in immaculate order since then.
Move on to the Convento de Santa Clara 15, also on Calçada Santa Clara 00 351 291 211000; open 10am to noon and 3pm to 5pm daily except Sunday, a working convent with a chapel lined with beautiful azulejo tiling. Its neighbour, the Quinta das Cruzes 16 on Calçada Pico 00 351 291 740670; 10am-12.30pm and 2-5.30pm daily except Monday, is an imposing 15th-century mansion with an impressive display of silverware from chalices to babies rattles.
An aperitif
Sip a poncha rum punch or pre-prandial glass of Coral beer at Café do Teatro 17 on Avenida Arriaga, which has pavement tables and a courtyard.
Dine with the locals
A stylishly distressed interior with contemporary art on exposed-stone walls is the backdrop to Armazém do Sal 18 at Rua da Alfandega 135 00 351 291 241 285; armazemdosal.com which serves delicious tuna carpaccio and superb beef. Chic, minimalist Riso 19 at Rua Santa Maria 274 00 351 291 280360, specialises in risottos. To splash out, book a table at Il Gallo dOro, the gourmet restaurant at The Cliff Bay 20 on Estrada Monumental 00 351 291 708750; portobay.com. Its decoration is an amalgam of azulejo tiling, frescos, gilded altars and barley-twist columns. The early 19th-century neo-classical English Church 21 on Rua do Quebra Costas was designed by the British Consul to look secular, in deference to Catholic Portuguese law. Return on a carro de cesto, a wickerwork sledge, steered downhill by a pair of white-flannelled drivers €25 for two people.
A walk in the park
Back in town, saunter under the oleanders and date palms in the Jardim de São Francisco 24, filled with majestic trees from Africa and South America, or relax to the sound of the fountains in Santa Caterina park 25.
The icing on the cake
Afternoon tea on the terrace at Reid Palace Hotel 4 – English style, but with the addition of miniature portions of bolo de mel – is a civilised affair that open to non-residents from 3pm to 5.30pm €28.
