Free walking tours in Funchal
Best walking tours in Funchal with local guides:
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Funchal on foot with a local guide, paid with a tip
Booking a free walking tour in Funchal costs nothing. GuruWalk takes no credit card, and the guide's pay is the tip each person chooses to give at the end, according to how the walk went.
Many of these walks link Funchal's 16th-century cathedral with the Mercado dos Lavradores, the farmers' market, on a typical route of about 1.2 kilometres, and some pass through the Old Town and its colourful doors. 5 local guides lead them, the average walk lasts about two hours, and Funchal's free tours hold 4.9 out of 5 from more than 2,095 reviews.
What Funchal's free walking tours cover: history and culture
History and culture between the Sé and the Mercado dos Lavradores
Funchal's history and culture are the subject of the essential tours, rated 4.9 out of 5 in 1,774 reviews. The stops vary across the 4 free walking tours of this kind, with the Sé Catedral and the Mercado dos Lavradores on several. Other stops include the Zona Histórica, the Palácio de São Lourenço, the Jardim Municipal, the Cais do Funchal, the chapel of Santa Catarina and Blandy's Wine Lodge.
Palácio de São Lourenço, the Sé and the farmers' market: Funchal's route
A walking tour of Funchal covers about 1.2 kilometres on a typical route and takes an hour and a half to two and a half hours. Across Funchal's tours, the cathedral and the farmers' market come up most often, and the Palácio de São Lourenço and the Old Town on some routes. They tend to come roughly in this order:
- Palácio de São Lourenço, once the official residence of the General-Governors of the Madeira Islands.
- Funchal Cathedral (Sé Catedral do Funchal), built in the 16th century.
- Mercado dos Lavradores, the farmers' market, where the guides point out the details of the building.
- Zona Histórica do Funchal, the Old Town, with its colourful doors and many restaurants.
Other stops include the Jardim Municipal, the Cais do Funchal, the statue of João Gonçalves Zarco, the Câmara Municipal and Blandy's Wine Lodge. One route also takes in the Jesuit church of São João Evangelista, once the largest building on the island, the Madeira Wine, Embroidery and Handicraft Institute in the old palace of the British Consul Henry Veitch, the Forte de São Tiago and Barreirinha beach.
Museu CR7, Avenida do Mar and other things to know before a Funchal walk
What does the Funchal guide get at the end?
The guide gets the tip each person chooses to give. Free tours in Funchal don't have a fixed price. At the end, each person contributes to the guide the amount they consider fair based on their satisfaction. As a guideline, GuruWalk recommends between €15 and €50 per participant.
Is a Funchal walking tour a long walk?
No. A typical route in Funchal is about 1.2 kilometres long, and the average walk lasts about two hours.
How early can you start a walk in Funchal?
Over November, the earliest free walking tour in Funchal leaves at 9:30 AM and the latest at 5:30 PM. English is the language of Funchal's free tours, with five in English and one also in Spanish, and each tour lists its own times when you book.
Where do Funchal's guides meet their groups?
Some Funchal guides wait by the Museu CR7, others on Avenida do Mar e das Comunidades Madeirenses, and your booking gives the exact spot for each walk.
Is a guide worth it for the Sé and the farmers' market?
Yes, if you want the stories behind the Sé and the Mercado dos Lavradores in Funchal. A local guide, free to book, explains what you are looking at, from the Governors' palace to the corsair attacks that shaped the layout of the city. Places in each group are limited, so book ahead.
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