The resort strip west of the centre — a run of big seafront hotels along the Lido promenade, with ocean-fed lido pools, bathing complexes and sea views. The base for a relaxed sun-and-pool holiday, a bus or promenade walk from town; comfortable and scenic, if less characterful than the old town.
A look around
What you’ll be living next to. Swipe through.
€110–190
typical per night in Portugal
You pay for the postcode
One of the pricier addresses in Funchal.
Where it sits
The circle is Hotel Zone and roughly a 10-minute walk around it.
How far is everything?
From the middle of this area to the city's headline sights — pick your own on the city page and these become your list.
- Madeira wine tasting8 min taxi2.6 km
- Mercado dos Lavradores9 min taxi3.0 km
- The old town & its painted doors10 min taxi3.5 km
- The Monte cable car11 min taxi3.5 km
- Monte Palace Tropical Garden14 min taxi4.8 km
- Cabo Girão skywalk18 min taxi5.9 km
- A levada walk33 min taxi11.0 km
- Pico do Arieiro33 min taxi11.0 km
On your doorstep
What you’re living next to if you stay here.
- 10.The Lido promenade & ocean pools — Madeira does its swimming in style — natural and built ocean pools and bathing complexes along the Lido seafront, with a scenic promenade to stroll and sunbathe. Since sandy beaches are scarce, this is how Funchal takes to the water; go for a saltwater swim with the waves crashing beyond the wall.
- 11.Câmara de Lobos — A postcard fishing village just west of Funchal — a huddle of colourful boats in a rocky bay, ramshackle bars, and the spot Winston Churchill came to paint. Come for the harbour views, a glass of poncha with the fishermen, and the black scabbard fish fresh off the boats; pretty and delightfully unpolished.
- 15.Praia Formosa — Funchal's main beach, just west of the centre — a long stretch of black volcanic pebbles and sand with calm swimming, sea-water pools and beach bars. Not a Caribbean idyll, but a proper (if stony) swim close to the city; for golden sand, you'll need the ferry to Porto Santo.
- 17.Ponta de São Lourenço — Madeira's wild eastern tip — a spectacular walk out along a bare, red-and-ochre volcanic peninsula with the ocean pounding on both sides. The island's most dramatic coast.
- 18.Porto Moniz natural pools — Natural rock pools of clear Atlantic water, carved from black lava on the north-west coast — swim in the sea, safe from the swell. A gorgeous drive out and a lovely dip.
When are you staying?
Booking.com & Airbnb open searched to Hotel Zone; flights via Google Flights.