Funchal's market and old town
The 1940 farmers' market and the old fishermen's quarter beside it, with the Monte cable car a few minutes' walk away.
The market and old town at a glance
Funchal's oldest quarter: the 1940 farmers' market and the painted doors of Rua de Santa Maria, a short walk from the Monte cable car.
- Where
- Funchal, by the seafront east of the centre
- From Funchal by car
- about 5 min
- Time to allow
- 1 to 2 hours
- Market open
- Monday to Friday 07:00 to 19:00, Saturday 07:00 to 14:00, closed on Sundays and public holidays
- To the Monte cable car
- about 240 m on foot, 3 minutes
Go there with us
- Your own route, half day Your own route 4 h €1601–4
- Your own route, by the hour Your own route 2 h minimum €501–4
Prices are for the whole car, not per person. Each page has the price for 5 or 6.
What you see
The Mercado dos Lavradores. Funchal's covered market opened in 1940, with tile panels at the entrance and in the fish hall. Around an open courtyard are stalls of fruit, vegetables and flowers, and at the back is the fish hall.
The Zona Velha. East of the market is the old quarter, where Funchal's first settlers lived. Along Rua de Santa Maria are about 200 doors of old houses and shops painted by artists, the Arte Portas Abertas project. The street is lined with restaurants, and it ends by the sea at the walls of the São Tiago fort and the little Corpo Santo chapel, built by Funchal's fishermen in the 15th century.
The cable car. The Funchal–Monte cable car starts on the seafront below the old town, about 240 m on foot, 3 minutes from the market.
Before you go
- Ask the price per kilo first at the fruit stalls, before anything is cut, tasted or weighed. Some stalls charge many times the shop price: the council opened an inquiry into inflated fruit prices in 2021, and a 2025 report found fruit at €89 a kilo with no prices shown.
- Come on a weekday morning. The market is open Monday to Friday 07:00 to 19:00, Saturday 07:00 to 14:00, closed on Sundays and public holidays.
- The São Tiago fort is temporarily closed; only its restaurant is open.
- Wear flat shoes. The old town's streets are cobbled.
The old town with us
The market and the old town are a walk, not a drive, so most guests go on their own. With a half day with a driver, we drop you by the market, you ride the cable car up to Monte, and your driver meets you there or at the bottom of the toboggan.
Nearby, on the same day
All places-
Monte
A hillside parish above Funchal, reached by cable car, with an 18th-century church, a tropical garden and the wicker toboggan ride down.
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Pico dos Barcelos
A viewpoint 355 m up in Funchal's hills that looks over the whole bay, and on clear days out to the Desertas islands.
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Câmara de Lobos
A fishing town just west of Funchal, with boats in the bay Churchill painted in 1950 and the bars where poncha was first made.
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Garajau and Cristo Rei
The 1927 Cristo Rei statue on a headland east of Funchal, above a marine reserve where you can swim and snorkel from the shore.
Market and old town questions
Is the Funchal market open on Sunday?
No. The Mercado dos Lavradores is open Monday to Friday 07:00 to 19:00, Saturday 07:00 to 14:00, closed on Sundays and public holidays.
Why is the fruit so expensive at the Funchal market?
Some stalls charge far more than the shops for exotic fruit, and prices aren't always shown. Ask the price per kilo before anything is cut or weighed, and say no if it's too much.
How far is the market from the Monte cable car?
It is about 240 m on foot, 3 minutes: the lower station is on the seafront below the old town.
Funchal and Monte in a half day
The market, the cable car and the toboggan, with your driver at the bottom. Send us a date and we reply within 60 minutes, 07:00–22:00, with the price for the car.
Your own route, half day €160 per car for 1 to 4 people, €180 for 5 or 6