Fortaleza de São João Baptista do Pico

The gate faces east, so the last stretch is a walk round the walls — and then Funchal drops away below: the harbour, the tiled roofs, the whole curve of the bay. That panorama is the visit. Inside, the fort is spare. Two rooms are open, with boards on the fortress's history, a few old paintings and an art piece built around a TV screen. What carries the place is the stonework: heavy old ramparts, the gateway, the open parade ground, and gardens where mango trees grow among the flowers. From down in the city the silhouette on the hill makes the stronger picture.

• The gate is shut at weekends — turn up then and the café by the entrance and the view are still there, the fort itself is not.
• The way up is steep — steps from the seaward side, or narrow lanes from the city centre, then a walk round to the entrance on the eastern side.
• Little inside — two rooms are open, with history boards and old paintings. Come for the walls, the gardens and the panorama.
• Toilets on site, and a café with a park behind the fort; both work as a stop even without paying the entry fee.

Driving is the straightforward option: the car park sits behind the fort, under 100 m from the gate, beside the café and the park. On foot from the city centre it is a climb up steep, narrow lanes; from the seaward side it is a flight of steps. Both routes bring you to the walls on the wrong side — the entrance is on the east, so you walk around before you can go in. Two bus stops lie within about 150 m of the fort.

Better: a weekday, arriving in the morning with enough time to get inside before the fort closes over the middle of the day.

Avoid: Saturday and Sunday, when the gate stays shut.

Opening hours here are narrow, and people do make the climb only to find the fort locked — one visitor did exactly that and settled for the view and a coffee at the shop by the entrance.