Praça do Município is the town hall square of Funchal, in the centre of the city on Madeira, Portugal. Patterned black and white paving covers the whole square, and three stone buildings frame it: the Town Hall, the Jesuit church and the former bishop's palace. Most people come to walk the square rather than to see one single sight. The church interior, tiled and gilded, is the strongest reason to stop.
Praça do Município
The Jesuit church on the square keeps a plain façade and an interior covered in tiles and gilded carving.
- Entrance
- Free. Public square, no ticket and no gate.
- Accessibility
- Step-free entrance and wheelchair-accessible parking spaces.
- Hours
- Open 24 hours.
What makes it special
Three buildings frame the square. The Town Hall (Câmara Municipal) takes one side, with an inner patio behind the entrance. Beside it stands the Jesuit church (Igreja do Colégio). The front is plain; inside, the walls carry blue and white tiles and gilded carving. The third side is the former bishop's palace, now the museum of sacred art (Museu de Arte Sacra).
The floor counts too. The whole square is laid in patterned black and white stone, and the paving is what people photograph first. Traffic runs along one edge, so the square is spacious rather than quiet. Restaurants stand along the street that leads off it, and art installations are put up on the square from time to time.
Good to know
- Traffic — the road along the square is busy, and the paving is not a car-free zone throughout.
- The church — the façade is plain and the interior is tiled and gilded. Going inside is the point of the stop.
- Town Hall patio — the courtyard behind the Town Hall entrance is part of the square, not a separate attraction.
- Food — restaurants line the street that runs off the square.
- May — the flower festival brings stalls, dancers and performances to the streets around here.
Best time to visit
Better: May, when the flower festival brings stalls, dancers and performances to the streets around the square.
Avoid: coming here in search of quiet — the road alongside the square is busy.
The square is open ground with no gate, so an evening walk across it works as well as a daytime one. The paving and the tiled church interior are the two things worth the stop, and neither depends on the season.
Sun & daylight
Nearby Places
Similar Places
Praça do Município on the map
Traffic runs along the edge of the square and the road is busy. Keep children on the paved side.
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Frequently asked questions
What is there to see on the square itself?
The Town Hall with its inner patio, the Jesuit church, the former bishop's palace, and the patterned black and white paving that covers the whole square.Is the church worth going into?
Yes. The exterior is plain, and the interior is covered in tile work and gilded carving. It is the most ornate interior on the square.Can you eat around the square?
Restaurants stand along the street that runs off the square, so a stop for food fits into the same walk.Does it suit children?
The square is spacious and easy to walk with children. The road along one edge is busy, so keep them away from the traffic side.What happens here in May?
The flower festival. Stalls, dancers and performances fill the streets around the square, and Funchal as a whole is busy with it.