Private Nuns Valley Tour from Funchal Cruise Port

Summary

Half-Day Taxi Tour: Curral das Freiras & Camara de Lobos

You’ll get picked up right at Funchal port and whisked away in a private taxi to see mountain views, hidden valleys, and taste local life—all with time to spare before your ship leaves.

4.00

(1 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

Stepping off the ship in Funchal, the air felt a bit cooler than I expected—maybe it was the mountain breeze sneaking down to the port. Our guide, João, met us right at the terminal with a grin and a sign. No waiting for big groups or herding onto a bus. We slid into a clean taxi, windows down, and headed straight for Pico dos Barcelos. The road wound up through neighborhoods where you could smell fresh bread from tiny bakeries. At the viewpoint, the city spread out below us—rooftops, gardens, even the odd rooster crowing somewhere close by. João pointed out the old football stadium and told us about his childhood running these hills.

Next, we climbed higher to Eira do Serrado. The taxi parked just below the lookout, and it’s only a short walk up—though I’ll admit, I stopped halfway to catch my breath and snap a photo of wildflowers poking through the rocks. From the top, Curral das Freiras (Nuns Valley) sits way down in this deep green bowl, ringed by jagged peaks. It’s quiet up there except for wind in the pines and distant church bells. João explained how nuns once hid here during pirate raids—he even showed us an old photo on his phone.

On the way back, we dropped into Camara de Lobos. It’s got this sleepy fishing village feel—blue boats bobbing in the harbor, old men playing cards outside pastel bars. We wandered past whitewashed houses to a tiny bar where locals were already laughing over glasses of poncha (that’s their punchy sugarcane drink). I tried one—sweet at first, then it hits you with citrus and rum. The bartender joked that it’d keep me warm all afternoon. Before heading back to port, we picked up some bolo de mel cake from a street vendor for later on the ship.

3h