Is Funchal safe for solo female travelers?

Funchal, the largest city and the capital of Madeira, Portugal is highly noted for its safety. Crime rates are relatively low, and locals are generally welcoming and helpful towards tourists. As in any city, it's always essential to remain cautious and aware of your surroundings, but the risk of encountering safety issues in Funchal is comparatively low. Even walking alone at night in well-lit and populated areas is generally considered safe. The city also offers a good standard of healthcare facilities and effective emergency response services.

Safety rating

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How safe is Funchal for female travelers?

Travel safety index

4.4 /5

based on 4 experiences from female travelers

Solo travel

I fell in love with the city. The people are very nice and the food is amazing. The city is very safe but be prepared for a climb cause everything is up the hill☺️ I come back often and it became the ultimate vacation destination

Posted: February 3, 2025
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Malena

Malena

Finland

Solo travel

Funchal and Madeira in general were amazing! I live hiking, so Madeiras mountains were perfect for that! Funchal is a cute city that you can explore in a day and it also offers a lit of cute cafés and restaurants to try out. While I was there in June, there were celebrations happening in the city and the mood was just awesome! I would go back to Madeira immediately if I get the chance.

Posted: July 9, 2024Experienced: May, 2023
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Solo travel

Super safe place with nice and helpful people. You can walk around at any time of the day. Also, taxi drivers are super polite and there no issues at all. Also driving with a rental car was awesome and easy, if you are used to these kind of windy roads.

Posted: April 27, 2024Experienced: December, 2023
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Kajal

Kajal

United Kingdom

Solo travel

I'd highly recommend going to Funchal for a solo trip. I stayed in the Next Savoy Hotel and felt very safe during the four days I was there. Lots of places to eat around the hotel and within walking distance of the hotel, with vegetarian options available too. I visited Monte Tropical Gardens, which I travelled to using a local bus and travelled back using the cable car (highly recommended for beautiful views of Funchal). The Gardens were absolutely beautiful and I spent most of the day there. All in all, a very wonderful trip. I didn't do much as I was there solely to relax but it is a city that I'd love to come back to. I found locals to be very friendly and helpful.

Posted: February 10, 2024Experienced: May, 2023
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How safe is Funchal for women?

Local safety index

3.9 /5

Based on 3 local experiences

Local crime index

1 /5

Based on 3 local experiences

Kama

Kama

Funchal, and Madeira in general, is a very safe place. Being a Portuguese island, is well organized and police is present and visible. I don’t worry about walking late at night or being harassed. You do see few homeless people but they are usually harmless and quite positive 😊

Posted: May 29, 2025
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Joy

Joy

My experience as a young lady in Funchal is really relaxed. I feel comfortable wearing any kind of clothing - be it baggy and chunky or skinny and revealing. The weather is always nice and people are always chill :) At nighttime I observe myself getting slightly more cautious, especially when I'm walking through more remote and darker streets. But I basically always know that nothing is actually going to happen and that I'm safe.

Posted: June 10, 2024
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Dory

Dory

Funchal is incredibly safe, there is almost no crime anywhere in Madeira island. The locals are kind and friendly and tourists are usually well behaved. I never had any issues walking home late at night.

Posted: March 18, 2024
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Safety in Portugal