How to visit the Valley of the Nuns, Madeira (Curral das Freiras)

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Getting the bus up to the Valley of the Nuns, Madeira (or Curral das Freiras in Portuguese) was one of the first short day trips I did from Funchal, back on my first ever visit to Madeira. Since then, I’ve been back to the valley several times and always enjoyed it. There’s not much there, but the views are spectacular. And even though it’s a tourist attraction, it’s very quiet and peaceful.

So I thought I’d put together this little guide on visiting Curral das Freiras in case anyone else is thinking of exploring the area…

If you want the great near-death experience of a Madeiran bus journey, this is the perfect trip for you. Or if you like incredible views, unlike anywhere else on the island, it’s worth going (just make sure you’re braced for the bus journey of doom).

Curral das Freiras is a small village almost bang in the middle of Madeira, nestled between nearly perpendicular mountains in what’s argued to be the crater of an extinct volcano. Apparently the nuns escaped to hide from pirates on the coast to come and live here. They definitely picked the place with the best views. There are no nuns there now I’m afraid, as some hilarious TripAdvisor reviewer pointed out with great disappointment. Soz about that.

There’s not really anything much to do in the village, but the beauty of it is just walking round. There are a few tourist shops and a spectacular graveyard (not as creepy as it sounds). More on that further down this post.

This is the best bit: there’s very little to do. Regular readers might have seen my epic list of 45 things to do in Funchal. Well, I’m struggling to think of even 4 things to do in Curral das Freiras.

But that’s the beauty of it. You’re left to have a wander, eat, drink, soak up the view, and then get the bus back when you’ve had enough. You can easily do it in half a day, sandwiched between the usual copious amounts of eating and drinking that a trip to Funchal entails.

Of course, there are a few actual things to do in the village. They just won’t take very long.

There are a few shops to have a mooch in, selling mostly tourist stuff. How many fridge magnets is it acceptable to purchase? What do people without magnetic fridges buy when they’re on holiday?

Forget Père Lachaise in Paris, wouldn’t you rather be dead somewhere with this view?

You can walk through the graveyard by going down the steps on the main road. This sounds like a very vague description, but given the size of Curral das Freiras, you don’t have to worry about finding anything. It’s peaceful and offers a quiet perspective of the valley. There’s a nice tree-lined bit too.

There’s a nun cutout that you can pose in outside the biggest shop in the village and well, it has to be done.

Every. single. time.

You can see that Chris’s enthusiasm for the nun cutout has grown over the past five years. I can only imagine what 2020 will bring.

Curral das Freiras is famous for its chestnuts and has an actual festival dedicated to them every year. A lot of places serve them with a sweet sauce. I think it’s a bit rank, to be honest. I’ve tried to like it but nope. Chestnuts are much better in a savoury situation.

Give it a go if you fancy, but the chestnut soup is a good alternative in my book. You can get this in all the restaurants/cafés in the village.

If you’re not too into chestnuts, luckily there’s plenty of other lovely grub available in the Valley of the Nuns.

My favourite restaurant there is Sabores do Curral, which has a decent menu featuring a few veggie options. You have to sit on the rooftop area to see the view while you eat, no matter how windy it is. That’s the law.

If you’ve already eaten in Funchal or wherever you’re staying, make sure you at least stop somewhere for a drink and a pastel de nata to appreciate the view. There are a handful of cafés to pick from and it wouldn’t really matter which if you’re not having a meal, as long as it has a view.

If you found this short post about Curral das Freiras useful, why not hover over one of these images and pin to your Pinterest board? (Desktop only).

You might also like my other Madeira posts:

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