The Painted Doors of Rua de Santa Maria, Funchal | A Short Guide

Madeira is known for beautiful weather, luscious greenery and gorgeous buildings. When I visited I was set on two things; relaxing in the sun and seeing the Painted Doors of Rua de Santa Maria. These iconic doors are a constantly evolving piece of art, set on levelling up a deprived area of Funchal. The result is a live piece of art that captivate any visiting audience. This post is my ultimate guide to the magic.

The Painted Doors of Rua de Santa Maria, Funchal | A Short Guide

The History of Rua de Santa Maria

Rua de Santa Maria is one of oldest and most colourful streets in Funchal on the Portuguese island of Madeira. The cobbled street is located in the old town (zona velha) and leads up to the church of Santa Maria Maior. As you may have guessed, it is wide enough only for pedestrians and is lined with restaurants, cafes and the odd art gallery or two.

The narrow street dates back to 1430 as a thoroughfare up to the church. Recently, it became one of Funchal’s most popular tourist attractions after the local council came up with an ingenious initiative in an attempt to revamp the slightly run down and dilapidated area.

Then, in 2014 the “Art of Open Doors” project was started. Overnight, the street was turned into a public art space and local artists were invited to ‘move in’ and get to work on over two hundred of the street’s doors. The idea was to create a piece of work that invites people walking along the street into experience something deeper. In doing so, the properties were looked after and the tourists flocked to it.

Rua de Santa Maria Today and When to Visit

Since 2014, the goal of revitalising the old town has been reached. The first thing that you will see is plenty of colour. As I said above, this is an evolving project and is not yet complete in 2024. Whilst Rua de Santa Maria is obviously the main attraction, make sure that you check out the side streets too for lesser-seen doors. Around this street in the old town you’ll find plenty of restaurants and cafes too.

The best time to visit, in my opinion, has to be in the early morning. Firstly, the golden light of sunrise makes any photo look better and adds a depth of magic to the photos. I also find that the tourists haven’t quite woken up at this point, so it gives you more of an opportunity to take pictures. If you go after breakfast, you’ll be able to take photographs but may be there a while. Madera has lovely weather for most of the year, but to get the best pictures go off-season. Once more there are fewer tourists.

Some of My Favourite Pieces

As an art lover and keen photographer, this part of Madeira was right up my street (excuse the pun)! In fact, it was hard to drag myself away from all the beautiful paintings and the many photo opportunities.

Here are some of my favourites that I found on my trip. I hope that you enjoy them as much as I did.

Final Thoughts | The Painted Doors of Rua de Santa Maria, Funchal

With over two hundred doors to choose from, the pictures above were just a handful. As an evolving project, new doors appear all the time and I am envious of people there right now who can see all of the new ones. If you go, please keep me updated with all the new doors. I would really love to see them and to hear from you.