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The village where the nuns hid
Curral das Freiras sits deep in a valley in the middle of the island, ringed by some of Madeira's highest mountains. Its name means "the nuns' corral": in 1566, when French pirates attacked Funchal, the nuns of the Santa Clara convent fled up here, where no ship's cannon could reach them.
For centuries the only way in was a steep mountain path. Today a road and tunnels bring you in from Funchal in well under an hour, but the valley still feels a world away from the coast.
Eira do Serrado: the view from 1,095 metres
The best first look at the valley is from the Eira do Serrado viewpoint, about 1,095 metres up, where you look straight down onto the village and the peaks around it. On many days you are above the clouds that cover the coast.
It is noticeably cooler and often windier at Eira do Serrado than in Funchal. Bring a warm layer, even in summer.
Is it really a volcano crater?
It looks like one, and that is what many visitors are told — but geologists agree the valley was carved by rivers and erosion over a very long time, not by a single crater. Either way, the scale of it is breathtaking.
Taste the chestnuts
The valley is famous for its chestnuts. Try chestnut soup, chestnut cake or a glass of chestnut liqueur (licor de castanha) in the village. In November, Curral das Freiras holds its chestnut festival.
How to visit
Buses run from Funchal, but they are infrequent and do not stop at the high viewpoint. On a private tuk tuk tour we take the old mountain road with photo stops, the Eira do Serrado viewpoint and time in the village itself.
