Madeira Story Centre

Probably it was ok 20 years ago. Now it’s old, creepy and not interactive at all. Some reading of interesting facts about Madeira could be covered by wiki. Disappointing and sad. Madeira is so full of tourists but so little to offer if you have a curious mind and love museums.

Wonderful experience! I have visited the island many times and already knew part of it's story but the museum exposition made me discover everything I didn't knew about Madeira so far. It really surprised and amazed me, the crew has done a excellent job! Keep the fantastic work!

Some interesting content but 95% is just written. So you’re reading a lot and some of the content is stupidly hard to read! It talks about history but is quite hard to follow. Would be interesting to also cover Madeira today- economy, culture and activities, island’s highlights etc and also have a large model of the island with all the key points /locations etc. Best point was, it’s only 5€ and the roof terrace is impressive! 😆

Bit dated but information was alright for €5. Don’t know expect any artefacts or creativity. Few weird wax figures too. Rooftop restaurant was better for views and beer.

For 5 euros it's really worth the visit. Not very big but totally fine for my attention span. Learned quite a few new facts about the island.

We were approached by a guy outside this place, who insisted it was a really nice place to eat. However, we were only out for a drink, which was no problem. We sceptically went in. The access to the roof terrace is through the museum display (which gives a very interesting history of Madeira) or souvenir shop and up to the next level by lift. On the roof terrace, we were surprised to find a large eating area outside and a large section under cover, too. We chose a table near the front so that we could people watch on the street below then ordered our drinks which came out soon after. If you go up the stairs in the corner of the terrace, it takes you up to another large level covered in astro turf. Good photo opportunities of the rooftops, cable cars, and the upper slopes of Funchal up there. This is a great place to sit have a meal, drink, people watch or all three, it was very relaxing. The servers were polite and prompt (well, apart from when Pedro forgot to get our bill, but we can forgive him for that because of his charm and good looks😉) and well presented. The toilets were clean and tidy.

Poor service. Only went for a drink was put in a back corner in the open topped restaurant at a wet table, as was raining. Grubby area full of cigarette butts. Had to find waiter for a drink as never arrived after 10 minute wait. Had to search again to pay the bill. Inattentive staff.

The restaurant has lovely rooftop views as on the 3rd floor. Entrance is through a shop with lifts that take you up. We ordered a beef skewer & a chicken skewer which were hung at the table. My husband said the beef skewer was good, although it looked a little rare for my taste. Unfortunately the chicken skewer was on the bone which maybe I should of checked but it wasn't what I expected. I didn't like the texture or the taste of the meat which was a shame. Food was served with a large bowl of salad to share and chips & sauce each At no point did they question why the chicken skewer was hardly touched. Service was friendly enough

The Madeira Story Centre was the largest and most well put together museum I visited in Funchal. It was well worth the modest €5 price tag. I saw some posts on TripAdvisor lamenting that the museum was closed but I can assure you that as of July 2018, it was You begin your visit with a brief introduction to the geological history of Madeira and its volcanic origins. Afterward, you take an elevator upstairs where you walk through a chronological history of the island, starting with its discovery by colonists 600 years ago all the way up to the modern day. Everything in this museum is well labelled and it is easy to follow. There were a few interactive exhibits that unfortunately weren't working when I visited but there was still quite a bit to do and see for all ages. It took me about 1.5 hours to get through the whole time but I could see it taking a bit longer if you visit with children.

The Story Centre is opposite the cable car station in Funchal. The beginning of the tour starts on the top level of the building where there were some seats in the sun. We then followed the stairs down to the more interesting part of the museum. This floor details the story of the discovery of the island. On the next level down the more recent history is shown. The story is shown through the use of detailed manequins and interactive computer screens. The museum is quite intresting for the morning but there was not enough to keep us entertained for the whole day. Non the less it was worth visiting.