The street is full of romance, which gives you the opportunity to think about how people lived here when the island could not be reached by airplanes. The doors decorated by artists are truly original. Some are very simple, but some are true works of aesthetic art. There are many good restaurants in the street.

It is located a 5 minute walk south east of the farmers market (Mercado dos Lavradores). All the door paintings are different, and to a high standard. It is best to go early in the morning before the opening of the restaurants, and before other visitors start to do the same walk. Also, the lighting is better in the early morning. 30 mins. max is all it takes. And it is free of course.

This is very interesting to see the different painted doors of these properties, some are a lot better than others. I dont know if the residents themselves paint them or are there artists that just come and do it for them. But interesting to see and wander down this street. It is called Rua de Santa Maria.

Our small group tour leader took us here as part of a walking tour of Funchal. He had actually been involved with this project after disastrous rains and flooding in the area in 2010 meant it had to be rebuilt. There is a real mixture of styles and pictures, some of which are superb but all of which are good; as a street it is really interesting! Our guide pointed out that, in order to see the doors themselves at their best, you need to come between 1am and around 11am as that’s when the bars and restaurants on the street are mostly still shut so the doors are closed.

Well worth a stroll down here. There are a lot of shops and cafes to tempt you but the main attraction here is the painted doors. Clearly the daytime activity results in views of many of the doors being obstructed and many of them being open and therefore not really visible. Whilst we didn't do it, it would probably be a good idea to come here early in the morning when it is light but nice and quiet.