The town of Curral das Freiras is set a stunning cauldron shaped depression in the mountainous interior of Madeira. This remote and isolated location was historically the refuge of the nuns from Santa Clara convent during pirate raids on the island.

When you visit Curral das Freiras, you will quickly understand why this was such an ideal location to hide out a pirate attack. The town is almost completely hidden from the outside, with steep mountains on all sides, and was only connected to Madeira’s road network in 1959.

Today, Curral das Freiras is a popular tourist destination with visitors coming to admire the dramatic natural scenery from one of the many outstanding viewpoints.

Curral das Freiras makes for an enjoyable half-day excursion and offers great hikes, stunning views and a charming little town selling chestnut cakes!
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Curral das Freiras nestles at the base of towering mountains

The main attraction of Curral das Freiras is the setting of the town more than the sights within it.

The dramatic scenery is best viewed from the Eira do Serrado viewpoint on the southern side of Curral das Freiras, and partway up the Pico Serrado mountain (1,053m).
The Eira do Serrado viewpoint is close to the old trail that leads into the town, and if you enjoy hiking this is a fantastic route with over 50 twists and turns and amazing vistas

There is a second equally as impressive viewpoint at Miradouros do Paredão, which is to the east of Curral das Freiras.

The church in Curral das Freiras

The Curral das Freiras valley is frequently wet or covered in mist, and this was the ideal growing conditions of sweet chestnuts. The town was historically a centre for their cultivation and is the main ingredient in the region’s local cake.
There is even an annual Chestnut Festival held at the end of October.

The Nossa Senhora do Livramento is the main church of Curral das Freiras and inside the baroque styled building is a brightly decorated church.

Frequently Curral das Freiras is shrouded in fog or clouds

Curral das Freiras only needs a couple of hours to explore, and the majority of this time will be spent at the viewpoints.

To get the most from the region a rental car or organised tour is needed, as the public buses just travel on the main roads and miss the viewpoints.

The town of Curral das Freiras Madeira

Beginning just north of Curral das Freiras valley is the PR2 hiking route, the Vereda do Urzal. This challenging 10km hiking route follows the ancient trail which crossed from the south of the island to the north.

The route climbs the mountains in the centre of the island to a maximum height of 1450m before dropping down to the hamlet of Lombo do Urzal (500m) on the north.

The Curral das Freiras was well known to earlier settlers on Madeira, but it came to prominence during the 16th century during an extended pirate raid on the island.

The island was subjected to a ferocious raid by the French pirate, Bertrand de Montluc in 1566. His band of drunks and savages went on a murderous and destructive rampage of over 100 days across the island.

The nuns of the Santa Clara convent in Funchal fled the capital to the most inaccessible section of the island, the Curral das Freiras. This name was given to the region after the chaos as it translates into Nuns Refuge.

The nun’s untimely had their revenge on Bertrand de Montluc as during the extended raid he was injured and died weeks later due to his wounds.