Museu de Electricidade Casa da Luz — Attraction in Funchal

If you ever find yourself in Madeira and are looking for a quirky little adventure, you simply have to check out the electricity museum! Yes, I said electricity. Trust me, it sounds a lot more interesting than it actually is.

This place takes you on a journey through time, showing just how the island transitioned from grumbling old diesel and oil generators to fancy modern hydro, wind, and solar systems. I mean, who knew energy could have such a glow-up? It’s like watching your awkward high school friend transform into a stylish adult.

The exhibits are laid out nicely, and there’s something oddly fascinating about seeing the evolution of power. It's like a history lesson but without the snooze-fest—more like a fun trip through an electricity theme park (minus the roller coaster, sadly). The docents are also pretty enthusiastic, which helps a lot. They clearly love what they do.

One of the highlights for me was spotting a man repairing a vintage radio from the 1930s. It was like stepping into a time machine, watching him conjure life back into that old equipment. I kept thinking, if only that radio could tell stories!

Honestly, it’s an unexpected gem worth your time. You’ll leave with a smidge more knowledge and maybe even an appreciation for how we power our modern lives. Plus, it gives you a cool conversation starter for dinner parties: “Did you know how Madeira once powered itself?!” Just don’t expect wild applause after that—unless your friends are nerds about energy...

A great place to discover, especially when youd like to find something not typical for entartainment. 2,70 euros (only cash) is a very reasonable price for about 1,5 tour at two floors. You can find out a lot of interesting facts about electricity in general and in Madeira in particular. On the first floor there are lots of interactive objects that explain different features about electricity in a fun simple way. Pay attention that theres quite a long break during the day (12:30-14:00). There`s very little information in english (no other foreign languages available), portuguese only, but if you understand how electricity works it will still be...

For me this was an unexpected pleasure as this small museum, which traces the history of electrical engineering and supply on Funchal is actually very interesting to anyone with an interest in industrial history. In my view the star exhibits were the huge generating sets used prior to the conversion to hydro power on the island. The rest of the museum shows equipment from the different periods including switchgear, meters and the spread of power from Funchal to the rest of Madeira. The huge diesel generating sets made in Lincolnshire (Ruston) and Stockport (Mirrlees) and a lot if the switchgear is a testament to British engineering in the...