Madeira
Madeira is a sub-tropical archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean and is an autonomous region of Portugal. The archipelago is made up of two populated islands, Madeira and Porto Santo, and two groups of unpopulated islands called the 1 Desertas and Selvagens Islands. Geographically in Africa, it is an ultra-peripheral region of the European Union. It is perhaps best known as the hometown of the Portuguese football (soccer) player Cristiano Ronaldo. Known worldwide as the Islands of eternal spring, Madeira, "Ilha Jardim" (Garden Island) or "Pearl of the Atlantic", has a mild climate throughout the entire year. Madeira is 500 km from the African coast and 1,000 km from the European continent, a 1½-hr flight from mainland Portugal and about 4 hours from central Europe.
Most read about in August, least in November. That is when people look it up, which tends to run a month or two ahead of when they go.
Before you book
The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office publishes the UK’s official travel advice for Portugal. It changes without notice and travelling against it usually invalidates your insurance, so read it at the source rather than anywhere else — including here.
FCDO travel adviceUnderstand
The Madeira (muh-DAY-ruh, /mɐ.ˈdɐj.ɾɐ/) Islands are just a short trip from Europe (more or less 4 hours from UK), to a destination where you can combine holidays by the sea, in the mountains or in the city. Discovered early in the 15th century by the Portuguese navigators João Gonçalves Zarco, Tristão Vaz Teixeira and Bartolomeu Perestrelo, Madeira was an important waypoint on the Cape Route, and is today an autonomous region of Portugal. Madeira is a popular destination for tourists of all ages. Its constant mild climate – temperatures 20–27 °C (68–81 °F) – keeps the spring on Madeira all year round. The levadas, an ingenious system of stone- and concrete-lined watercourses distributing water from the rainy north to the dry south, help flowers and crops flourish all year. That's why this island is called the Garden in the Atlantic. The maintenance pathways for these water canals provide wonderful level trails for hiking in the mountains—up to 1,861 m (6,106 ft)—and through the tremendous landscape.
Tourist information
Madeira Tourism website
What's inside
1 Funchal – Island capital and largest city in Madeira, home to tourist resorts, gorgeous panoramas, and local color. 2 Calheta — town, home to one of the only working sugarcane mills / rum distilleries on Madeira. 3 Câmara de Lobos — The "chamber of the sea lions" is a town near Funchal. 4 Machico — second biggest city on Madeira. Includes: 5 Porto da Cruz — beach village in the northeastern corner of the island 6 Ponta do Sol — 7 Porto Moniz — 8 Porto Santo — a separate island to the northeast 9 Ribeira Brava — town 10 Santa Cruz — city and home of the Madeira airport 11 Santana — town, home to its colorful historic thatched houses 12 São Vicente —
2 Ilhas Selvagens — The "Wild Islands", part of the Madeira autonomous region, make up an archipelago near Spain's Canary Islands. The islands are a natural reserve populated only by scientists, and normally off limits for visitors.
Getting there
Madeira has the same immigration laws as the rest of Portugal, and is therefore part of the Schengen Area.
By plane
1 Cristiano Ronaldo Madeira International Airport (FNC IATA formerly known as Santa Catarina Airport/Funchal Airport) (about 30 minutes from Funchal, in Santa Cruz municipality), ☏ +351 291 520 700. The following airlines fly regularly to Madeira International Airport: TAP Portugal, Portugália, SATA, British Airways, Norwegian Airlines, Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines, Air France, easyJet, Finnair, First Choice Airways, Thomson, LTU, Condor, SAS, Transavia, My Travel, Wizz air, Binter Canarias and Jet2.com. 2 Porto Santo Airport (Aeroporto de Porto Santo, PXO IATA). A 15-minute flight from Madeira. (updated Jul 2021) If you drive to the airport, ask for directions to the parking area you need; there are seven, and they are badly signposted. Some smaller car rental companies operate from sites near but not at the airport, and provide transport between terminal and depot.
By boat
There are no ferries from any mainland, the only way to transport cargo is by booking containers.
Getting around
By bus
Bus timetables are very confusing as they do not include clear route details. Pay special attention to any footnotes for your route listed on the schedule, as holidays or school days can change the presence of the route. Tickets can be bought from the driver, who can provide change. For extra-urban buses, fare varies by distance travelled so tell the driver your destination and he'll give you a transfer if necessary. If you'll be taking the bus often, multi-day bus passes are available from most bus companies, but they are limited to one operator, so only useful if you'll by staying in the same general part of Madeira. There are three bus companies on Madeira.
Within the city of Funchal, Horarios do Funchal (yellow buses) operates lines no 20/21 Funchal - Monte, line no 29 Funchal - Camacha, no 56 Funchal - Santana (via Ribeiro Frio), no 77 Funchal - Santo Antonio da Serra (via Camacha and Sitio Quarto Estradas), no 81 Funchal - Curral de Freiras and no 103 (Funchal - Arco de Sao Jorge (via Faial, Santana and Sao Horge). Connecting the west side of Madeira, Rodoeste (grey/white with red stripe) operates lines no 3 Funchal - Estreito de Camara de Lobos, no 6 Funchal - Arco de Sao Jorge (via Encumeada), no 7 Funchal - Ribeira Brava, no 80 Funchal - Porto Montiz (via Calheta and Prazeres), no 96 Funchal - Jadrim da Serra (Corticeirias), no 139 Funchal - Porto Moniz, no 142 Funchal - Ponta da Pago (via Prazeres) and no 148 Funchal - Boa Morte. Connecting the east side of Madeira, S.A.M. (green or white buses) operates lines no 23 Funchal - Machico (Espressbus), no 53 Funchal - Faial (via Airport), no 113 Funchal - Canical (via Airport) and no 156 Funchal - Marocos (via Machico, changes bus at Machico). All Rodoeste and S.A.M. buses converge in the center of Funchal.
By taxi
Lots of taxis are available in Madeira offering all sights and locations in a round trip for fixed prices. The ride-hailing app Bolt works in Madeira.
See
Levadas An impressive system of aqueducts built between 1461 and 1966 to bring water from the mountains to farmland. 1 Pico Ruivo and 2 Pico do Arieiro The second and third highest peaks in Portugal. 3 Cabo Girão. One of the world's highest ocean cliffs, in Câmara de Lobos. 4 São Vicente Caves. Volcanic caves (grutas) where you can visit lava tubes. Monte Palace Tropical Garden — Magnificent gardens of the former Monte Palace hotel outside of Funchal. Jardim Orquídea Orchid garden. Fireworks on New Year's Eve The biggest fireworks in the world (Guinness world record 2007). Best places to see the fireworks include the tip of the marina of Funchal, on a cruise ship and Pico dos Barcelos (on the side where you can see the Funchal's marina). Miradouro means viewpoint. Splendid views of the island can be seen from various viewpoints, including 5 Pico dos Barcelos, Pico do Arieiro, 6 Pico de Facho Curral das Freiras — An isolated town of 2,000 people surrounded by cliffs and peaks near Câmara de Lobos. 7 Laurisilva of Madeira. A special kind of subtropical forest found only on Madeira, inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. (updated Aug 2021) Madeira Skywalk - The Skywalk is a 2-minute walk from Village Cabo Girão.
Do
Hiking to Pico Ruivo from Achada do Teixeira (1 hr). You can reach the starting point by car. The old route Pico do Arieiro to Pico Ruivo has been closed for a long time, but you can take a car to Pico do Arieiro and walk 1.2 km to the end of that trail. It still gives you the best views but spares you the toughest part where you would climb Pico Ruivo. Surfing The Atlantic offers waves for moderate to experienced surfers. Jardim do Mar and Paul do Mar are the most popular surfing places. Canyoning in Madeira is great for beginners and pro's alike. Abseiling down high waterfalls and jumping into crystal clear pools of fresh water is something you shouldn't miss. Whale and dolphin watching. Various companies offer daily boat tours starting at €30-40, bookable online or from touts at the harbour, often with guaranteed sighting, meaning a free second trip in the rare event that the first one was unsuccessful. Water activities, including fishing, sailing, snorkelling, scuba diving. Nature activities, including birdwatching and horse riding.
Shopping
Madeira wine, of course. Available in many varieties in all supermarkets and specialist shops.
Eat
Espetada. Madeiran barbecue. (updated Feb 2018) Bolo de mel. A Christmas cake. (updated Feb 2018)
Drink
Madeira wine is a fortified wine prized equally for drinking and cooking. There are four major types of Madeira: Malvasia (also known as Malmsey or Malvazia), Bual (or Boal), Verdelho, and Sercial, the latter two being drier. Poncha is the most traditional drink of Madeira.
Sleep
See individual city articles for listings. Those below are mostly outside towns.
1 Estalagem do Mar, Avenida Marcos Marques Rosa 25, São Vicente (just outside São Vicente on the north coast), ☏ +351 291 840 010, estalagem.mar@mail.telepac.pt. Rooms with private bathroom and tub and view of the Atlantic. Indoor and outdoor pool, Jacuzzi and a sauna, lots of parking space. Low-season €50. 2 Casa Basilico (Pop-up coliving), Ponta do Sol (in Ponta do Sol, a popular digital nomad hub on the south coast), hello@casabasilico.com. Pop-up coliving for digital nomads and remote workers. Minimum one-month stays in a shared house with private or shared rooms, coworking space, and community events centered around local food and culture. Operates seasonal chapters in Madeira (typically summer months), rotating to other destinations throughout the year. From €900/month.
Stay safe
Emergency Service telephone number is 112. Some police in Funchal have red armbands, this signifies that they speak another language other than Portuguese, mainly English and German. Crime figures for Madeira are very low.
More pictures of Madeira
From this destination's category on Wikimedia Commons. Each photograph is credited to its own author under its own licence.
The guide text on this page is from the Wikivoyage article Madeira, written by Wikivoyage contributors and published under CC BY-SA 4.0. The authors are listed in the article’s edit history. It has been shortened and re-laid-out for this page; that adapted text is available under the same licence. Nothing else on this page is.
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