By air
Madeira (FNC), ~16 km
Europe · Portugal
Madeira, Portugal
Cliffs, levada walks and flowers
Getting there
Best time to visit
All year — mild; spring for flowers
Don't miss
Pico do Arieiro
Funchal's old town
The Cabo Girão skywalk
The Porto Moniz pools
Things to do
Levada walks
Pico do Arieiro to Pico Ruivo
The toboggan ride down from Monte
Where to eat
Sources: Photo: David Stanley from Nanaimo, Canada · CC BY 2.0
What to pack
Hiking shoes, layers
A quieter corner
The Fanal forest's ancient laurel trees in the fog
Questions travellers ask
Is there a best season for Madeira?
It is mild all year, but come in spring if you want the flowers.
What is there to do on Madeira?
Levada walks, the route from Pico do Arieiro to Pico Ruivo, and the toboggan ride down from Monte. Pack hiking shoes and layers.
Which sights on Madeira are worth seeing?
Pico do Arieiro, Funchal's old town, the Cabo Girão skywalk and the Porto Moniz pools. For something quieter, walk among the Fanal forest's ancient laurel trees in the fog.
What should I eat and drink on Madeira?
Espetada and black scabbard fish, with a glass of Madeira wine.
About Madeira
- Island
- Mountains
Where it is
Madeira is a mountainous island and an autonomous region of Portugal in the Atlantic Ocean, south-west of the Portuguese mainland and west of Morocco; Funchal is its capital, and its highest peak, Pico Ruivo, rises to about 1,860 m.
History
The Portuguese captains João Gonçalves Zarco and Tristão Vaz Teixeira reached neighbouring Porto Santo in 1418, and settlers arrived on Madeira around 1420. Sugar made the island rich in the 15th century, vineyards replaced the cane in the 18th century as English merchants built up the Madeira wine trade, and in 1976 Madeira became an autonomous region.
People
Madeirans speak Portuguese, and generations of islanders built more than 2,000 km of levadas to carry water across the steep slopes. Traditional crafts include Madeira embroidery and Camacha wickerwork, and island favourites include espetada, beef grilled on bay-laurel skewers, bolo do caco flatbread, black scabbardfish and poncha.
Known for
- Levada walks along irrigation channels
- The Laurisilva laurel forest (UNESCO)
- Madeira wine
- Pico do Arieiro and Pico Ruivo
- The wicker toboggans of Monte
Did you know?
Madeira means wood in Portuguese: the first settlers named the island after the dense forests that covered it.
We haven't written a guide for this place yet — you can still plan a trip here.