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• Did you know? – interesting facts about Madeira
• We’ve been there – details about our holiday
• Travel impressions – impressions after 1 week spent in Madeira
• 7-day itinerary – places we’ve visited in Madeira

Madeira is an archipelago located in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, belonging to Portugal. Formed several million years ago after volcanic eruptions, Madeira is an exotic place due to the subtropical climate and the nature’s charm. The island is a perfect holiday destination in any season. The temperature is relatively constant in winter, ~17°C/62°F, and in summer it doesn’t t exceed 26°C/78°F.

Madeira archipelago includes the following islands:

• Madeira
• Porto Santo
• Desertas – uninhabited island
• Savage (also known as Selvagens) – uninhabited island

• The capital of the archipelago is at Funchal, a city located on the main island, Madeira.
• Madeira is one of the two autonomous regions of Portugal (the second region is the Azores archipelago).
• Madeira was uninhabited until 1419 when, after a violent storm, some Portuguese sailors sank in Porto Santo. Later on, they discovered the main island and due to the abundant vegetation, they decided to call it Madeira, a word that means “wood” in Portuguese.
• The tree trunks from the island were used to build Portuguese ships, contributing to the success of many sea voyages such as that of Vasco da Gama in India (1498).
• The most important trade routes to East Indies passed through Madeira (17th century).
• The vineyards and sugar cane plantations have dominated the island’s economy since the beginning. In the 17th century, Madeira wine dethroned sugar as the main element of the local economy.
• Currently there are various wine types on the island, but the main ones are Sercial, Verdelho, Bual and Malmsey.
• Christopher Columbus lived for a while in Porto Santo, working as an intermediate in the sugar trade dealings.
• The subtropical laurel forests (laurisilva) on the northern side of the island are part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site. Some plants are endemic to Macaronesia region (which is formed by the Azores, Madeira, Canary and Cape Verde archipelagos).
• Madeira island has over 2,172km/1,350miles of levadas (irrigation canals / aqueducts) created for transporting the water from the mountainous part of the island to the drier agricultural regions in the south. These levadas and the tunnels through the mountains had been built from the 16th century. Nowadays levadas produce hydroelectricity and are used as hiking trails.
• Funchal Airport is one of the most spectacular and dangerous airports in the world due to its location. Because the runway was very short making the landing very difficult even for the most experienced pilots, in 2000 it was expanded and built on a 70m/229feet high platform above the ocean and supported by 180 columns.
• Cristiano Ronaldo was born in Madeira. The airport of the island is named in honor of the Real Madrid superstar, and in 2013 the CR7 museum was opened in Funchal.

LOCATION

Madeira / Atlantic Ocean.

DURATION & MONTH

One week in January.

TRANSPORT

Airplane tickets:

• Amsterdam – Funchal → transavia.com

Car rental → Madeira Rent

ACCOMMODATION

Ponta do Sol – Airbnb

FLIGHT → The flight from Amsterdam with Transavia costed only 80€.

Madeira airport is known as one of the most dangerous airports in the world due to its location. Upon landing, the plane suddenly hit the ground with the wheels, which caused slight panic exclamations among passengers.

At take-off everything went smoothly and having a window seat, I was able to admire the colored clouds at sunset and the millions of lights that lightened the island.

WEATHER → The temperature was around 17°C/62°F during the day, with a minimum of 7°C/44°F at Pico Arieiro at nighttime.

LOCALS → I was very surprised to meet many locals speaking English fluently. There is also a Cambridge School in Funchal.

INFRASTRUCTURE → For such a small island, the infrastructure is impressive. Madeira has over 100 tunnels, many bridges, viaducts and highways.

The purpose of these road investments is to allow easy access from the airport to any point on the island, encouraging tourists to visit other areas outside the capital.

BEACHES → Madeira is not famous for its beaches. The natural beaches are very small, which is why sand was brought from the Sahara desert to build artificial beaches. Those eager to have bigger and more beautiful beaches should go to the neighboring island, Porto Santo, which can be reached by boat or plane.

NATURE/VEGETATION → Before being colonized, Madeira was covered almost entirely by forests. Currently, laurisilva covers only 16% of the island’s surface. The timber was intensely exploited immediately after colonization, and nowadays the construction of roads, the urbanization process and the agriculture have led to the destruction of many other green areas.

The beauty of the laurel forest is almost unique in the world. Madeira has the largest laurel forest in Macaronesia. The branches of the trees that extend like human arms covered with moss and lichens give you the impression that you are in a fairy tale world. I had the same feeling when I visited Tenerife (Canary Islands).

Another fascinating experience is to see the sunrise at Pico do Arieiro. Found at over 1,800m/5,905feet altitude, the road takes you above the clouds to Pico do Arieiro (1,818m/5,964feet), which is one of the starting points to the highest peak of the island, Pico Ruivo (1,862m/6,108feet).

FRUITS → When we go to an exotic place we taste all the local fruits. Madeira is the place where I saw the most banana plantations. The island was a major European bananas exporter until the change of EU regulations on banana size. But their small bananas are much sweeter.

In Madeira we tasted many other local fruits such as tamarilho, passion fruit, banana passion fruit, sugar-apple (custard apple), philodendron fruit (Swiss cheese plant/monstera deliciosa). Custard apple and philodendron fruit are my favorites.

FISH → Madeira is completely surrounded by the ocean and the underwater fauna is very rich with over 500 fish species.

My diet is predominantly vegan, but when I go on holiday I enjoy the local dishes that include fish. Black scabbardfish seemed the most ugly, looking like a little monster. The dried and salted codfish (bacalhau) was the one that smelled the strongest in the supermarket. It is dried in the sun after a recipe dating back to the 20th century.

GENERAL CONCLUSION → I mentioned above the positive impressions about Madeira. Summing them up, I can say that I was impressed by the island’s infrastructure, by the perfect English spoken by most of the locals, by the multitude of banana plantations, I ate a philodendron fruit for the first time, I fell in love with the laurel forest that I had originally discovered a year ago in Tenerife.

It’s now time to mention the things that I didn’t like in Madeira. I found the food to be much more expensive than in Tenerife (Canary Islands), and gasoline almost double the price. The most annoying thing for me was the pollution. There were many old cars that seemed to be non-Euro or low Euro emission standard. In the capital or in the tunnels the smell of exhaust gases was even more powerful and annoying. I don’t want to imagine what the high season is like. In addition, the island seemed overcrowded, with houses or other buildings being found almost everywhere. I was expecting to find more wild and green areas in a place so isolated from the rest of the continent.

All in all, the holiday in Madeira was beautiful, not very expensive, and we were lucky to have good weather, with light drizzles from time to time.

7-day itinerary in Madeira

Click on the small arrow from the map (top left corner) to expand the map legend and see all the touristic attractions mentioned in this article.

The day before

• arriving in Madeira

DAY 1

• Vereda do Areeiro
• Pico do Areeiro
• hiking on PR1 Pico Ruivo

DAY 2

• Achadas Da Cruz
• Fajã da Quebrada Nova
• Porto Moniz
• Funchal – Mercado dos Lavradores

DAY 3

• hiking on PR8 Vereda da Ponta de São Lourenço
• Funchal

DAY 4

• catamaran tour – watching dolphins

DAY 5

• Achada do Teixeira
• hiking on PR9 Levada do Caldeirão Verde

DAY 6

• hiking on PR6 Levada das 25 Fontes
• Risco
• Casa do Rabaçal
• Ponta do Sol

DAY 7

• • Funchal
  • Madeira Botanical Garden
  • leaving Madeira

The day before

• arriving in Madeira

We arrived in Madeira with a Transavia flight from Amsterdam. The runway in Funchal is very short, so landing might be a challenge. Everything went perfectly until the plane hit the ground with the wheels. I thought the plane would break into pieces. But there were only a few seconds of panic, then everyone started a round of applause being grateful we were safe.

After taking the rented car from Madeira Rent, a company found in the airport, we went to the city capital of Funchal, bought some groceries from a supermarket, then drove to the villa we had booked in Ponta do Sol, a small town half an hour away by car from Funchal. The villa had a splendid ocean view and it was surrounded by banana plantations.

After cooking our dinner, we went to bed because the plan for the second day was to wake up at 6am and go see the sunrise at Vereda do Areeiro.

DAY 1

• Vereda do Areeiro
• Pico do Areeiro
• hiking on PR1 Pico Ruivo

The next morning we snoozed the alarm and woke up at 9am. The plan for that day was to climb to Pico Ruivo (1,861m/6,106 ft). We reached Vereda do Areeiro around noon. We were above the clouds and we could see in the distance a wind farm perched on a mountain plateau.

We parked the car near the radar station and started to hike to Pico Ruivo. We chose the yellow route (O) which is more difficult, but shorter (6.1km/3.8mi) than the red one (E). The route is well maintained and consists of numerous successions of steps (made of metal or stone), tunnels, ascents-descents.

When we reached the mountain top, the cloudy weather didn’t allow us to see much in the distance, but we witnessed the Glory phenomenon. It is an optical phenomenon that consists of designing the shadow of a person or object on a cloud or fog area. In a few moments it started drizzling. We had to be careful because the stones/stairs were slippery.

The darkness quickly enveloped the surroundings and the weather was starting to be much colder. The force of the wind could have brought you down if you didn’t pay attention. Finally we got back safely to the car around 8pm. The thermometer indicated 7°C/44°F even though the real feel was much lower. That was by far the most intense and the longest hike we did in Madeira.

We had dinner at:

• Taj Mahal / Funchal

DAY 2

• Achadas Da Cruz
• Fajã da Quebrada Nova
• Porto Moniz
• Funchal – Mercado dos Lavradores

We spent the next day in Porto Moniz. The western part of the island is much wilder and greener.

The first stop was at Achadas Da Cruz cable car. The terminus is located on the edge of a cliff, and the gondola descends to the mountain base, close to the ocean. The gondola installation is built without any supporting pylons which makes the experience thrilling. It descends very steeply, close to the vertical. The rocky ridges of the mountain end abruptly at the foot of the village, and the ocean’s foamy water hits the shore.

Gondola takes you to a small village with simple houses where only a few people live, Fajã da Quebrada Nova. There is a paved road that runs parallel to the shore and allows visitors to walk to the end of the village. Everything is torn from the pages of a fairy tale and it is hard for me to imagine what it’s like to live so isolated from the world and so close to the ocean’s strong currents.

Then we headed to Porto Moniz to see the natural pools. The volcanic rocks have some spectacular and dramatic forms (cones, arches, etc.) which are hit by the ocean, showing once again the nature’s force. We knew from the beginning that we would not bathe, considering the outside temperature of maximum 20°C/68°F. We preferred to watch from a distance some brave guys who ventured to bathe in the pools.

In the second part of the day we visited the city capital of Funchal. We bought fruits from a local market, Mercado dos Lavradores, a colorful, but not very lively and crowded place (perhaps because it wasn’t weekend). The high-priced fruits (1kg of papaya = 4.5 €, 1 pineapple = 10 €) made us conclude that place was a tourist trap. Luckily our friends had found a fruit market just across the street with affordable prices which is why at dinner we enjoyed a large portion of fresh and sweet fruits.

We had lunch at:

• Aqua Natura / Porto Moniz

DAY 3

• hiking on PR8 Vereda da Ponta de São Lourenço
• Funchal

The next day we decided to go hiking. We chose Vereda da Ponta de São Lourenço (PR8) from the eastern side of the island. The weather was chilly due to the sudden gusts of wind which could easily blow my phone down, especially near the cliffs’ edge. The route consists of a succession of ascents/descents on the hilly ridges. From place to place, if the slopes were steeper, there were terraced areas and safety railings to prevent people from falling off.

Those who don’t want to hike, they can take the boat from the city to Pier Sardine and from where they can reach Casa do Sardinha which is located very close to the end of the trail. The house is open daily from 10h-15h and you can enjoy a beverage or a snack in the middle of a dessert landscape.

From Casa do Sardinha starts the steepest portion of the trail. Once you reach the small plateau at the end of the route, you can see 3 uninhabited islands in the immediate vicinity, Agostinho, Desembarcadouro and Farol.

It took us 3 hours to get to the end of the route because we spent a lot of time taking photos. But on the way back to the car, we rushed because we were very hungry. After dinner, we took a short stroll in the Funchal harbor.

We had dinner at:

• Casal da Penha / Funchal (1 Michelin star)

DAY 4

• catamaran tour – watching dolphins

The forth day was one of the most beautiful days spent in Madeira. We booked a boat tour from VMT Madeira to watch the marine mammals (35€/ticket/3-hour ride).

When we approached the first group of dolphins, the ecstasy began. Dolphins came out of the water to the delight of the public who was with the eyes and cameras focused on them. It wasn’t long before another group of dolphins appeared. They were much more active, gathering in groups of 3-4 and swimming at high speed parallel to the boat.

Although in the beginning I booked the boat tour to watch the whales, the fact that I saw so many dolphins was even more spectacular than I had expected. While returning to the harbor, we went along the shore passing by many hotel complexes.

We had dinner at:

• Casal da Penha / Funchal (1 Michelin star)

DAY 5

• Achada do Teixeira
• hiking on PR9 Levada do Caldeirão Verde

The next morning we woke up at 6am because we wanted to watch the sunrise from a mountain plateau. We headed to Achada do Teixeira. The area was very isolated, bounded on both sides by hydrangea bushes. From time to time a rabbit crossed our path.

While driving we began to realize that we might not have a chance to see the sunrise because of the gray clouds in the sky. Once we reached Achada do Teixeira, it was certain the early awakening was in vain because the rain had already begun and the surroundings were covered with fog.

In order not to miss that day, we decided to visit the laurel forest from Caldeirão Verde which was close to Achada do Teixeira.

Madeira laurel has been part of UNESCO’s heritage since 1999. The PR9 Levada do Caldeirão Verde trail is very well maintained with railings and accessible to all hikers because the difference in altitude is very small. There are aqueducts (levadas) that have been built parallel to the route and that collect the drained water from the mountain transporting it to the drier agricultural regions in the south. We only went for ~2h to the first waterfall on the trail, then we decided to return to the car. In the meantime, the sun had appeared in all its splendor in the sky.

Later that day we wanted to go on Levada das 25 Fontes trail, but the rain started again, so we decided to postpone that plan for the following day.

DAY 6

• hiking on PR6 Levada das 25 Fontes
• Risco
• Casa do Rabaçal
• Ponta do Sol

On the next day we went hiking on Levada das 25 Fontes. Half an hour after starting the hike, we arrived in front of the longest tunnel I had ever seen. I counted over 1000 steps while crossing the narrow tunnel.

The trail was similar to the one from Caldeirão Verde, passing through the laurel forest and having an aqueduct that gathered the water flowing from the mountain. The end of the route was located at a waterfall that formed a small lagoon of emerald color. Then we headed to another waterfall in the area, following the Risco indicator. At an altitude of 1000m / 3280feet, the stream of water falls powerfully into the precipice, throwing splashes in all directions.

The next stop was at Casa do Rabaçal (1160m/3805ft), a very cozy cottage surrounded only by nature and which can be reached also by car. We spent half an hour in the cottage yard feeding the birds.

In the evening we went down to the center of the small town where we were staying, Ponta do Sol, to have dinner.

We had dinner at:

• Maré Alta / Ponta do Sol

DAY 7

• • Funchal
  • Madeira Botanical Garden
  • leaving Madeira

We had the plane back to Amsterdam in the evening, so we spent the first part of that day in Funchal visiting Madeira Botanical Garden, an oasis of tranquility and a splash of color in the middle of the island’s capital. You can reach the botanical garden by car or by gondola (Funchal Cable Car). The main attraction of the garden is the Choreographed Gardens, a place where the plants are arranged by color to compose various geometric figures or letters.

Before taking off, as a precautionary measure, the aircraft personnel sprayed the cabin with insects’ repellent. Then the plane reached altitude during sunset, so I could admire again the colored clouds that surrounded the island.

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Bless up,

Bianca