Madeira

The island of Madeira was born because of a volcanic eruption and was discovered much later by Portuguese seamen at the beginning of the 15th century.

The archipelago of five islands measures 741 km2, and Madeira is the largest. The population of the island is about 280,000 and about 125,000 reside in the capital, Funchal.

The Atlantic-situated island is located 545 km from the western shores of South-Africa, north of the Canary Islands, and 964 km from Lisbon, resulting in the sub-tropical climate, and a sunshine preferred by all sun and sea lovers. The yearly average temperature is 22°C.

The landscape is diverse, the flora is rich and always green, in fact, the island is always in blossom. Peaks, plateaus, valleys, bays and huge rock formations vary throughout the azure, ocean-surrounded island.

The Cabo Girao, the world’s second highest, and Europe’s highest, promontory is also one of Madeira’s highlights – a long, long time ago, the inhabitants of the island were constantly scared by volcanos; however, volcanic activity has not been experienced for the past 1000 years…

Even though the coastline is mostly rocky, Madeira has been hugely popular for a long time; famous and historical figures of the past centuries have enjoyed the hospitality of this great island.

There are, however, many possibilities for sea-bathing on the island: either in the volcanic or manmade pools created by nature or scooped into the rocks of the shores. There are also black-sandy beaches along the southern coastline, as well as an artificially created sandy beach in Calheta. For those willing to spend some time on a classic beach, the island of Porto Santo with endless sandy beaches is near Madeira and makes a beautiful day-trip by boat.

There is a great variety of activities, excursions and touring options across the island: scuba-diving, walking and hiking tours, some alongside the watering canals, called the “levadas”, horseback riding, golf, sailing, boat cruises, fishing and, last but not least: how about sledding without snow from Monte to Funchal on the “toboggan”?

The capital Funchal attracts all the visitors with its old charm, architecture, colourful and lively centre, sparkled with fountains, flower and fruit markets, botanical gardens, cable car, palaces and mansions, churches, and many events all year round. It is also the most popular and largest holiday area.

Machico is the second largest town of Madeira and the former, forgotten capital of the island. However, it has started flourishing recently and the traditional craftmanship can also still be found here: the old wooden sloops are still produced here that fishermen use to catch the “gaiado”, a type of tuna. Camacha, a small village in the ascent is the home of the other traditional, but still famous craft of Madeira: the matting. It is also worthwhile visiting the fishing village of Porto Moniz, famous for its wineries and crystal-clear rock pools of the Atlantic, available for all those wishing to be refreshed during touring.

Madeira’s second largest holiday resort is Canico, similarly to Funchal located on the south shore of the island and only about 10 km away from the capital. Canico de Baixo is a seaside paradise for holiday makers wishing to unwind and relax with its amazing gardens, small streets and restaurants.

It is difficult to summarise and introduce all that this jewel-box island has to offer, because even though the size of Madeira would not suggest it, the possibilities for a perfect holiday are endless!

Therefore, there is nothing else left to say, but: let’s explore Madeira!