In a nutshell
- Planning a trip to Madeira? Great! Here we give you the most important information you need for your trip.
- From arrival and getting around the island, to weather, packing tips, accommodation, and prices – it’s all here.
- Now you know what’s in store – let’s dive into our travel tips for Madeira, based on personal experience!
Orientation in Madeira
Madeira is an island in the Atlantic Ocean and part of Portugal. It is located near the Canary Islands and Morocco.
In addition to the main island, the Autonomous Region of Madeira also includes Porto Santo and the uninhabited Ilhas Desertas. But this article focuses only on the main island, Madeira.
At 800 km², Madeira is only about the size of Hamburg. The island is mostly cliffs, and many places are built on hills or steep slopes.
Wherever you go – by car or on foot – it’s almost always uphill or downhill in Madeira.
Madeira has around 250,000 inhabitants – almost half of whom live in the capital, Funchal.
What To Do in Madeira?
Madeira is mainly a destination for outdoor lovers and hikers. The island is known for its high cliffs, spectacular hiking trails, such as those along the levadas on Madeira, and viewpoints.
Check out our tips for the best hikes in Madeira
There are also some beautiful beaches and natural pools for swimming as well as great surfing beaches. However, Madeira isn’t ideal for a typical beach vacation, since most beaches are rocky with strong waves.
Instead, you can stroll through charming villages and enjoy amazing food at local restaurants.
How to Get to Madeira?
There are direct flights to Madeira from many airports in Germany. You’ll find the best connections on Skyscanner – it’s where we always book our flights.
The flight time from Germany to Madeira is around 4 hours.
Alternatively, you can also fly via Lisbon or Porto and combine your vacation in Madeira with a city trip. This way, you might score cheaper tickets and break up the flight.
Where to Stay in Madeira?
As Madeira is not that big, you can stay overnight in any town – provided you have a rental car. That way, you can easily reach every part of the island. If you don’t have one, it’s best to stay in Funchal.
Almost all guided tours to the sights depart from Funchal and there is a good bus network. Funchal also has by far the largest selection of hotels.
Check out the best boutique hotels on the island – it’s worth staying somewhere with a great view and beautiful design.
There aren’t many beach hotels, since the island has only a few beaches. In our article on hotels on the beach, however, we have picked out the most beautiful ones for you.
You have an even greater choice of luxurious hotels in Madeira.
Exploring Madeira by Rental Car
We definitely recommend that you book a rental car for Madeira. The bus network isn’t great, and having a rental car gives you much more flexibility.
A car is by far the most popular option for exploring Madeira. It is therefore essential to book your rental car in advance, otherwise it will be expensive.
Important: You need a credit card to pick up your rental car in Madeira.
Madeira has a very good network of highways, which are great for getting from place to place. These highways are called VE’s and consist mainly of tunnels – thanks to the tunnels, you save yourself all the hairpin bends.
Incidentally, there are no tolls on Madeira.
To get to the sights and remote places, you often have to take the winding roads over the mountains. Many roads are steep and the bends are tight. These roads are usually called ER roads.
If you are worried about driving such routes yourself, it is better to discover Madeira on a guided tour.
Exploring Madeira Without a Car
Madeira without a car – is that even possible? Yes, it is possible! You just have to be very well prepared, because the bus system in Madeira is complicated.
Or you can discover all the highlights on guided tours. That’s a good alternative too.
You can also explore Madeira by public bus – or even by hitchhiking, which isn’t unusual here.
Our guide to bus travel in Madeira
The towns on Madeira are all connected by bus. However, there are often only a few connections per day. There are no buses at all to many sights such as Fanal or Pico Arieiro.
There are several bus companies in Madeira. All of them depart from Funchal to the various towns in Madeira. Therefore, Funchal is the best starting point to get anywhere by bus
The bus companies in Madeira and which areas they serve
- SAM (Funchal, Caniço, Santa Cruz, Machico, Caniçal, Porto da Cruz, Faial, Airport)
- Rodoeste (Camara de Lobos, Ribeira Brava, São Vicente, Arco São Jorge, Ponta Delgada, Seixal, Porto Moniz, Calheta, Paul do Mar, Ponta de Pargo)
- Horários de Funchal (Funchal and surroundings, Poiso, Santana, São Jorge, Arco São Jorge)
- EACL (Funchal, Caniço)
The most reliable information about departure times can be found at the bus stops. We have always taken photos of the schedules.
EACL and Horários do Funchal routes show up on Google Maps (though not always accurately).
Otherwise, the bus connections of all providers are available as a pdf on the Internet. The best way is to google “pdf bus Funchal Santana” or similar.
Note: The pdfs from the provider SAM are a bit strange. We tended to rely on the photos of the timetables at the bus stops.
Weather in Madeira
Madeira has mild temperatures year-round. At around 23 degrees it is always warm – from December to February it is at its coolest, in the summer months it can get really hot.
The winter months from October to April are quite changeable – it can pour with rain, then be sunny the next moment or the wind can suddenly blow from all directions. The weather is generally more stable in summer.
Clouds play a big role in Madeira’s weather. The island’s high mountains are often shrouded in clouds – even if it is completely sunny in Funchal, for example.
We recommend checking the weather in Madeira regularly.
Tip: If it’s raining in the south, try heading north (and vice versa) — the weather can be totally different across the island.
What to Pack for Madeira?
Of course, you’ll pack the usual things for any trip – clothes, toiletries, and so on.
We’ve also put together a list of Madeira-specific essentials you shouldn’t forget.
- Hiking equipment
- Rain gear
- Sun cream
- Sun protection (hat, glasses etc.)
- Refillable water bottle
- Good book
- Mosquito spray
What Language is Spoken in Madeira?
The official language in Madeira is Portuguese. However, most people – especially in the tourist areas – speak English. So you’ll have no problem getting by with English.
Food and Drinks in Madeira
You can enjoy great food in Madeira. The seafood here is especially delicious. Here’s a look at some of Madeira’s local specialties.
Typical food on Madeira
- Espada com banana (scabbardfish with fried banana)
- Espadata (grilled meat skewer)
- Bolo de caco (typical bread)
- Maracujá (The fruit is mainly used in lemonade and desserts)
- Lapas (sea snails)
- Milho Frito (fried cubes of corn flour)
Typical drinks in Madeira
- Poncha (a type of sugar cane schnapps)
- Madeira wine (liqueur wine)
Is Madeira Expensive?
Yes, somewhat. Hotels and accommodations are fairly pricey, but most other things aren’t.
In the tourist areas everything is generally more expensive than in small villages.
In a simple restaurant, you often only pay 12 euros for a lunch menu with a drink and coffee. A plate in a tourist restaurant costs around 15-20 euros.
Espresso is particularly cheap, usually costing just 80 cents.
Are There Dangerous Animals in Madeira?
Not really. You really don’t have to worry about that. There are no snakes, poisonous spiders or anything like that. For a long time, even mosquitoes weren’t an issue.
In the meantime, however, dengue fever cases have been reported in Madeira.
We didn’t see many mosquitoes in Madeira, but they’re around, so bring mosquito spray just in case.
This was our travel guide for Madeira
Do you have any questions or other travel tips for Madeira? Feel free to write to us in the comments.