Madeira is a sub-tropical archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean and 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 Desertas and Selvagens Islands. Geographically in Africa, it is an ultra-peripheral region of the European Union. It is perhaps best known as the birthplace 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 island is 500 km from the African coast and 1,000 km from the European continent, only 1.5 hr flight from mainland Portugal and about 3 hr from all the main countries in Europe.
CITIES
Listed around the island, counterclockwise from Funchal:
Funchal – Island capital and largest city in Madeira, home to tourist resorts, gorgeous panoramas, and local color.
Santa Cruz — city and home of the Madeira airport
Paul do Mar — scenic village on the west end of the island
Calheta — town, home to one of the only working sugarcane mills / rum distilleries on
OTHER DESTINATIONS
Porto Santo. The nearby island
Selvagens Islands. The Savage Islands make up an archipelago near the Canary Islands, part of the Madeira autonomous region. The islands are a natural reserve populated only by scientists, and normally off limits for visitors.
Understand
Discovered early in the 15th century by the Portuguese navigators Zarco, Teixeira and Perestrelo, Madeira was an important waypoint on the Cape Route.Madeira Islands are just a short trip from Europe (4 hours from UK), can combine holidays by the sea, in the mountains or in the city.
Madeira is a popular destination for tourists of all ages. Its constant mild climate (20-27°C) 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 1861 m) and through the tremendous landscape.
Get In
Visa. Same as the rest of Portugal, part of the Schengen Area.
By plane. Cristiano Ronaldo Madeira International Airport (30 minutes from Funchal): TAP Portugal, Portugália, SATA, British Airways + many more.
Porto Santo Airport (PXO) is a 15-minute flight from Madeira.
By boat. Cruise ships port here. There is a car ferry between Porto Santo and Madeira, two hours one way. Ferry Service Funchal-Porto Santo
Get Around
By bus. Bus timetables are confusing. Tickets are bought from the driver.
All Rodoeste and S.A.M. buses converge in the center of Funchal.
By car. Driving in Madeira is not for the faint-hearted. A small number of main routes marked “Via Expresso” or “Via Rapida” (VE and VR on maps) are well-maintained, reasonably straight and level – thanks to a large number of tunnels, bridges and viaducts. All other roads are narrow and often steep with ceaseless-seeming hairpin bends up mountains against oncoming traffic and usually with a sheer cliff face on one. Renting via the Internet is usually cheaper than walking-in. Some smaller rental companies operate from sites near but not at the airport, and provide transport between terminal and depot.
Language. English is common. The Portuguese here tends to be heavily accented.
SEE
Levadas An impressive system of aquaducts built between 1461 and 1966 to bring water from the mountains to farmland.
Cabo Girão. One of the world’s highest ocean cliffs (590m/1,935 ft. above sea level).
Jardim Botânico. Funchal Botanical garden.
São Vicente Caves. Volcanic caves (grutas) where you can visit lava tubes.
Jardim do Monte Palace Magnificent gardens of the former Monte Palace hotel.
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 Pico dos Barcelos, Pico do Arieiro, Pico de Facho, Curral das Freiras, Monte.
The Laurisilva of Madeira — a special kind of subtropical forest found only on Madeira, inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. World heritage listed laurel forest
DO
Hiking at Ponta de São Lourenço, the eastern part of Madeira is a nature reserve with wonderful panoramic views of the Atlantic and spectacular volcanic rock formations. Many unusual species of plants are found here and are best seen from the footpath, such as the Ice Plant, Everlasting, Cardoon and many more. The hiking trail, which has stone steps and safety railings, can be walked comfortably with a pair of good hiking boots. The full walk, including a circuit of the reserve at the far end, will take several hours, so carry food and drink. Down the cliff from the road before reaching the trailhead is a secluded beach called Prainha, the island’s only natural black sandy beach. Very popular with the locals, it’s great for swimming.
Golf. Santo da Serra Golf, Palheiro Golf, Porto Santo Golf.
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.
Drink. Madeira wine is a fortified wine prized equally for drinking and cooking. There are four major types. Poncha is the most traditional drink of Madeira.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++LAUREL FOREST World Heritage Site
Laurisilva of Madeira is a type of subtropical forest found in areas with high humidity and relatively stable, mild temperatures – wet forests from sea level to the highest mountains,. They need an ecosystem of high humidity, such as cloud forests, with abundant rainfall throughout the year usually on tropical or subtropical mountains. Laurel forests are typically multi-species, and diverse in both the number of species and the genera and families represented. Species diversity generally increases towards the tropics. In this sense, the laurel forest is a transitional type between temperate forests and tropical rainforests.
The trees reach up to 40 metres (130 ft) in height. Some species belong to the true laurel family, but many have similar foliage to the Lauraceae due to convergent evolution and adapt to high rainfall and humidity – leaves that repel water due to a generous layer of wax, making them glossy in appearance, and a narrow, pointed oval shape with an apical mucro or “drip tip”, which permits the leaves to shed water despite the humidity, allowing perspiration and respiration.
Mature laurel forests typically have a dense tree canopy and low light levels at the forest floor.
Origin. Laurel forests are composed of vascular plants that evolved millions of years ago including the southern beech. They covered an ancient supercontinent of Gondwana but some survived as relict species in the milder, moister climate of coastal areas and on islands. Thus Tasmania and New Caledonia share related species extinct on the Australian mainland, and the same case occurs on the Macaronesia islands of the Atlantic and on the Taiwan, Hainan, Jeju, Shikoku, Kyūshū, and Ryūkyū Islands of the Pacific.
Isolation gave rise to Laurus azorica in the Azores Islands, Laurus nobilis on the mainland, and Laurus novocanariensis in the Canary Islands.
Sites of Globalization. Tentative WHS. Bring together a shared legacy based on heritage, linked to the routes of the Discoveries; the “New World” and the beginning of a new type of international trade and economic development; new geography and peoples; pioneering spirit, sailing and navigation; a new organisation of society and administration; new buildings (religious and defensive) and forms of artistic expression; cultural miscegenation and reciprocal influences, with the ocean being the main vehicle for the exchange of cultures and the progress of civilisations.
These different places linked by the sea included the west coast of Africa, support points in North Africa, Atlantic islands, and the creation an innovative marketplace/trading post.
The starting point of what was to become a new era for humanity.
Chronologically, beginning in 1415 with the occupation of Ceuta by the Portuguese, African coast – the Casa de Arguim (House of Arguin) and the Casa da Guiné (House of Guinea) – moved from Lagos to Lisbon; and it ended in 1481, when private initiative was finally replaced by an effective regal monopoly on overseas trade, which created the conditions for the Portuguese and Castilians to finally show the Atlantic to Europe and the world in the explorations of the 1490s. The phase of globalisation corresponding to the “Places of Globalisation” covers the opening up of the commercial routes between the extreme south of Portugal and the west coast of Africa and the human occupation (colonisation) of the Atlantic islands. This process can be sub-divided into the following phases:
The movement started with the conquest of Ceuta (1415), the key to the whole Mediterranean Sea, as Zurara wrote, a naval base for controlling the Strait of Gibraltar; and for the 14th century Arab historian, Ibn Khaldun, it was “the ideal starting point for people participating in the holy war”. The occupation of other strongholds in North Africa followed.
A period of pure Atlantic privateering by members of the house of Prince Henry and on his initiative, which led to the occupation of the uninhabited archipelagos of Madeira, Azores and Cape Verde, and several attempts to conquer the Canary Islands and to round Cape Bojador (1434). New products appeared, especially the cultivation of sugar cane in Madeira, starting in 1452, which opened up a new segment of international business, archaeological evidence of which has also been discovered in Silves.
From 1443 onwards, slave trade and the first commercially acquired gold dust (in 1442) contributed to the beginning of a new cycle in Atlantic navigation. The first public sale of slaves happened in 1444, in Lagos, where later was created the House of Guinea, and the archaeological findings at Vale da Gafaria provide evidence of this trade. Also related to this trade is the Fortress of Arguin (Mauritania), established in 1449. Along with this trade was the search for western gold routes.
The elements of heritage corresponding to the era of the first Portuguese overseas expeditions in the Atlantic represent exceptional evidence of the start of a new economic geography, which was very different to what had preceded it.
This period in history was the catalyst for new commercial areas for Europe and of the first real global international trade, which started in Lagos, continued in Lisbon, and was then continued by Castile and by the Spanish Monarchy in Seville and the Low Countries (Bruges, Antwerp); the process was concluded by the hegemony of the Dutch (Amsterdam) and the English (London), who renewed it with a new economic geopolitics, and from which they profited from the 17th century onwards. In Portugal, the Barlavento (western Algarve) became the “first quay” – as it was emphatically called by the philosopher Agostinho Silva, and it was joined by places in the archipelagos of Madeira and the Azores.
In the Azores, two geographic areas of particular importance were: Vila do Porto (Santa Maria) and Angra do Heroísmo (Terceira), which is already included in the World Heritage List.
Experiences
Fado performance
Taste Cozido
Taste Francezinha
Taste Poncha
NOMAD MANIA Portugal – Madeira (Funchal, Porto Santo)
World Heritage Sites
Laurisilva of Madeira
Tentative WHS
Levadas of Madeira Island
Sites of Globalization
Borders: Madeira (sea border/port)
XL
Ilhas Desertas
Ilhas Selvagens
Railway, Metro, Funiculars, Cable Cars: Portugal Intercity Railway Experience
Islands
MADEIRA
Railway, Metro, Funiculars, Cable Cars: Madeira Cable Car
Museums: Madeira: Museu de Baleia
World of Nature: Madeira Natural Park
Botanical Gardens
Madeira Botanical Garden
Monte Palace Tropical Garden
Waterfalls: Risco Waterfall
European Cities
FUNCHAL World Cities and Popular Towns
Airports: Funchal (Madeira) (FNC)
Museums
Madeira Optics Museum
Madeira Story Centre
Museu Cristiano Ronaldo (Museu CR7)
Museu do Brinquedo
Quinta das Cruzes Museum
Universo de Memorias
Henrique and Francisco Franco Museum
Military Museum
Museu A Cidade do Açúcar
Museu de Historia Natural do Funchal
Museu do Bordado
Sacred Art Museum
Museu de Baleia
House Museums/Plantations: Casa Museu Frederico de Freitas
Religious Temples
Jesuit’s College (Church of Saint John the Evangelist)
Sé Catedral
Hospitality Legends: Belmond Reid’s Palace Hotel
Villages and Small Towns: Jardim do Mar (Madeira)
PORTO SANTO M@P
Airports: Porto Santo (PXO)
