madeira blogMadeira’s first blog · since 2006
EN
Plan your trip

Madeira travel guide: everything you need to plan your trip

The complete Madeira travel guide: when to go, how to get there, where to stay, getting around, Funchal, levada walks, beaches, food, festivals, costs and practical tips, with links to every detailed guide.

By Madeira Blog 9 November 2026 6 min read
An island about 57 km long, with mountains over 1,800 m, a mild climate all year and a levada walk for every level.

Madeira is a Portuguese island in the Atlantic, closer to Africa than to Lisbon, with a mild climate all year, mountains that rise straight out of the sea and more than 2,000 km of levadas, the old irrigation channels that are now some of the best walks in Europe. About 250,000 people live here, most of them in and around Funchal, the capital.

This page is our map of the island. Each section gives you the essentials in a few lines and links to the detailed guide. If you only read one thing before you book, read this.

When to go

There is no bad season, only different ones. Winter days are usually around 20°C on the south coast, summer is warm but rarely very hot, and the sea is warmest from July to October, at 22 to 24°C. What changes more than the temperature is the weather from one side of the island to the other: the north is greener and wetter, the south sunnier, and the mountains can be in cloud when Funchal is in sunshine.

Getting there

Almost everyone arrives by air at Madeira airport, near Santa Cruz, about 30 minutes from Funchal by road. It handled about 5.4 million passengers in 2025, with direct flights from most of Europe. Its runway, 2,781 m long and partly built on columns over the sea, is famous, and so is the wind: on gusty days flights can be delayed or diverted. There is no passenger ferry from the mainland, but a ferry and short flights connect Madeira with Porto Santo.

How long to stay

A week is the classic first trip: time for Funchal, two or three walks, a day at the sea and a spare day for weather. Three days is enough for a taste of Funchal and one highlight; a month lets you live here a little.

Where to stay

Funchal is the easiest base: restaurants, buses, the seafront and everything within reach. The sunny south-west, around Calheta and Ponta do Sol, is quieter and good for sunsets; the east around Caniço and Machico is close to the airport; the north coast, from Santana to Porto Moniz, is green, dramatic and best with a car.

Getting around

A hire car gives you the most freedom, and the expressway makes the island smaller than it looks, but mountain roads are steep and narrow. Buses connect Funchal with most of the island, and taxis, Uber and Bolt fill the gaps. Cable cars take you up to Monte, down to the fajãs and over the gardens.

Funchal

The capital deserves at least two days: the Old Town with its painted doors, the Mercado dos Lavradores, the gardens, the cable car to Monte and the wicker toboggan ride back down. In the evening, the restaurants of the Zona Velha and the seafront fill up.

Around the island

Levadas and mountain walks

Walking is the reason many people come back. The levadas follow the contour of the hills through laurel forest, often almost flat; the mountain trails climb to the island’s highest peaks. Since 1 January 2026 the classified trails need a time-slot booking, and non-residents pay €4.50 per trail or €10.50 for the PR1. Always check the weather and the trail status before you go.

The sea

Madeira is not a classic beach island: most of the coast is rock and cliff. Instead there are lidos, natural lava pools, a few sandy beaches and clear water for snorkelling and diving. For a long golden beach, take the ferry to Porto Santo.

Food and drink

Try espetada, beef grilled on a laurel skewer, black scabbard fish with banana, bolo do caco bread with garlic butter, and lapas, grilled limpets. Drink poncha, the island’s rum, honey and lemon, and of course Madeira wine.

Festivals and events

Something happens almost every week: village arraiais in summer, the Flower Festival in spring, Carnival, the June fireworks of the Atlantic Festival, the grape harvest in September, and one of the world’s biggest New Year’s Eve firework displays. Our events calendar lists what’s on this week.

Travelling with children, and for everyone

Costs and practical tips

Madeira is good value for Western Europe, though prices have risen with its popularity. Funchal and the other municipalities charge a tourist tax of €2 per person per night for up to seven nights; children up to 12 are exempt. Cards are accepted almost everywhere, mobile coverage is good, and the island is one of the safest places in Europe; the real risks are the weather and the mountains.

Culture and history

The Portuguese reached Madeira around 1419–1420. Sugar, then wine, then tourism shaped the island, and you can still read that story in Funchal’s churches, quintas and markets.

Live, this week

Before you pack, look at the island right now: live webcams and weather and what’s on this week.

Sources: Visit Madeira, the official tourism site, IPMA, Portugal’s weather service