Madeira

Introduction

The Natural east

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Madeira is a Portugese archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, roughly between Portugal and the Canary Islands. The archipelago contains Madeira Island and Porto Santo Islands, as well as smaller uninhabited islands. It is an one of the autonomous regions of Portugal, but part of the European Union. About 250,000 people call Madeira their home.

Brief History

Geography

The archipelago of Madeira is located 520 kilometres from the African coast and 1,000 kilometres from the European continent. Madeira not only contains the main island but also other islands. The main island chains are Madeira (including Ilhéu de Agostinho, Ilhéu de São Lourenço, Ilhéu Mole), Porto Santo (Ilhéu de Baixo ou da Cal, Ilhéu de Ferro, Ilhéu das Cenouras, Ilhéu de Fora, Ilhéu de Cima, Desertas Islands (including the three uninhabited islands: Deserta Grande Island, Bugio Island and Ilhéu de Chão),
Savage Islands, the latter containing two groups again: the Northwest Group (Selvagem Grande Island, Ilhéu de Palheiro da Terra, Ilhéu de Palheiro do Mar) and the Southeast Group (Selvagem Pequena Island, Ilhéu Grande, Ilhéu Sul, Ilhéu Pequeno, Ilhéu Fora, Ilhéu Alto, Ilhéu Comprido, Ilhéu Redondo, Ilhéu Norte).

Regions

Cities

• Funchal

Sights and Activities

Events and Festivals

Weather

Madeira has roughly the same climate as much of the Mediterranean or the Canary Islands, though the influence of the Atlantic Ocean means that differences between the highest and lowest temperatures are (much) smaller. Summers last from May to September with daytime temperatures averaging between 22 °C and 24 °C, nights around 19 °C. Winters last from December to April with days of around 19 °C and nights averaging 14 °C. The lowest and highest recorded temperature ever (at sea level) is 4 °C and 39 °C respectively.
The winter months are the wettest months, with from October to March around 80 mm of rain at lower levels but much more at higher levels, and stormy and cloudy conditions may last for a few days sometimes. That said, there are fine periods with settled weather during winter as well. From May until September it is usually dry, especially at sea level, but occasional light rain may fall and fog can occur. Higher in the mountains rain is more heavy during this time.

Getting There

By Plane

Madeira Airport (airport code: FNC) is located on the island of Madeira and receives international flights. About 20 airlines have flights to and from Madeira, mainly to Portugal, Spain and most of the countries in the west and north of Europe. It also receives flights from the Azores.
The smaller Porto Santo Airport (airport code: PXO) has some seasonal charters from Italy, the UK, Spain, Germany, Tangier and Casablanca, as well as regular connections to the Azores and mainland Portugal (Lisbon, Faro and Porto)

By Boat

Naviera Armas runs weekly services between Portimao in mainland Portugal and on to Tenerife, with connections to other Canary Islands, like Gran Canaria and Lanzarote.

By Train

By Car

By Bus

Getting Around

By Plane

SATA Air Acores has flights between Madeira and Porto Santo.

By Car

On Madeira there is one road (101) that circles the island. On the west and the east other roads make connections to the other side of the island easy. In the middle there are no roads, as the landscape it too mountainous.

By Bus

The are island busses, but getting around by bus needs some planning, as their are infrequent. More information can be found here.

By Boat

Porto Santo Line operates a modern ferry, the Lobo Marinho, carrying passengers and vehicles between Madeira and Porto Santo every day. The crossing takes about 2 hrs 10 min.

By Train

Red Tape

Money

Work

Study

Language

Eat

Sleep

Drink

There are dozens of special drinks to try including good wines. One drink you surely have to try though is the famous Poncha, Madeira’s traditional white-rum lemon juice and Bee's honey drink.

Health

See also Travel Health

There are no vaccinations legally required to travel to Madeira. There is one exception though. You need a yellow fever vaccination if you have travelled to a country (7 days or less before entering Madeira) where that disease is widely prevalent.

Finally, other possible health issues include diarrhea and other general travellers' diseases like motion sickness. Watch what you eat and drink and in case you get it, drink plenty of fluids (to prevent dehydration) and bring ORS.

Safety

See also Travel Safety

Keep Connected

Internet

Phone

See also International Telephone Calls

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