Madeira
★ 4.8🇵🇹 MadeiraSuggested visit 3-4 daysBest season Year-round; April to September is drier
World HeritageIsland escapeHiking
A volcanic island in the Atlantic, its sea cliffs, laurel forest and terraces earning the name Garden of the Atlantic.
Overview
About 1,000 kilometres from mainland Portugal, Madeira is an autonomous region known for sheer sea cliffs, terraces and the surviving laurel forest, inscribed as natural World Heritage in 1999. Funchal, the capital, has a market, a cable car and gardens; the interior can be walked along the levada irrigation channels, and Pico do Arieiro at 1,818 metres is a sunrise viewpoint. Natural lava-rock pools line the coast.
History
Discovered and settled by Portuguese navigators from 1420, it long relied on sugar and wine, and its laurel forest was inscribed as natural World Heritage in 1999.
Highlights
- •Hiking the laurel forest
- •Sunrise at Pico do Arieiro
- •Funchal market and cable car
- •The natural lava-rock pools
Practical tips
- •Some levada paths are narrow with rockfall risk — take care
- •The island is rainy; bring waterproofs
Practical information
- Best time
- April-September
- Tickets
- The national park is free; some trails need a permit
- Opening hours
- Trails open all day
- Local food
- Madeira wine, espetada, tropical fruit
- Getting around
- About 1.5 hours by air from Lisbon.
- Visa
- A Schengen visa is required; apply about one month in advance.
Traveller reviews
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