Madeira offers an incredible variety of breathtaking nature and unique culture. Many visitors come here for the fantastic hiking routes. However, as Madeira is located in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, there are a few things to consider when planning your vacation. That’s why in this article I’ll give you lots of Madeira tips and try to answer all the important questions before your vacation so that you can enjoy your perfect Madeira vacation without any big surprises.
In this article, I will give you lots of tips on accommodation, the weather, the best time to travel and driving on Madeira’s roads:
Why Madeira?
This question is easy to answer: Because it is simply incredibly beautiful here. Madeira sometimes has the reputation of being a vacation island for pensioners. But I can’t confirm that at all. You really can see many natural highlights here that are unique in Europe and experience fantastic adventures:
- Explore the unique laurel forests, for example, which still cover around 20% of the island here
- Take a sightseeing tour through Madeira’s capital Funchal
- Explore Madeira’s breathtaking cliffs
- Hike along a levada and much more
Here you will find an overview of the best Madeira sights that you should definitely not miss:
This video shows you a few impressions of the island that might convince you to travel to Madeira if you’re not quite sure yet:
What is the best time to visit Madeira?
According to all travel guides, April to October are the best months to visit in terms of weather. From the end of September, however, there are fewer hours of sunshine and you can expect more rain. It is quite possible that you will have whole days of continuous rain. However, I have described this in more detail in the section Weather in Madeira.
However, I think that the island is at its most beautiful during the rainy season. In the end, I was really glad that there were a few rainy days during my visit. Because it’s when the fog lies low over the island that you can best experience the mystical flair of the green mountains and laurel forests. Some of my most beautiful pictures of Madeira were taken when the fog was thick and the water cascaded down the gorges.
The average water temperature of 22-23 degrees at the end of the summer is still very pleasant compared to the beginning of the year. This means that you can still go swimming without any problems, e.g. in the natural pools on the island.
In addition, there are fewer tourists traveling in October, which means that many accommodations are cheaper. Even really expensive 5-star hotels sometimes cost considerably less.
Conclusion: I recommend a trip to Madeira in October. However, you can’t go far wrong with other travel months either.
How do I get the best flights to Madeira?
The main airport on Madeira is the Aeroporto Internacional da Madeira Cristiano Ronaldo near Funchal, the capital of Madeira.
To be honest: It is easier to get to Madeira from the European mainland than from the United States. For a long time there were no direct flights, but since 2022 Azores Airline offers direct flights from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK).
About 7 hours is the average flight time from New York to Madeira. You can expect to pay about $500 to $600 for a return flight.
However, if you are lucky, fly outside the peak travel season and are flexible with your travel dates, it can be also cheaper.
The best way to search for flights is via a meta search engine that compares the prices of all providers, such as Skyscanner. Their data also reveals that the cheapest flight to Madeira is $90 (one way and not direct) and the cheapest travel month is September.
How long to vacation in Madeira?
In my opinion, the ideal duration for Madeira is 2 weeks. Because then you have enough time to discover all the sights, do as many of the breathtaking day hikes as possible, but also to simply do nothing and just chill on the beach, for example.
Madeira is also worthwhile for just one week, but then you will have to make a few compromises and perhaps skip one or two sights or hikes. For a week, you should only choose one accommodation and always start your tours from there.
What are the best accommodations in Madeira?
For my own trip, I found 5 really great hotels and quintas in Madeira that I particularly recommend. There are some on the coast, in the mountains, in the city or even deep in the jungle, depending on what you like best:
- Five-star organic hotel: Quinta da Serra
- Design hotel for couples: Saccharum Resort & Spa
- Lonely house in the jungle: Ribeiro frio cottages
- Five-star retreat in the middle of Funchal: Quintinha de Sao Joao
- Historic luxury hotel: Belmond Reid’s Palace
In Portuguese, you will often find the term quinta. These are generally farms, usually with vineyards. Some of the hotels on Madeira are located on former quintas and use this term in their name.
You can find many more tips and all the information about these top Madeira accommodations in this article:
What are the best activities in Madeira?
Madeira offers you plenty of opportunities for sightseeing and adventure. There are also some guided tours if you don’t want to organize everything yourself. You’re basically spoiled for choice:
- Swim with dolphins
- Hike from Pico do Arieiro to Pico Ruivo
- Watch whales and dolphins by catamaran
- Take a Best of Madeira day tour through the west of the island
- Enjoy the island’s wine on a wine day tour with lunch
- For foodies: Enjoy the best local flavors on a 4-hour culinary food tour
- Funchal: Fanal Forest return transfer
- Climb rock faces on a canyoning adventure
- Combine skywalk, Porto Moniz volcanic basin & Fanal tour
What is the weather like in Madeira?
The weather in Madeira is a science in itself. In principle, you can’t really trust the weather forecast from one day to the next. And even before your trip, you shouldn’t rely too much on what the 7- or 14-day forecast predicts.
This is because Madeira’s mountainous landscape means that there are many micro-climates. The island is also exposed to different wind currents depending on the time of year.
It is not uncommon for you to set off on the coast in clear sunshine and then find it pouring with rain in the mountains, with a significant drop in temperature. But it can also happen the other way around.
It’s best to pack the right clothes for your Madeira vacation. Both swimming trunks and a rain jacket are advisable. Sturdy shoes are particularly important at higher altitudes.
I myself always checked the weather forecast in detail before going hiking, even if it wasn’t always correct. And it’s worth being flexible with your planning rather than stubbornly following a plan.
On my very first day, there was a thunderstorm and it rained all day. I tried to walk the path to the Lago dos 25 Fontes anyway. Wrong decision. After 2 km past flowing streams and torrents falling from the sky, I returned to the starting point completely soaked. Not a chance. My camera also somehow broke due to the wetness. Better not even try something like that.
Instead, I drove along the north coast for the rest of the day. It only drizzled a little here and there and I always had a great view of the steep cliffs shrouded in mist, with fantastic waterfalls cascading down them.
The next day was a completely different story. Despite another thunderstorm warning the day before, there wasn’t a cloud in the sky and I experienced one of the best hiking days of my trip: It was dry, but the waterfalls were particularly beautiful. And the scent of the forest is much more intense after a heavy storm.
Rent a car in Madeira: yes or no?
I generally recommend a rental car for Madeira, even if the island is too small for a typical road trip. There are also buses and transportation services as well as guided tours all over the island, but with a car you are simply much more flexible and can visit all the Madeira sights at the times that suit you best.
The roads on Madeira are well developed. At least the main roads between the major towns. There are many tunnels and bridges, but there are no toll roads to pay for anywhere on Madeira.
However, riding along the serpentine mountain roads and in higher parts of towns is not for beginners, especially with manual gears.
You often have to stop on hills because of oncoming traffic and cars parked on the road, or you have to give way at junctions. You should therefore be practiced and confident when approaching a hill. I noticed that not everyone is good at this from all the scratches that my rental car already had when I picked it up ;)
If you don’t feel confident enough, it’s better to book a car with an automatic transmission. However, these are also more expensive. Alternatively, there are buses or transportation services at the hotel.
Here you can find offers for car rental in Madeira:
You should also drive very slowly and carefully in fog and rain. Especially after rainfall, there may be a few stones or a fallen tree on the road.
You should also watch out for the cows. They like to wander along the road to harvest the bushes at the side of the road.
Madeira hiking: What’s the best way?
Most tourists come to Madeira for hiking. And not without reason. Madeira has over 2100 km of hiking trails along the so-called levadas – man-made water channels in the mountains that bring fresh water from lofty heights to the valleys of the island.
But even without levadas, there are many other hiking trails to discover. I have also written an extra article on hiking in Madeira, in which I show you the 6 best hikes that you should not miss on your first Madeira vacation:
Madeira and vacation? As you can see, they go very well together. But are there any questions that have not yet been answered by this or another article? Then feel free to write me a comment. I look forward to your question or maybe even an additional tip.
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About the Author: Matthias
The article was last updated on: 20.04.2024
Category: Into nature, Madeira, Portugal also available in:
