NorahMadeira is one of the most beautiful places in the world. Nicknamed the “Hawaii of Europe,”, the island juts out off the coast of Morocco an official island of Portugal. While most Europeans know about Madeira and it is a frequent European vacation hub, it is less well known in America. This guide will discuss the top things to know before visiting Madeira!
I spent three full days exploring Madeira, and the stunning natural landscapes blew me away. Despite doing significant research, there were still elements of this destination that surprised me and things I wish I had known before visiting.
If you are interested in exploring more of Europe, I also have a Greece guide!
When should you visit Madeira?
Madeira is a stunning year round destination, but I would recommend visiting during the should months of April-May and September-October. During this time, you will avoid the summer crowds and prices will most likely be cheaper.
How do you get to Madeira?
There are two ways to travel to Madeira-plane or boat. There are several flights flying into and out of Madeira each day from several major European cities (we flew out of Porto!). It is a very quick two hour flight from mainland Portugal.
The airport in Madeira is very nice, although because of the wild island weather, I would recommend always factoring in the potential for flight delays on your trip. I did this by having an extra day in Lisbon before my long haul flight back to the United States.
Things to Know Before Visiting Madeira
The driving is pretty difficult, especially around Funchal.
When we were planning our trip, we were debating whether or not to rent a car. We like the freedom that comes with being able to explore the island on our own terms. Plus, some of the hikes we wanted to do were a bit far from the main town. However, the driving in Madeira can be difficult, particularly in the narrow streets of Funchal. For the Pico a Pico hike, we opted to rent a shuttle service to drop us at the top for sunrise and pick us up at Pico Ruivo once we were done with the hike.
The question of whether to rent a car in Madeira is complicated. Would we have had a hard time driving on the narrow roads? Yes. Did we almost get stranded on the other side of the island, if not for a kind Bolt driver? Also yes. My final recommendation would be to very carefully map out your itinerary, and potentially hire a car for the day and plan out your hiking adventures that way.
If you opt to not rent a car, we found Bolt to be very helpful and affordable. Bolt is essentially like Uber but in Europe, and the app works the same way. Bolt felt reliable and safe during our time in Portugal.
The weather can change quite a bit around the island.
Madeira is a very mountainous region, and oftentimes the weather at the bottom of the mountains can be drastically different than the weather at the top. My best recommendation for combatting this is dressing in layers. I brought this rain jacket along with me and it held up great, as well as these tops from Athleta.
Even if the weather is cold, please also wear sunscreen! Madeira as a whole is right by the equator, and you will be extremely vulnerable to sunburn during your time there.
Most people speak English.
It is very helpful to know at least some Portuguese phrases, but Madeira is such a hub for European travel that you will most definitely be able to find people that speak English. The language barrier was not at all a huge issue during our time there.
During your time there, I would recommend learning more the culture of Madeira and the intricacies of the island. Talking with our local guides was fascinating, and it was powerful to hear how the island is changing due to tourism and how much the local economy relies on tourism (and banana exports!).
There are a wide range of restaurants.
The city of Funchal was bigger than we anticipated, and there are a variety of restaurants to try. Every budget has a place, as well as different cuisines. I really recommend the OLIVIA restaurant-it is so good!
Funchal as a city is slightly more spread out than one would anticipate. I recommend always looking around at where you will be staying and finding restaurants that way! We stayed close to the cable car and it was a great area of Funchal, and it was close to mountain access.
Madeira will probably be a bigger island than you anticipate.
For some reason, we thought Madeira would be a lot smaller than it was, but the area is actually massive! There is so much to see on the West vs. East side of the islands. I recommend taking a tour so you do not have to worry about navigating-you can just sit back and explore!
I would also factor in slightly longer times to get to destinations. The roads tend to meander around the mountains and there is steep elevation.
This guide included several things to know before visiting Madeira. Have a good trip!
