Before you go
Getting there and around
Accommodation and travel
When to go
Page 3
Funchal airport has a reputation as one of the most difficult in the world – and in 1977 it earned it twice over: two crashes, 167 victims and a runway pilots had cursed since it opened. Today it’s a different story: the runway stands on 180 concrete pillars above the ocean, and the landing has become one of the most filmed aviation views online.
Most visitors treat Funchal as a base for hiking – and that’s a mistake. A 15th-century cathedral with a Mudéjar ceiling, Polish monuments in the centre, concerts in the Anglican church, an Art Deco market with azulejos and gardens you can spend a whole day in. Give Funchal at least two days – and don’t just sightsee, stay a while.
Fanal lies on the Paul da Serra plateau in north-west Madeira. Its main attraction is the laurel forest (laurisilva), part of a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site and one of the oldest and best-preserved stretches of laurel forest on the island.
The first settlement on Madeira, a harbour full of colourful boats and the spot where Churchill set up his easel in 1950. Câmara de Lobos is a fishing town 9 km from Funchal that you can reach on foot along the ocean promenade. I didn’t expect this to be the place I’d keep coming back to.
Madeira in a nutshell: how to get there, when to go, what it costs, what to do and how to get around. A guide for anyone planning a first trip to the island of eternal spring.
600 years in one guide: the discovery of the island in 1419, the sugar era, Madeira wine, the British and the 20th century up to autonomy. The key dates and the places where you can see Madeira’s history for yourself.
Black scabbardfish caught at night from more than a kilometre down, served with fried banana. Where this pairing came from and what espada com banana, Madeira’s most surprising dish, tastes like.
Beef marinated in wine and garlic, grilled on a bay wood skewer. What espetada is, how it’s served and where to eat the best one in Madeira.
A dark, spiced cake made with sugar cane molasses, with a tradition going back to the 15th century. What’s inside bolo de mel, where to buy it and how to eat it the Madeiran way.
A warm sweet potato flatbread served with garlic butter alongside just about everything. The history of bolo do caco, where to eat it in Madeira and a recipe to bake it at home.
The wine used to toast American independence. Four noble varieties, terraced vineyards, a tasting at Blandy’s Wine Lodge and the Madeira Wine Festival.
Madeira is only 57 km long, but it packs in more landscapes than many a continent – from volcanic peaks at 1862 m to natural lava pools by the ocean. Here’s my list of 20 places to start with, tested on my own two feet, with real prices and bus numbers.
