"Madeira" Top 5 Page for this destination Madeira Island by sachara

Madeira Island Travel Guide: 776 reviews and 1,839 photos

Madeira island is the largest island of the Madeira Archipelago. The island is 57 Km long and 22 KM wide. The highest peak, the Pico Ruivo is 1861 m. The island lays at a distance of 545 KM from the coast of Morocco.

The island is known because of its the colourful gardens and flowers, but it has also an extremely rough natural beauty. It's amazing how many variety the island offers at such a small surface, like the high peaks in the east and the plains in the west, the steep rocky coast at the north and the lovely terraces in the south.

By the microclimate Madeira island shows the faces of several continents. In the mountains you can face everything, blue sky and clear sights, but also clouds and even snow ! In 2011 the mountaintops were covered with snow, even in March. And we had sun at the catamaran at sea !

We visited Madeira island in winter 1996, 1999, 2001, 2002 , 2003, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012.

Porto Moniz

Along the coast and inland you can find many lovely small villages, each with its own character.

Cabo Girao

The mountains and the coast can be rough and barren, but also lovely and green with a lot of flowers in the fields. The views are mostly breathtaking.

Last visit to Madeira Island: Feb 2010
Intro Updated Sep 14, 2012
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Reviews (83)

Ferry to Porto Santo Island - Madeira Island

Ferry to Porto Santo Island Transportation (9)

From the harbour of Funchal you can take the ferry to Porto Santo Island every day. The ferry leaves ussually at 8 am... more travel advice

Hop on hop off bus around Funchal Transportation (9)

Like in many touristy places there are since the last years also the so called hop-on hop-off buses in Funchal. When you... more travel advice

Landrovertrip to the west Transportation (9)

In 2008 I made a full day off landrover trip to the west of the island. After a visit to the view point Cabo Giraõ we... more travel advice

Boattrips, catamaran sailing trip - Madeira Island

Boattrips, catamaran sailing trip Transportation (9)

In the marina you can book a trip by catamaran two times a day. The main reason to do so is to see dolphins and whales... more travel advice

Things to Do (52)
See All Calheta, world class exhibitions in Casa...
Restaurants (2)
See All Funchal, teahouse
Shopping (3)
See All Alcoholic liquor
Local Customs (1)
Azulejos

Hotels (2)
See All Funchal, garden resort
Off The Beaten Path (12)
See All Santo da Serra, beautiful park
Favorites (2)
See All Carnival and festivals
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Comments (36)

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Tripack Sep 28, 2009 at 10:41 AM

Bon anniversaire Ali! Hope you could enjoy a fine Madeira wine on this special day. What a great island with spetacular summits and stunning underwaters. Greetings from the Swiss Alps!

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kenHuocj May 11, 2013 at 1:03 AM

back to S AFrica where many Portuguese actually came form Madeira, and their convenience stores often name Funchal Cafe, probably a hint of nostalgia ;-)))
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yumyum Feb 4, 2013 at 11:30 AM

Will go for a week in March with my mum.
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  sachara Feb 4, 2013 at 1:18 PM
  
  Enjoy Madeira. I like the island in February-March.
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  yumyum Feb 4, 2013 at 1:22 PM
  
  thanks
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CDM7 Sep 13, 2012 at 9:49 AM

Hi Ali , Off to Madeira again in just over 2 weeks. Is the trip across to Porto Santo worth while for a day considering the length of time on the ferry ?
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  sachara Sep 13, 2012 at 12:08 PM
  
  Hi Clive, we liked our one day-trip to Porto Santo, just to experience another different island of the archipel after 9 visits to Madeira island. We did a tour by bus around the island and made a walk along the beach before we had to catch the ferry again.
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  CDM7 Sep 13, 2012 at 2:21 PM
  
  Thanks for that Ali,we may give it a try.
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hunterV Sep 2, 2011 at 11:32 PM

Hello, Ali! Thanks for your wonderful story! I like reading about this wonderful destination!...Emperor Blessed Charles I of Austria rests there....+RIP+
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PeterKnudsen Apr 27, 2011 at 4:42 PM

The whale museum was closed last year, they are moving it to a new building. Their is no sign on re opening.
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Pawtuxet May 22, 2009 at 8:08 AM

Very beautiful. Love the stone work. My driveway is being done by a man from Madeira right now. He has urged me to visit.
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Maurizioago Apr 7, 2008 at 2:21 AM

Madeira is on my wish list since a looong time. I hope to go there soon. Ciao!
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Toshioohsako Mar 6, 2008 at 1:14 PM

Thank you for sharing these useful tips and photos on madeira.
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Andraf Jan 21, 2008 at 11:43 PM

Interesting page with lots of good info. I'm planning a trip to Madeira in the summer and I have to say that I'm more and more excited about it.