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Explore Portugal's island of eternal spring, Madeira. You'll experience the fun, breathtaking views and great local specialities.
Unlock Learn moreMadeira is rightly called not only the island of eternal spring, but also the European Hawaii. It is truly an incredible destination full of beautiful nature, ocean views, lava and great food. What’s more, Madeira is a relatively inexpensive destination, whether it’s for the aforementioned food, accommodation or car hire.
With our 7-day itinerary, you’ll drive around the island, see the capital Funchal, countless levadas, viewpoints and mysterious forests. Just a packed holiday you’ll remember for a long time.
The itinerary will not only give you tips on places not to be missed, but also recommendations for accommodation and good food. We’ve also added some practical tips, such as where to see the best sunrises, which are really worth the wait in Madeira.
See what it looked like on our trip.
The best way to travel to Madeira is to choose a direct flight from Prague, which takes less than 5 hours. It is currently offered by Smartwings. However, it is not the cheapest option. It can be a flight with Wizzair or TAP Portugal with one change.
Europe
The best way to get around Madeira is undoubtedly a rental car or scooter. You can do orders of magnitude more and you won't be limited by anything. The only thing to consider is that Madeira's roads, especially when travelling to the peaks, can be a bit of a challenge for novice drivers.
Prices from 40 EUR per day
As part of our itinerary, the capital Funchal is a great starting point for most days. However, in order to save some travel time, we recommend that between 4. and on the 5th day to spend the night in Porto Moniz or Seixal. In Funchal we can recommend the following accommodation.
Funchal • $$
<p>Hezký a moderní hotel v klidné části Funchalu, který nabízí bazén na střeše a prostorné pokoje s malou kuchyňkou.</p>
Funchal • $
<p>Krásné a prostorné apartmány přímo v centru Funchalu, která nabízí skvělé vybavení včetně terasy. Ubytování se nachází blízko lanovky na Monte, jedinou jeho nevýhodou je absence parkování. To se však dá řešit skrze blízko umístěné placené parkoviště – Almirante Reis Car Park.</p>
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The first day is usually marked by arrival and acclimatization. This itinerary will be no different.
Madeira Airport, named after arguably (currently) the most famous Portuguese man in the world – Cristiano Ronaldo, is located just a few dozen kilometres from the capital Funchal and is one of the most dangerous airports in Europe. The landing is very close to the water, where strong winds can blow, which is not synonymous with smooth landings.
If you’re so afraid of flying, you’d better not watch videos of other planes landing, of which there are generally clouds on the internet. Occasionally planes have to circle around the island, or in the “worse” case, are diverted to the nearby Canary Islands, adding an unplanned stopover. But there is nothing to worry about.
Immediately after landing, we recommend renting a vehicle from one of the car rental companies present. It is definitely worth booking in advance and we can recommend MadeiraRent, a local car rental company. The price of a mid-sized car, including full insurance, cost us around 400 EUR for a week at the end of 2022, which is a reasonable price.
We drove through Madeira in this crossover, an Opel Mokka.
17.4 km (21 mins)
Our first stop will be the capital of the island – Funchal. Funchal is an ideal place to start and to stay. It’s located in the southern part of the island, where it’s an hour’s drive to basically every side of the island. So if you prefer to stay in one place and not move around with all your belongings, Funchal is a great choice. Even so, we’ll look at other accommodation options in the next few days.
Funchal
Official parking
Yes
Allowed
Parking right in the centre of Funchal, a short walk to the markets and the main promenade around the sea. The house is quite large and reasonably priced, including overnight parking.
Funchal, the capital of Madeira, is a popular tourist destination that offers something for everyone. The city is known for its beautiful beaches, lush vegetation and rich history and culture. For nature lovers, Funchal is a great base for exploring the beauty of Madeira. The city is surrounded by mountains and green hills that offer spectacular views. There are also many hiking trails around the city that lead to waterfalls, lakes and other natural attractions – such as the beautiful Botanical Gardens, which is accessed by a cable car that offers incredible views of the entire city.
So it’s perfectly fine to stay in Funchal for a whole week and go to a different side of the island every day. The longest crossing to the north of the island, for example to Porto Moniz, takes less than an hour.
For those interested in history and culture, Funchal offers a number of museums (such as the Cristiano Ronaldo Museum:)), galleries and historical sites. Among the most famous sights are the Sé Cathedral, the São Filipe Castle and the Botanical Gardens. Funchal is also a great destination for foodies. The city offers a wide range of restaurants serving traditional Madeiran and international cuisine.
Within Funchal, we recommend walking not only the promenade around the water, but also one of the main streets of Av. Arriaga. A visit to the local and very popular market The Mercado dos Lavradores is also a must, where you will discover hundreds of different fruits.
0.5 km (7 mins)
The Farmers’ Market is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Funchal. It offers a wide range of fresh fruit, vegetables, flowers and local handicrafts. The market was built in the 1930s in an art deco style and is known for its lively and colourful atmosphere, showcasing the best local produce, seafood, flowers and handicrafts from Madeira.
Interestingly, the market has different sections, each of which is dedicated to a particular type of product. For example, the fish market offers a wide variety of fresh fish and local seafood, while the fruit and vegetable market showcases the island’s abundant produce, including exotic fruits such as passion fruit and sugar apple.
Since we will spend more than just the first day in Funchal, we will save the other interesting places and attractions for the next days. But before we finish the first day, we will give you a tip about a very good restaurant, which we “gave” twice during our visit.
0.8 km (12 mins)
Funchal • $
A very good and cosy restaurant near the centre of Funchal, where we recommend great sandwiches or Churros. All at really great prices.
The first day is slowly coming to an end, we just have to move to our accommodation. It is best to stay the first night in Funchal, we can recommend 2 accommodations – one more “hotel”, the other apartment.
Funchal • $$
Nice and modern hotel in a quiet area of Funchal, offering a rooftop pool and spacious rooms with a small kitchen.
Funchal • $
Beautiful and spacious apartments right in the centre of Funchal, offering great facilities including a terrace. The accommodation is close to the cable car to Monte, the only drawback is the lack of parking. However, this can be solved through the nearby pay and display car park – Almirante Reis Car Park.
Verified by experienced travelers
Detailed plan for each day with a map
Tips for accommodation and places to eat
Good to know before your trip
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Eva a PavelWe've packed the most magical views from all of Madeira into a 3-day itinerary. We hope you will enjoy them with us. Happy hunting on Miradouros!
3 days
By car
Medium pace
All year round
Week in Madeira – hikes, levadas and breathtaking views (Madeira) je jedním z itinerářů, které Retkee nabízí. Každý itinerář nabízí přehledný popis jednotlivých dní, včetně interaktivní mapy či praktických informací. Kromě itinerářů Retkee nabízí i blog , podrobné průvodce destinacemi , například Island , Norsko či Madeira .
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