Madeira charms with its lush greenery

The verdant green island of Madeira is located in the North Atlantic, about 1000 kilometers southwest of Lisbon. Some three-quarters of the volcanic island's surface area comprises a nature reserve. Madeira is attractive to active holidaymakers, as the island's unique nature and beautiful landscapes provide an excellent setting, for example, for hiking. Madeira's numerous gardens, the lovely and diverse capital Funchal, and the local gastronomy offer great experiences, too.

Hiking trails for every taste

Madeira is a paradise for active holidaymakers, especially hikers. There are hiking trails throughout the island, most of which run along levadas, the old watering canals. Routes range from easy to very demanding. If you suffer from a fear of heights, you may want to skip the hardest routes, but otherwise, a good basic condition is enough, especially for the most popular routes. Popular, medium-difficulty routes include the Levada das 25 Fontes from Rabaçal, Caldeirão Verde, and Ribeiro Frio–Portela (Levada do Furado). Easy routes include Serra de Agua and Referta.

If you are looking for a more rugged environment as a change of green landscapes, Madeira also offers several mountain hiking trails. For example, the Pico do Areeiro–Pico Ruivo trail leading to Pico do Ruivo (1862 m), the island's highest peak, meets the needs of even the most demanding hiker and offers spectacular views. If you want to reach the highest peak of the island a little easier, take the shorter and easier route from Achada do Teixeira to Pico Ruivo.

It is recommended to hike with a guide, whether you go to the levadas or to the mountains. There are tour agencies selling tours in Funchal, especially in the Lido area.

If you prefer to walk on the green instead of hiking trails, Madeira has great golf opportunities, too. Palheiro Golf and Santo da Serra Golf Club both offer stunning views.

Feast on local specialities

Madeira's distinctive and tasty cuisine will pamper gourmands. The island offers a varied range of restaurants, from traditional rural restaurants to Funchal's stylish fine dining venues.

Madeiran cuisine offers plenty of local specialities that you will not find even in mainland Portugal. If you are a fish food lover, you should try the local espada, which can easily be confused with swordfish (in Portuguese, 'espadarte'). It is a tasty, soft, white fish caught from the depths of the sea. Espada is often served with Madeiran banana and topped with passion fruit sauce.

The most traditional Madeiran meat dish is espetada, a grilled meat skewer. Espetada is often served with milho frito, deep-fried polenta i.e. corn porridge cubes. For a starter, many Madeira visitors choose a round Madeiran country bread, a delicious bolo de caco served with garlic butter.

There is also plenty of local drinks to choose from. Try fresh passion fruit lemonade Brisa maracujá or a local Coral beer for refreshment on a sunny day. Also worth trying is poncha, made with sugarcane booze, honey, sugar, and lemon. The poncha tastes especially good in a country bar after a hiking tour. In warm summer weather, it can be enjoyed with ice.

The most famous Madeiran beverage is, of course, Madeira wine. It is produced by fermentation, interrupted by adding brandy to the wine. The earlier the fermentation is interrupted, the sweeter the wine. Madeira wine comes in four different sweetness levels: The sweetest – and perhaps most familiar to many – Madeira quality is malvasia. The driest Madeira wine is called sercial. In between these two are semi-sweet bual and semi-dry verdelho. You can taste and compare the different qualities, for example, at Blandy’s Wine Lodge in the Funchal city center.

Driving around the island

Renting a car is the most convenient way to move around the island and admire Madeira's diverse beauty. However, good driving skills and experience are necessary on the narrow serpentine roads of the island. If you are staying in Funchal, a suitable day trip is, for example, Funchal–Cabo Girão–Ribeira Brava–São Vicente–Porto Moniz–Santana–(Machico)–Funchal. Alternatively, you can also drive from Ribeira Brava to Porto Moniz along the west coast via Calheta, although the road is very winding in places.'

Cabo Girão is a cliff located on the south coast of Madeira, 580 meters above sea level. When touring by car, a visit to the Cabo Girão observation deck to enjoy the great view from the cliff should be included in the day's programme. From Funchal, the drive to Cabo Girão takes just under half an hour.

Ribeira Brava's idyllic little town is located on the south coast of Madeira. Stop for a cup of coffee in one of the many cafés in the city centre or visit the beautiful church of São Bento.

From Ribeira Brava, you can continue your journey to Porto Moniz straight north and towards São Vicente, making a stop for a photo break in the middle of the island at the Encumeada viewpoint, which offers a wide panoramic view of both the south and north coasts. If your schedule allows,  stop by the Paul da Serra plateau with its many magnificent viewpoints, including Bica da Cana, which offers spectacular north coast views. You can also drive to Porto Moniz through Paul da Serra, but the journey is faster via the north coast.

If your journey to Porto Moniz goes along the north coast, the beautiful Véu da Noiva waterfall in Seixal is a must. Once in Porto Moniz, in the northwest corner of the island, you can take a dip in the refreshing waves of the Atlantic in the island's most famous seawater pools.

On the way back from Porto Moniz to Funchal, you can drive along the north coast to Santana, which is famous especially for its traditional thatched houses. From the north coast back to the south coast, you can choose the fast eastern route via Machico and Santa Cruz, or, if you want to drive through the 20 million-year-old, subtropical Lauri Silva forest,  you can drive via Ribeiro Frio through the island directly towards the south coast.

Also worth a visit is the Curral das Freiras, Valley of the Nuns, embraced by the mountains down in the valley. In the past, the village was very difficult to reach, but nowadays, there is a road tunnel leading to the valley. You can stop to enjoy spectacular views from the observation deck of Eira do Serrado, which you can reach from Funchal in half an hour. 

If you don't feel like driving, you can also explore the island's most popular destinations by taking a guided tour. For example, in Funchal in the Lido area, there are several offices selling excursions to various points of interest and for hiking trips. Some destinations can also be reached by local bus, but the bus network does not cover all parts of the island. 

Enjoy the capital's abundant offerings in Funchal

In addition to picturesque natural attractions, there is plenty to see in Madeira's atmospheric capital, Funchal. One of the most popular places to visit is the over 80-year-old traditional Mercado dos Lavradores market hall right in the city centre, with for example colourful flowers and local wicker products on sale. Many fruit sellers are happy to give you tastings of delicious, exotic fruits. Try anona, that is, cream apple, or different passion fruits, such as banana passion fruit. If you're out and about in the morning, check out the catch of the day at the fish market in the market hall – the afternoon might already be too late.

Behind the market hall opens Funchal's old town. From there, a cable car departs to the parish of Monte on a hillside above Funchal. Once there, you can visit magnificent gardens such as the Tropical Gardens of Monte Palace or Monte's famous church. If you want to experience something unique, you can sit back on a traditional basket sledge and enjoy the thrill of speed as skilled basket sledge instructors take you down Monte's narrow streets. From Monte back to Funchal, you can take the cable car, bus or taxi. On foot, the journey takes about an hour.

Portuguese football fans head to the CR7 Museum, the Cristiano Ronaldo Museum, near Funchal's harbour. Cristiano Ronaldo, one of the most successful football players of all time, hails from Madeira. The CR7 Museum presents the most important moments of Cristiano Ronaldo's life and the numerous awards he has won in his career.

Funchal also has plenty of shopping opportunities, from small boutiques to bigger shopping centres, both in the city centre and in the Lido area. Popular take-home items include Madeira wine and the long-lasting, sweet bolo de mel cake.

From Funchal's Lido area, you can walk along the lovely waterfront all the way to Câmara de Lobos. In the traditional fishing village, you can enjoy a local speciality drink, nikita, in one of the many bars next to the harbour area. If you have time to eat, delicious seafood dishes can be enjoyed at the fish restaurant Vila do Peixe, which has beautiful views. If you're more of a meat lover, head to the Vila da Carne meat restaurant next door. From Câmara de Lobos, you can take a bus or taxi back to Funchal. 

For lovers of beach life, Madeira offers few sandy beaches but even more seawater pools. In the capital Funchal, there are several seawater pool areas, too, such as the Lido bathing complex, Ponta Gorda, Doca do Cavacas and Barreirinha bathing complex, all of which allow you to swim in the sea.

Christmas and New Year are the perfect time to visit Madeira, as the streets are decorated with wonderful Christmas lights, especially in Funchal. The amphitheater-like shape of Funchal provides a fantastic setting for the stunning and world-famous New Year's fireworks, which are also admired by many cruise ships and their passengers in front of Funchal harbour.

Direct flights throughout the year

Madeira has a pleasant climate all year round. During the summer months, the temperature usually stays below 30 degrees Celsius. In the winter season, it rains more than in the summer, but the temperature usually remains around 20 degrees. In the mountains, however, the weather can be noticeably cooler.

Finnair flies from Helsinki to Funchal, the capital of Madeira, year-round. During the summer season, there are direct scheduled flights once a week on Mondays. During the winter season, from the end of October to the end of March, there is also a second weekly flight on Tuesdays. The direct flight from Helsinki to Funchal takes 5 h 45 min, and the return flight takes 5 h 30 min. Before your return flight, you can watch planes landing and taking off from Funchal airport on the outdoor terrace.