How to spend a week in Madeira

What to write in the introduction? Perhaps just - FINALLY!!! A long time ago, I wrote Madeira on my travel wish list and now I can only say that it absolutely fulfilled all my expectations and fantasies. It has even climbed pretty damn high on my list of top destinations, just like the whole of Portugal <3. I'll skip the crap you read everywhere => Madeira island of eternal spring, European Hawaii blah blah blah, changeable weather, short runway blah blah... Let's take a practical point of view, one step at a time, as you are used to:

Flights

Currently, you can get to Madeira from Prague either by Smartwings direct flight or by TAP with a connection in Lisbon/Porto. The prices of return tickets are roughly between €320-360, which of course is not very low. 

TIP: a new Ryanair route between Nuremberg and Funchal could be a quite interesting alternative from this year. I myself was grinding my teeth on it, but in the end I couldn't resist Smartwings' promotional tickets, which offered us the convenience of a direct flight from Prague. Plus, compared to Ryan, we didn't have to buy extra luggage, or seats on the plane, or any exorbitant fees for Doughnut. In total, I paid €347 for tickets for two adults and one child under 2 years old, i.e. a return ticket for one came to about €172 in this promotion. 

Rent a car

I'll say right now that we didn't even consider any other transport around the island. I know a lot of people use the local buses, which are supposedly quite reliable and get you almost everywhere, but... not everywhere, and when you only have one week, you don't want to waste time looking up schedules and tap dancing at bus stops. There are a number of car rental agencies at the airport, after all, almost everyone rents a car here, but don't underestimate what you can do - BOOK EARLY! Fact. Book your car as soon as your tickets are booked, because you can be sure that prices will skyrocket as the date approaches. 

Our chosen rental company was Madeira Rent, where a car of the larger category Peugeot 2008 with a deductible cost us €195/week, i.e. about €28/day. For the record, we checked the price a week before departure and it was already double ;) The counter then offered us a VW T-Roc for an extra €100 on top, saying that we would drive it up the Madeira hills in one go, well... you can drive them with any car, but it's just a local practice to try to give a more expensive car "because of the hills", so be prepared for that. Anyway, we can only recommend Madeira Rent - modern fleet, very quick check on return and unblocking the deposit the very next day. Other costs:

• petrol - €96
• parking - €2 (paid only once in Câmara de Lobos)
• child car seat - we brought our own from the Czech Republic (Smartwings carries them for free)

Accommodation and food

Many people agree that it doesn't really matter where you stay, because the island is small and you can get everywhere pretty quickly. That may be true, but I still don't completely agree with that opinion. We didn't want to spend any more time than necessary in the car in terms of time and Nina, so I opted for 3 accommodations in different places, all through booking. We spent three nights in the north near Santana, then three nights in the south in Calheta and the last night before our flight we slept in Funchal. gasoline

Financially, there is nothing to complain about here, because the only accommodation in the capital exceeded €40 :) Plus I would especially highlight the apartment in Calheta - Atlantic Rose, which was really perfect in all aspects: location, parking, arrangement, low price. The owner Davis had prepared a cot, high chair, even a bath tub and there were lots of treats waiting for us on arrival in the form of wine, fruit, pastries etc. Other Madeira accommodation tips for me like this:

• cheaper: Quinta Tallinus - cheap equipped apartments in Funchal with parking, night approx. €40, or guesthouse Estalagem Corte do Norte v Ponta Delgada with breakfast for approx. €36 
• medium: Casa das Proteas - beautiful and well rated accommodation in the northern part of the island (approx. €60/night), or renting the whole house with garden and sea view Casa Velha D Fernando e Casa Avó Augusta (approx. €72/night)
• luxury: 1905 Zino's Palace - a design hotel in Ponta de Sol, or the luxury hotel resort Royal Savoy directly in Funchal

As far as food is concerned, we had breakfast only in our accommodation in Funchal, otherwise we had to provide our own food. Our regime was set up so that breakfast was at home, snack prepared in the morning and eaten on the trip, coffee and cake in a cafe somewhere, lunch in a restaurant and dinner again at the apartment. Shopping was most useful for us at the Continente supermarket, where you can get anything you can think of at quite reasonable prices. But even the food in restaurants here is not overpriced - for example, the local fish specialty espada served with banana or maracuya usually comes to about €12. Plus, if you can get some lunch menu, you can eat for this money with an appetizer/dessert and coffee.

Itinerary for 7 days 

Let me tell you, it was really hard to choose just a fraction of so many beautiful places and treks that could be put together in seven days. Madeira has a lot to offer - from breathtaking lavas, mountains, forests, beaches, cliffs, viewpoints, cable cars, parks and excellent Madeira cuisine. I tried to combine a bit of everything, taking into account the (at the time) 17-month-old Nina and especially the weather, which is more than a little erratic here. 

The places we did, saw and liked, I decided to write down in a sort of "sightseeing tour" so that you have at least a rough idea of what you can do in one week... even with a baby :) In practice, of course, the order of the individual points was completely different - we always adjusted the program according to the current weather situation and mood. I have broken down the walks and treks into a separate article - Our TOP 6 Madeira walks. So... are you ready? Do you have coffee? Let's do it!

1. Funchal - Madeira's capital, which you can't avoid because it's where FNC airport is located. Many people set up a base here from which they then go on trips. However, even if you're not staying here, at least drop by Funchal for a few hours.

The main attraction is the market with fresh fish, fruit, vegetables etc - Mercado dos Lavradores located in the old Zona Velha district. This alone is worth a stroll, because where else to admire so much street art in one place, right? The original artwork artE pORtas abErtas, in which painted doors play a major role, was created here several years ago, and is now one of Funchal's must-sees.

In Zona Velha, don't forget to check out the yellow fortress of Forte de São Tiago, then relax in one of the many beautiful parks Funchal has to offer. Football fans will be tempted by the museum of local native Cristiano Ronaldo, which is also fronted by his (not very successful) statue, more info on CR7.

2. Monte Palace Tropical Garden - this is the most beautiful garden in Madeira and supposedly one of the 13 most beautiful botanical gardens in the world. Objectively, we can confirm that it is really beautiful and definitely worth a visit. Most tourists get here by cable car from Funchal (official website here), normally I would probably write that we came on foot, but in the case of the Funchal (and really brutal) rapids we changed our minds a bit and took the car (free parking). Admission to the gardens for an adult comes out to €12.50, children under 15 don't pay, and you get a Madeira wine tasting included. More info here. 

By the way, the traditional wicker sleigh ride down the steep streets from Monte Palace - Carreiros do Monte - will be one hell of a treat. What's a bit disappointing is that we didn't get to see the ride for ourselves due to the rainy weather, so I don't have a photo unfortunately. Alternatively, if you enjoy looking at gardens, you can still visit the very popular Jardim Botanico.

3. Câmara de Lobos - a fishing town made famous by Winston Churchill, who spent a holiday here and painted one of his paintings. Which is commemorated by his canvas statue in the harbour, plus a lot of the pubs are now called Churchill's... something something. On a practical level, a pleasant town for a stroll combined with lunch/coffee/wine and checking out the colourful boats.

4. Cabo Girão - just a short distance from Câmara de Lobos, don't miss this viewpoint with a glass walkway (= skywalk) located at an altitude of 580 m. An ideal trip if you don't want to spend money - there is no entrance fee or parking fee :) UPDATE: from 2023 onwards, the skywalk will be charged at €2.

5. Levada do Moinho/Nova - more info in the article Our TOP 6 Madeira walks

6. Cascata dos Anjos - the Waterfall of Angels is a local rarity. The water falls directly on the road, fortunately not on any main road :) TIP: you can get some pretty nice photos if you wait for a car to pass right under it.

7. Levada 25 Fontes/Risco - more info in the article Our TOP 6 Madeira walks

8. Farol da Ponta do Pargo - a lighthouse at the westernmost tip of Madeira, perched on a cliff at 290 metres. You can park right next to it, or at the Miradouro da Casa de Chá viewpoint next door, where there is a restaurant and you can walk to the lighthouse from there.

9. Miradouro da Garganta Funda - a few kilometres from the lighthouse, I would still recommend a view of this impressive waterfall, which is one of the highest on the island at about 140 metres. The parking situation is a little worse here - ideally you can leave your car at the end of Caminho de Pedregal and then walk a short distance. That's what we did, only when we were coming back, there were, no kidding, 10 other cars coming up the street and there really isn't that kind of parking capacity here, so feel free to park on Caminho Velho already. It's better than frantically manoeuvring there.

10. Teleférico Achadas da Cruz - this was one of the best places for me, offering really awesome views. As a bonus, you get to ride the cable car that originally took farmers to their fields. But watch out, this cable car goes down! And it's down a lot, because the cliff here is 451m long and basically perpendicular (98% slope for the gawkers). So the plan of the trip: arrive, park for free, buy a return ticket for €5, take the cable car down in 5 minutes, walk around, take pictures and go back up. At worst you can wait a while, because the cabin can only fit 6 people.

11. Porto Moniz - and this is where we move north. Porto Moniz is one of the more touristy towns on the island, attracting mainly natural pools to swim in, even in the big swell. You can choose straight from two swimming spots: the Porto Moniz Swimming Pools (entry fee, but nothing terrible, info here) or Piscinas Naturais Velhas (free). There's a nice promenade between the two with views of the cliffs, plus a leisurely run to the Forte de São João Baptista, which now houses a small aquarium. 

12. Ribeira da Janela - is the longest river on the island (20 km long) and at the same time also a small town of the same name in its northern part. Most tourists come here to see the beach with its pointed rock formations of volcanic origin. Personally, I would add a viewpoint with a swing - Miradouro da Eira da Achada, or if you have more time, the local levée PR15 Vereda do Ribeira de Janela.

13. Fanal - an ancient laurel forest with strangely twisted trees. It is located at an altitude of more than 1 100 metres and is characterised by very frequent fogs. This does not detract from its beauty in the slightest, on the contrary - it makes it a favourite destination for photographers and instagrammers. I find it easiest to go straight from Ribeira da Janela, count about 20 minutes and watch out for the cows that like to walk on the road, which is not ideal in the fog...

14. São Vicente - A town with a very nice little historic centre, dominated by the 16th century Igreja de São Vicente church in typical colonial style. The local lava caves - Grutas de São Vicente - are also a popular tourist destination, but we didn't visit them, so unfortunately I won't provide a review.

15. Miradouro da Beira da Quinta - there's really a huge number of sightseeing spots in Madeira. You will surely read about the most popular ones somewhere, and then you can stumble upon the unknown ones by chance... like in this case.

16. Santana - in the context of Madeira, you will often see the straw-roofed houses - casas de colmo - jumping out of the photos. The largest concentration of these colourful houses is in the centre of Santana. You can find them on google maps as casas típicas de Santana and they are currently souvenir shops inside. 

The other option is to visit the Parque Temático open-air museum, where, in addition to the many houses, you will also see demonstrations of traditional crafts, a mini-zoo, a 4D movie, or take a train or boat ride on the lake. Admission is €10 for an adult and I have to confirm that it's really great for families with kids - lots of crawlers, animals, an indoor playroom and clouds of other fun. 

17. Miradouro da Portela - This viewpoint offers an unrivalled view of the lone volcanic peak of Penha de Águia (589 m above sea level) - Eagle Rock. This is also the starting point of the PR5 Vereda das Funduras levada, and secondly, if you get hungry here, run to the Miradouro da Portela restaurant, where the oven will prepare delicious espetadas = meat skewered on a needle. Here, they also serve it by hanging it from the ceiling.

18. Ponta de Sao Lourenco - more info in the article Our TOP 6 Madeira walks

19. Cristo Rei - or the Christ Statue in Garajau, a town located east of Funchal, where we end our imaginary "island tour". The 20-metre high statue was erected here in 1927 to protect the Madeiran fishermen, and is now illuminated at night to act as a beacon. During the day, you can enjoy the views of the steep slopes, or take the Teleférico Cristo Rei cable car to the beach.

+ more detours into the hinterland:

20. Curral de Freias - or the Valley of the Nuns, because it was in this village hidden in a deep valley that the nuns sought refuge from pirate raids. The village is built in a terraced layout on steep slopes and the best view is of course from above. I'll give you two options straight away. The first is the touristy affair of Eira do Serrado, where there is a hotel with a restaurant, souvenir shops and where busloads of tourists arrive. The second viewpoint is not so famous, and you will find it under the name Miradouro do Paredão.

21. Caldeirão Verde - more info in the article Our TOP 6 Madeira walks

22. Ribeiro Frio - a mountain village whose name could be translated as "cold river". Many people only visit it in the context of the short Balcões levadas (see next point), but it would be a shame to miss the famous trout farm there - Viveiros de Trutas. There's no entrance fee and you can see lots of tanks and hatcheries with fish of various sizes. These cold water tanks are used to rebuild the trout population on the island, which seems to be quite successful as we saw several specimens right in the levadas!

23. Levada dos Balcões - more info in the article Our TOP 6 Madeira walks

24. Pico Arieiro - more info in the article Our TOP 6 Madeira walks

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