Madeira
Travel Guide

The Portuguese island of Madeira has a volcanic origin and it is located around 2 hours by plane from Lisboa. It belongs to the Archipielago of Madeira together with other islands: porto Santo island and the group of uninhabited islands of Desertas and Selvagens islands. Madeira is considered one of the most interesting islands for the nature travellers and lovers, mostly in Europe. Thanks to its unique... weather, you can enjoy there the whole year. It has a very wide range of biodiversity and its microclimates offer amazing landscapes, very interesting specially for hikers. The island is not known for its beaches, actually, the region has a very sheer shape, so it is a bit difficult to take a bath and swim in many parts, but at the same time, these shapes and cliffs give to the island a very special personality. Madeira is also known as the “Flower island” or the “Atlantic Garden” for the wide number of flowers and vegetation in its forests. The island is a real green wonder.

You need to be registered in Bautrip in order to save or like an article.
Join us!
Are you a member of Bautrip?
Log in

Madeira Overview

Language

The official language in Madeira is the Portuguese, but of course as you could guess, there are some different words and expressions. Due to the high tourism in the island, the local people can usually express themselves in English, Spanish and German as well.

Weather

The weather in Madeira is completely unpredictable. During the most part of the year, the temperature is ideal and it stays more or less between 15º and 25º. However, the weather can rapidly and suddenly change. The expression “four seasons in one day” is proved in the island, so you’d better be very prepared if you are planning a trip to Madeira. A part from the temperature changes, the island has also some sudden rains, actually it rains quiet a lot, that’s why the vegetation is so beautiful, green and rich. But when the sun appears, it also shines properly.

Money

The official currency in Madeira is the euro. In Funchal, the capital city, and in some of the main towns in the island, you won’t have problems to find currency exchange machines and offices.

When to go

Thanks to its weather, any period of the year is a good moment to visit Madeira. In the Summer, its hot but not too much and during the Winter it’s not even cold. Another reason to go there in the Winter is that during December, lots of people are prepearing the New’s Year Eve party, very famous in the island, so it is probably a very interesting moment to visit the region.

Days

Madeira is a small island which can be explored in just a few days. Around 5 days are probably enough to know the most beautiful and interesting attractions of the island, but if you want to discover the nature and hike around, then you’ll probably need more days.

Surroundings

Avistamiento de Ballenas
Porto Santo (Island)
Lisboa (Portugal’s capital city)

Store Hours

Shops in the region open from 9h until 13h and in the afternoon from 15h until 19h, everything a bit earlier than other European countries. The commercial centres have wider opening hours, closing usually at 22h. In the weekends many shops close in the midday and don’t open again until Monday.