Madeira Holidays & Short Breaks

This illustrated travel guide offers Madeira holidays with cheap deals on short breaks to Portugal and useful travel tips for a walking or activity holiday to Madiera during summer 2008. We list the island's sightseeing attractions and help you choose the best Funchal hotels.

The island of Madeira (32 miles E-W by 12 miles N-S) lies 1000km south west of mainland Portugal and 600km north of the Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean. Madeira holidays offer spectacular mountains towering to 6000 feet, impressive waterfalls, deep gorges, imposing valleys and beautiful tropical gardens with extensive walking opportunities.

The main language spoken on the island is Portuguese, but English is considered the island’s second language and is spoken by most hotel and restaurant staff, if not by the older population.

Madeira holidays may not suit everyone, as there are no natural beaches on the island – so the island's appeal for traditional summer family holidays is reduced. Madiera has only one beach at Calheta, with imported sand from the Algarve. Although it isn't a popular family holiday destination, Madeira is ideal for walking holidays or for couples or singles seeking quiet relaxation away from the crowds of Portugal's Algarve coast.

Madeira is quite undeveloped and retains much of its original character, with only the capital Funchal seeing any significant development of seafront hotels and self catering hotel complexes. Many of the hotels are luxury resorts with a good range of facilities – some with saltwater swimming pools. Overall, Funchal is a clean, well kept coastal town with beautiful gardens and a good range of restaurants and cafes.

Funchal Hotels

cheap Madeira holiday - self catering hotel

Some of the best Funchal Hotels like the Eden Mar hotel, offer excellent self catering accommodation including cooking facilities and a fridge. The Eden Mar hotel is conveniently located next to a supermarket and a number of restaurants like O’Chefe which offer good value for money. The 4 star Porto Mare hotel, Funchal (owned by the same hotel group) also has excellent reviews, being a full service hotel rather than self catering accommodation. The Porto Mare hotel lacks the kitchen facilities of the Eden Mar hotel, but makes up for it with luxury surroundings and excellent service. Get cheap rates at Funchal hotels with Expedia.

Both these recommended Funchal hotels are around 1 mile west of the town centre and free transportation is available. Alternatively, to walk to Funchal takes around 30 minutes.

Madeira Car Hire

Car hire availability can be a problem during peak Madeira holiday season. We recommend booking in advance prior to leaving the UK from our car hire page.

Madeira Weather

The best time to take Madeira holidays is during the summer months of May to September, with July and August typically being the driest month. During summer the Madeira weather is humid and warm with high temperatures of around 26C. Showers are common in the mountains even in summer. May and June are the best times to visit Madeira for flowers and fauna.

Madeira breaks taken in early autumn until the end of September can also offer good weather with warm temperatures, but October sees more average rainfall and lower temperatures reaching highs of around 23C.

Madeira Quintas

There are a number of luxury hotels on Madeira, including the Quinta hotels, which are converted family run country houses or estates, each with less than 70 rooms in secluded, peaceful settings. Many of the Quintas were the residences of Madeira’s former aristocracy, all having character and charm together with beautiful gardens. We stayed at the Quinta Jardin da Serra hotel which is located about 12km north west of Funchal in the mountains. It’s a luxury 5 star Quinta hotel in a rural setting with views over the Atlantic Ocean. The Quinta Jardim da Serra hotel is ideal for couples seeking a relaxing Madeira holiday, although the rural location (12km from Funchal), did prove inconvenient at times without a hire car.

Food and Drink Prices

Madeira holidays make an attractive proposition for families travelling on a budget, as food and drink prices on Madiera are very reasonable, if not quite as cheap as Spain. We paid around €1.30 for a small beer in Funchal, €15 for lunch for two and €30 – 50 for 3 course dinner depending on the quality of restaurant. 4 and 5 star Funchal hotels typically charged €50 or more for a 3 course meal, so when booking a Madeira holiday it may be beneficial to book with half board terms.

Madeira Holiday Attractions

During a Madeira holiday you'll find a number of interesting attractions with Funchal in particular offering fun things to do which will appeal to families. Our own 5-year-old daughter was kept entertained at the pool and on sightseeing trips to Funchal and around the island. Here are some of the main sightseeing attractions:-

Note: Click the Madeira pictures (thumbnail images below) for easier viewing.

Quinta Vigia, Funchal

For relaxation during your Madeira holidays, try the beautiful gardens at the Quinta Vigia - the official residence of the President of the Regional Government. The garden has good views over the harbour, with magnificent palm trees and tropical flowers and free admission Monday – Friday (closed weekends and during Portuguese holidays). Children will enjoy the exotic birds (including Macaw parrots) in the aviaries.

Santa Catarina Park, Funchal

Santa Catarina Park in Funchal is an excellent place to unwind and relax. There are tropical gardens with exotic flowers and great views over the harbour and cliffs. The park has a children’s playground and free kids activity centre as well as a small café for drinks and ice creams. The lizards which live in the stone walls and around the small lake will entertain the kids too. The lizards seemed partial to banana!

Câmara de Lobos

Câmara de Lobos is a unspoilt Madeira fishing village about 5km west of Funchal.

Caba Girão

About 7km west of Funchal, Caba Girão is home to the second highest cliff face in the world at 580m.

Monte Palace Tropical Gardens via Cable Car

During your Madeira holidays, we recommend a 1.6km cable car trip to the Tropical Gardens at Monte Palace, but try to pick a day with good weather and visibility. The cable car trip takes around 15 minutes (each way) and the cable car station is located east of the Marina in Funchal on the main coastal road, Avenida do Mar e das Comunidades. At Euro 51 for two adults and one child including entrance to the tropical gardens (Jardim Tropical), the cable car isn’t cheap so you may want to purchase a one way ticket and get a taxi back from the summit to Funchal. Taxis park up at the summit cable car stop, so this shouldn’t prove a problem – agree a price before the journey. The Tropical Gardens are spectacular with 2500 varieties of plants set in 35,000 square metres.

Madeira Balloon

At the marina in Funchal, you’ll find the Madeira balloon. the world's largest captive (tethered) balloon. 15 minute trips on the Madeira balloon reach heights of up to 450 feet and flights are subject to weather conditions being suitable.

Madeira Island Tours

During your holidays, take a Madiera island tour around the west of the island to the fishing village of Câmara de Lobos, San Vicente, Seixel and Porto Moniz. This Madeira tour offers the best scenery and a stop at beautiful Porto Moniz for lunch at the Restaurant Cachalote allows swimming in the rock pools, which proved a major hit with my daughter. Porto Moniz was the highlight of the tour with some of the best coastline between San Vicente and Porto Moniz. The west Madeira island tour usually stops at the view point of Encumeada at 1007m above sea level which offers panoramic views of both the north and south coasts of Madeira on a clear day. Full day Madeira tours cost around €42.50 per person (lunch included), with special offers available for people willing to endure a timeshare sales presentation!

Levadas

The holiday island of Madeira is well known for its beautiful gardens and Levada walks with many visitors coming to Madeira for walking holidays. Each Levada walk offers spectacular scenery and rural solitude. The word "Levada" actually means water channel and the walks generally run alongside these water channels. The Levadas were built many years ago for crop irrigation purposes. If you are considering a walking holiday to Madeira, make sure that you pack appropriate clothing. Be prepared for sudden changes in weather and temperature as the island’s climate is more changeable than the Canary Islands with frequent rain and low cloud in the mountains. Fog can also descend without warning at high elevations, even in the summer months. Some recommended Levada walks are described here. Please note that some Levadas are unsuitable for children as there are sheer drops from narrow mountain ledges. Adults should exercise caution too as recent fatalities have occurred. Always book a guided Levada walk with a reputable Madeira travel company.

Whale & Dolphin Watching

Madeira holidays allow you to book Atlantic Dolphin and Whale watching tours as a half day excursion. These leave Funchal marina to see various whale species including Northern Bottlenose Whales, Pilot Whales and Orcas. Prices start from £25 per person. The best time for whale watching around Madeira is May to October.

Porto Santo

To add variety to your Madeira holiday, take a sightseeing day trip to Porto Santo Island which lies 75km north east of Madeira. The ferry trip takes around 2 hours 45 minutes and Porto Santo offers a 5½ mile sandy beach and an excellent golf resort. Bookings can be made at ticket booths close to the marina.