In short
Madeira is a mountainous volcanic island in the middle of the Atlantic, about a thousand kilometres from mainland Europe. It rises to 1,862 metres at Pico Ruivo, and its relief is the reason for everything: the climate, the roads, the walking.
Funchal, the capital, occupies an amphitheatre in the south. The north is wilder, wetter and less built up. Porto Moniz, in the north-west, has its natural lava pools.
One expectation to correct: Madeira is not a sandy beach destination. The coasts are rocky and the beaches shingle. The sand is on Porto Santo, a neighbouring island two and a half hours away by ferry.
Arriving and getting around
Madeira airport is known for its difficult approach, its runway built on columns and its winds: diversions and cancellations are a statistical reality of the island, to be built into a tight schedule.
The roads are excellent but made of tunnels and hairpins. Buses serve the coast; the interior needs a car or an organised trip.
What it really costs
Madeira is more affordable than most European Atlantic islands, for housing and for eating out.
Organised trips to the levadas and the peaks are the main item for anyone not hiring a car.
When to come
All year. Temperatures vary little. Winter is mild and wetter in the north; summer is warm without excess.
Funchal's New Year is renowned for its fireworks and fills the island; the Flower Festival, in spring, is the other major date.
What nobody tells you
The levadas are irrigation channels, cut from the fifteenth century onwards to bring water from the wet north to the cultivated south. The paths along them now form a walking network of more than two thousand kilometres. Some run along ledges above a drop, without railings; others pass through unlit tunnels where a lamp is essential.
Levadas close regularly after landslides. Check the state of the paths with the natural park authorities before setting off — closures are not always signposted at the trailhead.
The Pico do Arieiro – Pico Ruivo traverse is the emblematic walk: exposed, with staircases and tunnels, and often in cloud by the middle of the day.
The Monte toboggan, a wicker sledge pushed by two men, is a former means of transport turned paying attraction.
