Ed and I spent the first week of April exploring and savoring the island of Madeira, Portugal. We were based in Funchal, the capital city. Madeira had never been on our radar, and we knew no one who had spent time here, so we plunged ahead without knowing what to expect. We found that the island was completely set up for tourism and was a mecca for Europeans who were escaping cold winters.

Whooshing Down the Mountain

As a nod to the traditions of the island, one of the main tourist attractions is a two-kilometer “sled ride” down the mountain in a traditional wicker sled on skis. Yikes! We paid 30 Euros and waited in line for our “drivers” to prepare our sled. They wore traditional white uniforms with rubber-soled shoes to help them brake our sled, steering with ropes attached to the skis. It took about 15 minutes to get down the mountain. What a trip!

The “technology” is the same as it was in the 1890s when the sled was the only way to get down the “Monte” mountain in Funchal, other than walking. Sleds can reach a cruising speed of 38 km/hour.

Communing with Whales and Dolphins

We joined a group on a Zodiac ride in the ocean to say hello to bottlenose dolphins and pilot whales. They obliged and put on quite a show around our boat. This part of the ocean is home to 28 different species of cetaceans (dolphins and whales) in various seasons of the year. The ones we saw were local to the area, and not just passing through on their migration path. 

Hiking the Lavadas of Madeira

Since Madeira is very, very mountainous, the locals created a way to capture rainwater from the high mountains and bring it to the fields below. The elaborate system of “levadas” weaves its way around the mountains and provides water to fields below. You can hike along the waterways and see this incredible engineering. There are 2500 kilometers of levadas on the island. 

Sometimes the open levada canals are funneled into a pipe that tunnels through the mountain. We found one of these tunnels and hiked a kilometer in the pitch dark. Luckily we had our mobile phones and could turn on the flashlight. More prepared hikers had their headlamps at the ready. One less prepared hiker told us his phone was dead so he decided to follow us through the tunnel guided by our light. We were happy to help!

Vistas Above the Clouds

At the 6000-foot summit of Pico do Arieiro, the third highest mountain on the island, we enjoyed the vistas and assumed the position above the clouds.

To get here from Funchal, we took a winding 15-kilometer drive. There are many beautiful hiking trails on the island and lots of adventure groups come here for a week or more. 

Small Towns Offer Charm

As we drove around the island we saw many small towns nestled in the hillsides and fishing villages hugging the coast. Madeira’s roads are well signed and in excellent condition with many long tunnels and roundabouts. Driving with the guidance of Google Maps was quite pleasant with little traffic. It was definitely worth it to leave the bustle of Funchal to experience a more authentic taste of traditional Madeira life.

The coastal village of Ponta do Sol is supposed to be the sunniest spot on this island. However, we visited on a not-so-sunny day.

Winston Churchill was inspired to paint in the village of Câmara de Lobos.

At the Miradouro do Cabo Girão, the views from the skywalk on one of the highest cliffs in Europe were dramatic.

Visiting with A College Friend

In the “small world” category, we heard in advance that one of Jan’s college friends and his wife would also be visiting Madeira at the same time. So, we emailed them and set up a rendezvous. Given that we both were previously unaware of this island, this was truly a coincidence!

Cristiano Ronaldo Airport

The Madeira airport, named after Cristiano Ronaldo, Madeira’s favorite son and soccer star, hosts a wide variety of discount airlines from Europe, including Peter Pan (!) and EasyJet. Historically, it was a treacherous airport for landing – given the lack of flat plains on this very mountainous island. Portuguese engineering solved this problem in 2000 by extending the runway to 2781 meters with 180 ingenious pillars over the sea that extend the runway to allow for safe and smooth takeoff and landing. The airport itself is a tourist attraction!

Also, Azores Airlines now offers a non-stop flight from JFK to Madeira. This flight was advertised in a “TravelZoo” promotional newsletter, which sparked our interest in coming here, although Ed’s interest in trying to use his Brazilian Portuguese in a Portugal territory was also a motivator. 

Tourism Infrastructure Abounds

Madeira boasts an incredible number of hotels and apartments catering to tourists of all types. Our Airbnb which had an incredible ocean view was owned by a Russian woman who communicated with us in English. Our local AirBnB host was Ukrainian. Most restaurants have menus in multiple languages and there are numerous tour operators who offer tours to the Levadas, hiking trips, boat rides, and 4×4 experiences. Virtually everyone working around tourists speaks English to some extent. When Ed spoke to people in Portuguese, most of the time they responded in English, much to his disappointment. We were told that 80% of the tourists come from countries other than Portugal, so English fluency is a necessity.

We enjoyed our week in Madeira. Is it a “must-see?” Not really. But, it is very well set up for tourism, the main industry. Many cruise ships visit for the day, and the city seems to be able to handle the onslaught of tourists with aplomb. We heard many different languages but saw very few Americans. It’s a pleasant place with many activities for tourists and a relaxing environment. 

If You Go

We relied on these two books: Lonely Planet Madeira and Top 10 Madeira. Both were helpful. We rented a car for the week, but really only needed it when we drove out of town. So, we could have rented it for half the time and saved money. We also read numerous blog posts about visiting the island. And, we heeded the advice of this sign: