Madeira

Start your holiday in Madeira with car hire offered by Online-Car-Hire. We offer secure online booking with cheap car rental at Madeira airport. All of our vehicle hire suppliers have dedicated telephone staff on hand ready to answer any extra queries that you may have before or after completing your car rental reservation. For your information the airport at Madeira is situated about 16 km from the capital of Madeira, Funchal.

 

Marvellous Madeira is a delightful all year round Portuguese holiday destination offering a mild subtropical climate which is famous for its Madeira wine and delicious honey cake, Bolo de Mel. Of volcanic origin, the Madeira archipelago offers a pleasing climate where temperatures reach 22 degrees in the summer and an invigorating 16 degrees during the winter.

Madeira is situated off the coast of Portugal in the North Atlantic Ocean. Madeira is 57 kilometres by 22 kilometres and the largest of all the islands that make up the Portuguese archipelago. It is one of two islands here in the archipelago that is inhabited. Madeira offers a mixture of scenery from cute little towns with triangular houses to beautiful forestland to lines of majestic mountains. The mountain chain here strikes out from the hilly slopes along the length of the island with the highest peak, Pico Ruivo topping 1862 metres. The precious forested landscape found in the north has been designated an UNESCO World Heritage site.

According to the history books, the Portuguese first settled in Madeira in the fifteenth century. The archipelago was known prior to this as ‘the purple islands’.

Madeira’s principle city and possibly the largest city of the whole Madeira archipelago is the vibrant city of Funchal. Named after all the fennel that was and continues to grow here, the city that exists here today owes much to its situation and geographical location. Funchal’s periphery is flanked by a natural amphitheatre-like border which, in places, towers a kilometre in height serving as a defence barrier throughout some of the island’s more turbulent years. The crowning glory of this appealing modern city is its cathedral, situated in the middle of the capital. Built in the fifteenth century, the beautiful Manueline architecture of the Se Cathedral ensures this prized building continues to be one of Madeira’s most popular attractions. There are plenty of attractions about town including the Sugar Museum, the Museum of Contemporary Art, Museum of Sacred Art and of course the second most popular attraction in Funchal, that of the lively little harbour.

If you travel north of Funchal, you will eventually stumble across the delightful town of Santana. It is here that you will discover those delightful straw-roofed triangular houses that you have read about as well as family entertainment in the style of a vast theme park. Additionally, this is an attractive stopping off point for its lovely harbour and beaches.

Those amongst us who enjoy a hearty walk or hike, continue to love the challenge of a Levada trail for a memorable holiday experience on Madeira. The island is full of these man-made irrigation channels or levadas (over two thousand kilometres worth of pathways) which were built to carry water to the drier zones (in the south east) mainly for agricultural purposes, away from the mountains. The easier of the levadas is the Mimosa levada or the Levada do Canical which provides an enjoyable 12 kilometre walk beginning from Maroços and ending at the Canical Tunnel. Not all levadas are so amenable as many have unstable ledges so it is wise to research the walk before tackling it. The Levada do Caldeiro Verde and the Levada Caldeirao do Inferno are challenging trails which require sensible hiking precautions.

Madeira is full of delightful towns and villages perfect for wiling away an enjoyable afternoon in the pursuit of a delicious lunch or picnic spot. How about peaceful Ribeira Brava, a pretty spot for enjoying the sights. There are some lovely restaurants here and a 16th century art collection in the local church. Also there is the yachting haunt of Porto Santo, a tiny island to the north east of Madeira easily reached via an enjoyable boat ride from Funchal. Popular for its glorious sandy beaches, Porto Santo also offers secluded bays and rocky inlets as well as mountains, grasslands and forests. There is additionally a memorial here to Christopher Columbus who lived here and was married on this island.

While in Madeira you could be forgiven for wanting to take a detour across to the intriguingly called Savage Islands. Found halfway between the Canary Islands and those around Madeira, the volcanic Savage Islands are best recognised for their nature reserve presence. The volcanoes are long extinct and UNESCO has made the reserves of Selvagem Pequena and Selvagem Grande official World Heritage sites.

Madeira Airport

Madeira Airport is situated 16 kilometres from the capital city of Funchal.

If travelling by road, the airport is easily accessible by the Via Rapida. The journey from Funchal to the airport will take about fifteen minutes.

The principle modes of public transport from Madeira Airport are bus and taxi.

There is an airport bus which is free of charge to TAP passengers or a single fare for a ride into Funchal will cost 4 euros.

A taxi from the airport to the centre of Funchal will set you back just under twenty five euros and into Machico, ten euros.