Madeira is not called the Pearl of the Atlantic for nothing. It is a gem of an island with year-round sunshine, a verdant mountainous interior and a sunny seafront capital city.
Hikers will enjoy walking the irrigation canals that line the steep terraced fields. Gardeners will be thrilled by the abundance of tropical plants. Foodies will enjoy the hearty local dishes and unique Madeira wine. The sea is a playground for water sports enthusiasts, and swimmers will love the natural bathing pools on the beaches.
This secluded Portuguese archipelago is about 300 miles west of the Moroccan coast and a four-hour flight from London. As you land at Madeira airport, you get fabulous views of the volcanic landscape and Funchal, the elegant harbour capital.
This university city is where most people choose to base themselves. Here, you’ll find numerous hotels, from historic five-stars like Belmond Reid’s Palace – which has been enjoyed by the likes of Gregory Peck, Winston Churchill and George Bernard Shaw – to delightful family-run guesthouses full of local charm.
Portuguese explorers discovered the island in the early 1400s and some of the architecture dates back to the 1500s. The cedarwood ceiling of Funchal Cathedral, built in 1514, is one of the finest in Portugal and its territories. The city is also home to the embroidery museum, which shows off Madeira’s celebrated handicraft, and the Madeira Wine Company Museum, where you can learn all about the famous fortified wine.
By day, walk along the harbour and stop off at one of the many cafes to enjoy a custard tart, then wander through the indoor market – a burst of colour with piles of tropical fruits and local vegetables, such as white and red turnips and spiny green pepinela (a type of gourd, also known as chayote). Or perhaps visit the flower stalls in the Mercado dos Lavradores.
At night, join the locals in eating the local espetada, succulent beef skewers, or freshly caught fish, such as the black scabbardfish, espada.
From Funchal, you can get a cable car to the district of Monte, which provides a glorious panoramic view of the city. You can then travel part of the way back down again by basket sledge before heading back home more conventionally.
Elsewhere there is plenty to explore, from pretty fishing villages to the ancient laurissilva (laurel) forest – a Unesco world heritage site.
Must-do Madeira in a nutshell
Go hiking
A walk along the levadas, the irrigation canals that line terraced fields and cottage gardens, is not to be missed.
Hire a car
Madeira’s new roads and tunnels mean driving is no longer scary or sick-inducing. From Funchal, you can easily reach São Vincent in the north, to see the 400,000-year-old lava caves.
Enjoy honey cake
Traditionally made at Christmas (although now sold all year round), Madeiran honey cake, bolo de mel, is delicious. Take it home for friends and family.
Explore Santa Maria Street
This once run-down street in Funchal’s old town is now a hip area of bars, restaurants and wooden doors decorated by local artists – turning this already colourful corner into a permanent open-air gallery.
Return flights from London Gatwick to Madeira and seven nights’ hotel accommodation from £251pp. Book by 31 March at ba.com/madeira
