Madeira is a delightfully peaceful semi-tropical island, considered the 'Garden of the Atlantic'. An ideal destination for those looking for a luxury break or a walking holiday or one of our excellent fly-drive explorations of this stunningly scenic island.
INDEPENDENT HOLIDAYS & FLY DRIVE PROGRAMMES
Click on a link opposite to view details of our selected hotels in Funchal and across the island:
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| Getting to Madeira couldn't be easier. There are charter flights every monday from most UK airports, contact us to check the most up to date schedule and competitive prices. There are Easy Jet flights from Gatwick and Bristol on a daily basis most of the year - these flights are ideal for tailor-made holidays as we can book any duration rather than the 7 or 14 days on the charter options. | ||
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| Every year there are many interesting and exciting festivals, these are the Carnival (February), Flower Festival (end April), Wine Festival (early September), Atlantic Festival (June) and the celebrations on New Year's Eve have become legendary - all hotels will be fully booked and the harbour and bay will be crowded too by cruise liners watching the spectacle too. |  |
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Not all of the 500 miles of levadas are possible for walkers but a substantial proportion of these irrigation channels have reasonable and/or well-maintained paths alongside providing excellent opportunities to explore the Madeiran countryside. They were originally built as the only source of water transport from the wetter northern and upland areas to the more settled but drier south.
Here are some examples of the types of path you may encounter:
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Paths can be easy going and wide |
... or involve walking next to the edge or through waterfalls |
... or, usually, a mixture of both. |
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There are also many paths which can be followed linking up levada walks.
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Tea House - convenient stopping points en route
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Tunnels can be long and a torch is essential |
Some of the levadas can be walked by beginners but many involve unprotected vertiginous sections or pass through tunnels so care should be taken to read well before undertaking a particular route or perhaps consider taking an orgainsed small group excursion. The excursions are also useful as many walks are end to end and would involve extensive use of public transport or taxis to return to base.
Levadas near Funchal:
We have walked along a number of these paths and together with our close colleage, Jette, in our Funchal office we will be happy to offer advice and suggestions to include in your holiday; whether this is for just the one extra activity during your stay or the whole purpose of your holiday we'll give you the best information we can.
Levada do Norte:
NB: a good book is essential if you are wanting to make levada walking the raison d'etre of your trip, we recommend the Sunflower Guide to Madeira as probably the best starting point; the authors of this great walking book series started their writing career on the Madeira edition.
** Click here for information on walking packages **
Places to Visit
Madeira has such beauty in its natural environment that could take you a month to enjoy the scenery alone but there are some attractions that are worth a consideration if you want to give the children something different or are looking for a change.
Funchal - Plenty of sightseeing of course but have you considered the option of viewing the city from a helicopter or from the harbourside balloon? Other slightly different points of view can be had from the cable car up to to the pretty village of Monte high above the city or from the basket (toboggan) ride back down. Don't miss out on a visit to one of the famous wine lodges, plenty of tasting available and always a good souvenir of your time in Madeira.
Gardens - Madeira is sometimes called the Garden of the Atlantic and it has some excellent formal gardens to visit and enjoy; the Botanical Gardens in upper Funchal, the Tropical gardens in Monte to name just two.
Themed attractions - these are pretty new and certainly excellent family days out. |
The Madeira Theme Park in Santana, opened in 2004, has examples of traditional Madeiran buildings, playgrounds, audio-visual rides and spectaculars as well as a boating lake and a decent cafe. The Santa Cruz Aqua Park has great slides and pool-based entertainment for all the family. The Madeira Story Centre was new in 2005 and has a exciting tour of Madeira's history in Funchal's old town. | |
| Back to top | The Caves at Sao Vicente are a little different too, they are not the usual limestone caves created by water flow but emptied out lava tubes; to complement the tour of the caves they have an excellent visitor centre alongside - a great day out if the weather is not too good. |
Madeira has such a lot of easily portable gifts and souvenirs - here's our selection:
Bolo do Mel - Madeira honey cake - delicious.
Flowers - buy them for yourself or your loved ones, they'll box them up for your flight home.
Madeiran wine - try before you buy, excellent presents. Read up about the various grapes, ages and styles.
Traditional knitwear - children love the traditional hats with the warm ear flaps.
Embroidery and wicker work - shop around, there's a lot of it.
Tel: + 44 (0) 1989 730 552 (UK)
LINKS for extra Information, tours & hotels:
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(options a & b below) |
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