Madeira Island - ultimative adventure guide 1-4 weeks

Your start in Madeira

First of all, you will probably all land at Madeira's international airport, Cristiano Ronaldo International Airport.  This is about a 20-minute drive from the capital Funchal. If it's your first time in Madeira and you want to soak up as much of the sun as possible, it's a good idea to book accommodation on the south side first (with far more hours of sunshine) and then take several day trips to see the north side.

If you are really exhausted from the trip and want to enjoy a few days of beach, beautiful views and a quieter atmosphere, you can get an Airbnb or hotel directly in Caniço (which is less than 10 minutes by car from the airport). Basically, it is really recommended to rent a car (unless you really plan to stay in Funchal and only do occasional excursions).

I personally had the best experience with Check24.de. With the super steep mountains and narrow roads all over the island, all-round insurance is totally worth it! With Check24, I always got my money back quite quickly when I left a scratch or two on my car.

Otherwise, you can take a taxi or call one of my local contacts (who will give you better rates) for the time being (they all speak English). Unfortunately there is no Uber in Madeira, but the taxi app Bolt is pretty much the same and usually works great (except rush hour, high season and public holidays), especially in urban areas. You can get 50% off your first trip on the Bolt app using the code NINAHV5. You can easily sign up here.

To have a great start (or end! - Up to you), it's really fun to get to know the lively and beautiful capital of Funchal for a few days. There is a lot to do in Funchal. I'm going to list my favourite places and activities that I have accumulated during the time I've lived in Madeira.