Madeira is a group of Portuguese islands in the North Atlantic ocean, near the Canary Islands and Morocco. It’s known for Madeira wine, beautiful flowers, and near perfect weather. When I visited in April it was sunny and 20-22 degrees Celsius (70s in Fahrenheit) every day. Funchal is the capital and where most of the attractions are. I stayed at a hotel in Caniço and took a shuttle bus to Funchal.
Here are some popular things to do in Madeira and Funchal.
1. Visit Mercado dos Lavradores.
The local market in Funchal, Mercado dos Lavradores, has dozens of fruit stands, dried fruits, souvenirs, and a fish market. The prices here are usually more expensive than grocery stores, but it’s still cool to see all of the different fruits and sample some of them. Vendors will offer you samples of different fruits. I tried 8 different fruits at one stand, so I felt obligated to buy some.
For me, it was worth paying a few extra euros for the experience of trying so many new fruits. There are several types of passion fruits, including ones that taste like lemon and tomato. I also tried a pineapple banana, which tastes how it sounds. The bananas are different here too, they’re smaller and a little bit sweeter than the bananas in the United States. These are also the least expensive, I paid 10 cents for one in the market.
2. Drink Madeira wine.
Madeira wine is a fortified wine with a stronger alcohol content than other wines, usually 14-15%. One waiter told me, “it’s not a table wine.” (Do what you want though.) There are sweet and dry varieties, but even the dry versions are a little bit sweet.
You can learn more about Madeira wine and have a tasting at Blandy’s Wine Lodge in Funchal. It’s also available in grocery stores and bottle shops around the island.
I don’t like sweet wine and even the dry Madeira wine was too sweet for me. But luckily there are a lot of other Portuguese wine options to try.
3. Have a glass of Poncha.
Poncha is a local drink made with sugarcane rum, honey, and juice. Poncha Pescador is made with lemon juice, and Poncha Regional is made with orange juice. You can buy bottles at grocery stores and souvenir shops, or try a glass at a bar or restaurant. I found a bar called A Poncharia that had poncha mixed with different fruit juices. I tried one with passion fruit juice and it was absolutely delicious, much better than the bottled version. The same bar also had a drink called Nikita, a cocktail made with beer, pineapple juice, and ice cream.
4. Try Bolo do Caco.
Bolo do caco is a delicious, fluffy bread that’s used for sandwiches. I tried bolo do caco com quiejo and it was my favorite thing I ate in Madeira. Prego em bolo do caco is a popular option with steak. It’s also available with hamburgers or other sandwiches.
5. Eat Espada com Maracujá e Banana.
Espada or black scabbard fish is a popular fish served on Madeira. You can see it in the fish market at Mercado dos Lavradores. Many restaurants serve it with maracuja (passion fruit) and/or banana. It’s also available as a sandwich at some restaurants or tapas bars. Because it’s called black scabbard fish I was expecting the filet to be darker, but it looks just like other white fish. The texture and taste is similar to halibut with a subtle sweetness.
6. Try Bolo de Mel.
Bolo de mel is a dense cake made with sugarcane syrup and nuts. The taste reminded me of a molasses cookie. It’s available at restaurants, grocery stores, and souvenir shops. One vendor told me they can last up to 6 months.
7. Look at the street art on Rua de Santa Maria.
Walk along the street Rua de Santa Maria to see the beautiful painted doorways. I found it’s better to go in the morning when the street is less crowded, before the restaurants have set up their tables and chairs.
8. Visit one of the many gardens.
I was pleasantly surprised by how many gardens are around Funchal. While walking to one garden I walked past 2 others. There were so many colorful flowers, some I had never seen before. There were usually benches if you want to stop and rest or have lunch.
9. Get a better view with the Teleférico.
Teleférico do Funchal (cable cars) take passengers to higher points on the island. If you’re not afraid of heights, this can be a fun way to see more of the island and get to some of the harder to reach areas. Monte Palace is a popular attraction that you can reach by cable car.
10. Take a guided tour.
If you’re looking for something more adventurous, there are several tour companies that offer biking or hiking tours. There are whale and dolphin watching boat tours as well. You’ll see the tour companies advertising around the island. You can also do a walking tour or food tour around Funchal by booking online.
11. Visit the Cristiano Ronaldo museum.
Cristiano Ronaldo is from Funchal, and the airport is even named after him. If you’re a football fan, you might want to check out the CR7 Museo in Funchal. Or take your picture with his statue in front.
Other things to know about Madeira
How to get to Madeira.
The only way to get to Madeira is to fly. It’s about an hour and a half flight from Lisbon or Porto. There are no ferries to Morocco.
When I flew to Madeira it was very windy and we almost couldn’t land. The pilot purposely flew slower to get there and then flew in circles around the island waiting for the winds to slow down. There were 3 planes ahead of us that tried to land and ended up diverting to somewhere else. When it was our turn the pilot told us he was going to try landing but there was a chance we would have to divert to Lisbon. Luckily we were able to land. The whole plane clapped and I ended up with a better appreciation for Ryanair.
Once you get to the airport, you can take a bus, taxi, or use Bolt to get to your destination and around the island. Uber says it’s available there but whenever I tried to use it there were no available drivers.
What language do they speak in Madeira?
Portuguese is the language in Madeira, but because it is a tourist destination it seems like a lot of people speak in English. I learned some Portuguese phrases to practice but everyone spoke English to me. I also overheard a lot of people speaking German.