Travel Tips
Essential information for visiting Madeira Island
Festa da Senhora do Monte 2027: dates, transport, where to stay
Monte's festival is on 14 and 15 August 2027. The cable car stops at 5.45pm and the last bus down at 8.30pm: how to get up, get home and where to sleep.
Madeira Flower Festival 2027: parade dates, where to watch
Madeira's Flower Festival runs 29 April to 30 May 2027, with the parade in Funchal on 2 and 16 May. Where to watch for free, the gardens, and where to stay.
Madeira airport wind: why flights divert and what to do
Madeira airport stops landings when a northerly tops 15 knots. Where diverted flights go, what EU261 owes you, and how to book so wind costs only a morning.
Madeira in the rain: what still works on a wet day, by area
Rain on Madeira is local, so the first question on a grey morning is whether to move rather than what to do indoors. Where the dry side usually is, the drive above the cloud layer to Pico do Arieiro at 1,818 metres, opening hours and prices for the market, the wine lodge, the Porto Moniz aquarium, MUDAS and the Monte cable car, the São Vicente caves that every guide still lists and that have been shut since 2020, and the timings of bus 340 (formerly 139) that decide a north coast day without a car.
Madeira with a baby or toddler: pools, prams, shade, and where to base yourself
What decides a week on Madeira with a one-year-old is the gradient outside your front door, not the weather. Which four bases work, the 2.2 kilometre flat promenade, the bathing complexes where under-sixes go free, the beaches that are sand rather than pebble, the 2026 bus renumbering, and the child restraint rules for hire cars and taxis.
Is Madeira safe? Wildfires, landslides, earthquakes, the sea
Madeira is safe: crime is low and the real risks are weather and geology. What fires, rockfalls, earthquakes, the sea and mountain paths mean for a visitor.
Madeira Carnival 2027: Funchal parade dates and where to watch
Madeira's 2027 Carnival parade is on Saturday 6 February in Funchal, the Trapalhão on Tuesday 9 February. Where to stand, seat prices and where to stay.
Christmas in Madeira: dates, Christmas market, where to stay
Madeira's Christmas runs from the lights on 1 December to 5 January. Dates for Market Night and the dawn masses, prices by week, the weather, and where to stay.
Ronaldo in Madeira: the statue, CR7 museum and where he grew up
The Ronaldo statue stands outside the CR7 museum on Funchal's seafront, free at any hour. Also: museum hours, the rooftop bar, the airport bust, his old parish.
Mosquitoes and dengue in Madeira: risk, repellent, what to do
Madeira has the dengue mosquito, but no outbreak since 2013 and no local case so far in 2026. Where it bites, which repellent works, what to do with a fever.
New Year's Eve in Madeira: fireworks, viewpoints, where to stay
Funchal's fireworks start at midnight on 31 December and last about eight minutes. The best free viewpoints, boat and gala prices, the weather, where to stay.
Porto Moniz natural pools, Madeira: price, bus, overnight
Porto Moniz's natural pools cost 3 euros and close when the winter swell is up. The free Cachalote pools, the bus from Funchal, and whether to stay the night.
Planning Your Trip?
Complete guides to events and travel on the island.