Madeira
The fishing village of Ponta Delgada, 30km west of Santana, is worth a brief halt for its authentic remoteness and to visit the baroque Igreja do Bom…
Must-see attractions in Madeira
Madeira
Madeira's top aquarium hides away like a hermit crab in a renovated stone fortress. Inside, 12 tanks represent various ocean habitats around Madeira, the…
Madeira
Housed in an almost Minecraft-like building high above Calheta, this contemporary arts space has a gallery, shop, cafe, auditorium and workshop area. The…
Madeira
High above the central valley at the eastern end of the Paúl da Serra plateau is a place called Bica da Cana. Apart from serving as a picnic spot for…
Madeira
The upmarket village of Garajau hangs for dear life on the side of a cliff, 6km as the crow flies from central Funchal. On an often blustery promontory…
Madeira
At the foot of the cliff atop which stands the Cristo Rei statue, this stony beach was once used for dismembering and boiling up whales caught by boats…
Madeira
The Encumeada Pass sits between the two deep-cleft valleys that almost slice Madeira in two. From this dramatic point 1083m up, you can see both the north…
Machico
Madeira's best artificial beach is this gently sloping suntrap created with golden sand shipped in from Morocco and protected by two artificial breaks…
Funchal
The highlight of this 15th-century convent, once the island's richest, is one of the island's most attractive churches, with floor to ceiling azulejos…
Funchal
High above west Funchal rises the highly visable, whitewashed spire of the Igreja de São Martinho, a big early-20th-century creation. The interior is…
Madeira
The furthest point heading eastwards you can reach on the north coast before mammoth cliffs persuade the road to head inland, Porta da Cruz is a…
Funchal
Created from an old sugar works – hence the huge chimney in the middle and old bits of machinery scattered around the place – this undervisited city…
Funchal
Funchal's Jesuit Church dominates the city's prettiest square, Praça do Município. No surface is left unadorned in the baroque interior with its azulejos,…
Funchal
Verdant old park in the city centre, created on the site of the Convent of San Francisco, with tens of exotic labelled trees, twittering birds, basalt…
Madeira
'Cold River' village, deep in the mountains but under the tree line, is the chilly jumping off point for some levada walks and has a couple of cosy…
Madeira
Two well-protected artificial beaches (created with sand from western Sahara) face each other off on Calheta's seafront, one of the sunniest places on the…
Madeira
Madeira's most westerly point is Ponta do Pargo (Red Snapper Point). From the village of the same name, a 2km trail heads out to a lighthouse from where…
Funchal
Some 500m up in the hills east of Funchal, these much-loved subtropical gardens are a beautiful mix of formal and 'wild' areas with thousands of unusual…
Funchal
Featuring in many a holiday brochure, the view from this miradouro (lookout) east of Funchal is unique as it looks slightly back at the city from the…
Madeira
Seixal's black-sand beach can be accessed through an arch in the rock. It receives fewer visitors than beaches on the south coast, but check the weather…
Madeira
Wedged into the mouth of an impossibly deep creek, tiny Madalena do Mar has a long stony beach and a quiet, undisturbed atmosphere that feels a long way…
Madeira
Take the lift down from Caniço de Baixo's Hotel Galomar to discover this secluded sun-trapping bathing area with sea access, pools and a first-rate…
Madeira
This village is the island's sunniest spot (hence the name) with a rocky beach and pretty, compact centre. Worth a stop on the way between Funchal and…
Funchal
This large sloping park contains a well-equipped children's playground, a cafe and Madeira's first chapel. It's a lovely picnic spot amid exotic greenery.
Museu Henrique e Francisco Franco
Funchal
The works of early-20th-century Funchal sculptor Francisco Franco can be found at this small museum, which also displays works by his painter brother.
Funchal
This toy museum occupies seven rooms at the Armazém do Mercado and is essentially made up of the 20,000-piece private collection of one José Manuel Borges…
Funchal
This old-fashioned museum, housed (in classic Funchal fashion) in a surplus palace, has an ageing aquarium on the ground floor, and stuffed local fauna,…
Madeira
The Casa Museu Colombo, just off Largo do Pelhourinho in Vila Baleira, was once, it is claimed, the home of Christopher Columbus in the late 1470s…
Madeira
This now-ageing centre covers a wide range of scientific topics in a hands-on way. The focus is on Madeira's Unesco-listed laurisilva forests, their…
Madeira
Apart from being the launch pad for some great mountain walks, Ribeiro Frio's other attraction is what must be the world's most visited trout farm…
Funchal
One of Funchal's largest cemeteries and well off the tourist path, making it all the more fascinating to visit. Funchal's wealthy were once laid to rest…
Madeira
Road number 101 once struck fear into the heart of every Madeiran driver until it was retired to Room 101 by the modern VE2. The old route was the island…
Funchal
Just below Igreja de São Martinho, you'll discover the lovely Jardim de São Martinho, a south-facing, artificially created set of gardens with thousands…
Machico
Machico has three churches but the most famous is the pretty little Miracles Chapel on the north side of the river. It was famously washed away in a flood…
Madeira
An engaging place to take the kids, this Madeira-themed park has a boating lake, a maze, a Monte train, mock-ups of Santana A-Frame houses, a large…
Funchal
Founded by a former Honorary British Consul Cecil Garton, this garden is the best place to experience Madeira's exquisite orchids. The orchid houses are a…
Funchal
Up a set of steps from the seafront, the terraced Jardim Panorâmico is a sun-catching spot ideal for a lazy afternoon with a book. It's also a superb halt…
Forte de Nossa Senhora do Amparo
Machico
The triangular, ochre fortress on the Machico seafront dates from 1706 and was built to protect the town from pirates. There's not much to see here save…
Madeira
Calheta's old sugar refinery building starts as a half-hearted 'museum' and ends as a shop where you can buy the bolo de mel (molasses cake), molasses,…
Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Conceição
Machico
The main church in Machico is one of the island's largest, reflecting the town's erstwhile status as Madeira's capital. The musty, ancient-feeling…
