Why holiday in madeira

More Info. Enter a destination. Select a date. Enter a destination or tour name. Madeira, Portugal. Madeira Holidays. Travel to beautiful Madeira with Mercury Holidays Choose cheap package holidays with us and we can secure you fantastic flights to wonderful Madeira hotels located in Madeira's two main resorts.

Book a cheap package holiday to Madeira and save Make the most of our last minute Madeira holidays and our cheap holidays to Madeira to make great savings on your trip. All-Inclusive All inclusive holidays are all about keeping things simple and stress-free.

Explore Madeira. Funchal Canico 8. Santa Cruz 2. Sao Vicente 2. View all resorts in Madeira. Madeira Travel Guides. View more articles. Similar destinations to Madeira. Algarve 3h from London. Malta 3h from London. Today these small streams and associated footpaths provide visitors with wonderful hiking routes known as the Levadas , which pass through some of the most specular landscapes in Madeira.

The coastline of Madeira is a jagged mixture of massive cliffs and stony beaches. The remote town of Porto Moniz on the very north western edge is famed for its lava pools that are filled by the high tide.

There are two peak seasons for Madeira; the Christmas holidays and school summer holidays July-August. If you are planning a holiday during these periods, always book flights and accommodation well in advance, as flights will be expensive, and hotels do sell out.

Early spring and autumn are the best times of the year to visit as the weather is still wonderful but there are not the summertime crowds or cruise ships. The winter months experience the most rain, but this tends to fall on the northern side of the island, whereas Funchal to the south is much drier. Insight: The main festival of Madeira is the flower festival hosted in Funchal between the 23rd of April and the 24th of May. By July the intense summer sun burns this cloud away in the early morning.

Related articles: Our Lisbon guide — Porto guide. A typical holiday to Madeira is based in or near Funchal many of the major hotels are to the west of the city and the island is explored via organised day trips or with a rental car. A map of this suggested itinerary is shown below.

Guided tours are a hassle-free way to explore Madeira and also provide a chance to meet fellow tourists. There are many different tour companies providing guides tours of Madeira, but they all tend to split the island into two; east and west. Related articles: 1 week in Madeira. The powerful waves and strong sea currents have prevented the coastline of Madeira retaining any meaningful sandy beaches.

This has actually been a blessing for the island. The lack of sandy beaches has prevented Madeira being overrun by package holidays and mega hotel developments, as with the cultural devoid Canary Islands. There are two artificial sandy beaches on Madeira, at Calheta and Machico.

Both are protected from the ocean currents and winter storms by sea walls, but this does mean neither beach is very large. If you truly want a beach destination, consider visiting Porto Santo for a portion of your holiday to Madeira. There is a regular ferry connecting Funchal to Porto Santo, and the island has its own airport with a few services to Europe. Another option is to book a hotel with a beautiful swimming pool complex and grounds, which can be as equally pleasant for a relaxing holiday.

Our opinion: Madeira may not have the bountiful beaches as with other islands in the eastern Atlantic Ocean, but easily compensates with mountainous scenery, rugged coastlines and culturally rich towns and villages. Related articles: The best sandy beaches of Madeira. All people who work within the tourism industry speak English fluently and often a third European language.

All restaurants menus will have an English section, while all transportation use English as the second language. The Portuguese always appreciate an effort to speak their language. Madeira is not a conventional or well-known destination for a family holiday but is ideal for children. The Portuguese are very welcoming and supportive of families, especially if travelling with young children. The island is very safe, all tourist facilities and hotels are at a very high standard, and shops sell all common branded goods.

As for activities, there is the cable car and toboggan run in Funchal, there are boat tours and the lava pools in Porto Moniz. The beaches in Madeira tend to be stony and the sea waters are cold. Madeira is served by a modern international airport situated on the northeastern side of the island. There are numerous routes connecting Madeira to major European cities, and many of these flights are operated by the low-cost airlines, so there can be bargains to be found if booked far enough in advance.

For faster transfers, there are taxis or pre-booked transfers. The run way of Madeira spans a deep valley and extends out over the sea….. The approach to Madeira is one of the most stunning in Europe. Insight: Madeira airport used to have the reputation as one of the worlds most dangerous, this was before the large and modern airport was constructed in Do not listen to scare stories the airport is perfectly safe, but pilots do need additional training due to the crosswinds and zig-zag approach.

Funchal Weather Popular sights and activities. Madeira, Portugal; a holiday and vacation guide. The average day maximum and night-time minimum for Funchal. The average amount of rain mm and average hours of sun per day. Our most popular guides for Madeira.