Travel Guide > Travel to Portugal > Madeira island vacation packages and hotels

Madeira island Travel guide

Madeira island hotels, Madeira island vacation packages 2024 - 2025

The paradise island of Madeira, the pearl of the Atlantic, is quite a floating garden.
Volcanic ashes and demolished lava has given the island a rich soil. The nature is simply luxurious!
The island covers an area of 741 sq. Kms, 57 Kms long and 22 Kms wide.

Madeira is the oldest tourist destination in Europe. You will profit from the experienced professionals and the spontaneous hospitality of the people.

Vacation Packages

Madeira island vacation packages

madeira island Hotels

  • Madeira island luxury hotels 5*:
  • Madeira island first class hotels 4*:
  • Madeira island budget hotels 3*:
  • Selection of gut rated hotels in Madeira island:

Madeira island Travel information

Travel Guide

The British discovered Madeira as a holiday island more than 100 years ago. Here, British tourists stayed long before the charter-age and left a certain dignified mark on the islands' tourism. The atmosphere today is quite relaxed, but the charter business hasn't completely washed out the dignity. Even though wines and spirits are quite cheap, and Funchal has its night-clubs, casino and discos, it is a fact that the average age of the tourist is higher than it is on the Canaries. That doesn't bother me one bit! If you're travelling alone, Madeira is a good place to choose. It's safe, the local people are very friendly, and you will not on this exciting island get bored.

The Portuguese found Porto Santo in 1418 and Madeira in 1419. Prince Henry the Navigator was one of his time's most skilled seafarers. He educated young seamen and discoverers in the art of navigation. Two of his students were Joao Goncalvez Zarco and Tristao Vaz Teixeira. One day in 1418, the prince gave the two young sailors permission to equip a ship and sail south along the west coast of Africa. A storm took them off course and they ended up at the island we know as Porto Santo. Teixeira stayed with a few of his men while Zarco sailed back to Portugal to inform about the new island. The prince became enthusiastic and sent Zarco back with large supplies and more crew. When they reached Porto Santo, Teixeira could tell them about the contours of an even larger island in the southwest seen sometimes in clear weather. Some of the crew and supplies were left at Porto Santo while Zarco and Teixeira sailed out to find this island. They landed in Machico and named the long tongue of land Sao Lourenco, after Zarcos' ship

The island early got the name Madeira, which means "tree" (timber) in Portuguese. The island was densely covered with trees and totally impassable. Before leaving, Zarco put fire to the trees. It is said that the island was on fire for seven years. After two years, Zarco and Teixeira returned, now with the order to colonize the islands. Teixeira became governor of the east part of Madeira with residence in Machico. Zarco sailed along the coast to Gabo Girao and pointed out Camara de Lobos to be the capital, but moved later to Funchal. At Porto Santo, Prince Henry appointed Bartolomeu Perestrelo (later Columbus' father-in-law) governor. Both he and Teixeira were under the orders of Zarco who became head governor. The islands of Madeira, as the Azores, became a partly self-governed region after the revolution in 1974. In addition to the Portuguese national flag, Madeira has its own regional flag. The blue part symbolizes the sea surrounding the island and the yellow represents the abundance from the luxuriance. The red and white cross in the middle is identical to the one on the flag of Prince Henry's ships.

Madeira island Sights, sightseeing, culture:

Travel Guide

Madeira museums keep abundant and precious artistic masterpieces of that period and Madeira people have proud of "Museu de Arte Sacra in Funchal".
It has one of the most representative world collections of Flemish paintings, proceeding from Bruges, Antwerp and Malines.

There are also still notable architectonic evidences, such as at Funchal Cathedral; the Church and Convent of Santa Clara; the Churches of Calheta, Santa Cruz and Machico; the Chapels of Reis Magos, Encarnacao and Corpo Santo. There are also some remains of Old Customhouse and Manueline windows kept at Quinta das Cruzes.

The Cathedral is the most impressive of all the religious edifices in Madeira. Constructed at the end of the 15th Century in Gothic-Manueline style, the exterior is simple but imposing. Rough white stucco contrasts with a facade of brownish-red basalt, and the Gothic portal is especially notable for the coat of arms that crowns the pinnacle of the arch. The pyramidal spire of the belfry is roofed with blue and white tiles (“azulejos”) and the rear base of the tower is architecturally very valuable, supported by helicord columns of the red-brown basalt. In the interior, a ceiling in geometric, Hispano-Arabic style of carved cedar inlaid with ivory is outstanding. The paintings on the High Altar are by Portuguese and Flemish artists, and the canonical stalls in the chancel are of exquisitely carved wood.

However, since the last decade of the 16th century, the exportation of sugar suffered a great resection. This resection was determined by the break of soil productivity, diseases that contaminated the canebrakes and, above all, due to the competitive sugar brought from Brazil, where Madeira people had introduced techniques and specialised hand labour. Thus, during a great period of the 17th century, Madeira Archipelago suffered a social and economical crisis.

However, Funchal port kept the commercial trade to Africa, America and India. It also had importance with the exportation of pastry, the famous "casquinha" done from lemon, cider and other candied fruit in a fusing of sugar.

In 1580 Portugal and Madeira became under the domain of Castille. However, in 1640, the independence was restored, followed by the marriage of our Infant D. Catarina de Braganca with Charles II of England.

The Chapel of the Holy Body ( Capela do Corpo Santo) In the Old part of the Capital, the Chapel of Corpo Santo is a typical example of what may be termed as understated architecture.
It was built in honour of the patron saint and protector for fishermen: Saint Peter. The structure was thus conceived by the medieval Guild of Fishermen at the close of the 15th Century. It’s altar, however, dates to the 17th Century.

It was then granted several contracts with British people who favoured the exportation of Madeira Wine to England, Occidental India and British colonies in America. Since the last decade of the 17th century, Madeira knew a new period of economical and cultural increasing, being its excellent wine responsible for the fame of the Island all over the world.

Quickly the production achieved 45.000 wine barrels, from which annually were exported a medium of 30.000.

This prosperity called vineyard cycle had its reflections at arts and architecture.

Tags: Madeira Island travel guide, vacation rentals, hotels, package holidays, points of interest, car rental, city breaks, weather