There are many island destination in Europe and Madeira Island holds a special place in the list of island destination of Europe. Madeira Island wins Europe’s leading island destination 2013 award.
Madeira is a sub-tropical collection of many island. This island is located in the Atlantic Ocean and an autonomous region of Portugal. This island other names too. Few of the famous nicknames of Madeira Island are ‘The Island of Eternal Spring’, ‘IlhaJardim’ (Garden Island) and ’Pearl of the Atlantic’. The climate of this Island remains mild throughout the year. Madeira Island is a group of two populated island – Madeira and Porto Santo and two unpopulated island – Desertas and Selvagens.
How to Reach Madeira Island
Madeira Island is only 310 miles away from the African coast and 620 miles from Portugal. You can reach Madeira Island via air and water both. Flight takes one and a half hour from Portugal. From other part of Europe, you can reach Madeira Island in approximately 3 hour.
There is also boat/ship service available to reach there. Cruise ships port is also there and well connected to near cities. Ferry service is available between the islands of Madeira and Porto Santo.
Popular Cities of Madeira Island
There are many small cities in Madeira Island. The capital of Madeira Island is Funchal which is also the largest city of Madeira Island. Very beautiful city and a tourist attraction place. You can enjoy beautiful panoramic view here. Other notable cities of Madeira Island are Santa Cruz, Machico, Santana, Camara do Lobos and others.
Accommodation
There are many resorts and hotels in the Madeira Island that you won’t face any kind of trouble in staying. The rate is affordable and online booking facility is also available.
What to See
There are many historical and modern thing present on the Madeira Island. Levadas is a very impressive system which was built between 1461 and 1966. The main purpose of Levadas is to bring the water from the mountain to farmland. You can see the world’s highest ocean cliffs on Madeira Island. Yes, CaboGirão is one of the highest ocean cliff which is around 590m above sea level. Other important sights to visit are JardimBotanico – Funchal Botanical garden, Sao Vicente Caves to see lava tubes, Orchid garden at JardimOrquidea and fireworks on New Year’s Eve.
What You Can Do Here
In addition to enjoying the beautiful view of the nature, you can do a lot of activities on this Island. Scuba diving, Mountain walks, Levada walking are some of the common and popular adventurous activities done here. Hiking at Ponta de Sao Lourenco is a great opportunity to people who likes hiking. The full walk includes a full circuit of the reserve. You will come across secluded beach known as Prainha. This beach is the only beach with natural black sand. This beach is perfect for swimming.
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This is interesting but i feel average cost of staying, transport, food cost outside restaurant(i managed like this, roamed by eating burger and hotdogs) could have helped us to plan for this island
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