Portugal, Madeira island, hike from Boca da Corrida to Encumeada, Caminho Real or Royal Path, old paved path used by landed gentry on horseback

Getty Images/Hemis.fr RM

Madeira

Geologically dramatic, bursting with exotic colour and warmed year-round by the Atlantic sun, Portugal’s most enchanting island is a place that keeps all its subtropical holiday promises. Pearl of the Atlantic, island of eternal spring…Madeira well deserves its fanciful nicknames and the affection visitors and locals alike feel for this tiny volcanic island that offers so much.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

  • Quinta das Cruzes

    Quinta das Cruzes

    Funchal

    Now a museum, the Quinta das Cruzes is a quintessential old Madeiran manor house complete with gardens and a private chapel. Originally the home of João…

  • Mercado dos Lavradores

    Mercado dos Lavradores

    Funchal

    Built in 1940 by architect Edmundo Tavares, Funchal's art deco market is one of its top attractions as well as still serving as the island's best fresh…

  • Zona Velha

    Zona Velha

    Funchal

    Once a run-down area between the Mercado dos Lavradores and the Fortaleza de Santiago, in recent years the 'Old Zone' of merchant's houses and 19th…

  • Sé

    Sé

    Funchal

    Funchal's 16th-century cathedral once oversaw the world's largest diocese – all of Portugal’s overseas territories from Madeira to Brazil to Angola – and…

  • Praia Formosa

    Praia Formosa

    Funchal

    Anyone who says Madeira has no beaches should hop on bus 1 or 43 to the boulders and browny-black sand of this wild strand in Funchal's western suburbs…

  • Jardins Botânicos da Madeira

    Jardins Botânicos da Madeira

    Funchal

    One of the island's top tourist attractions, Madeira's famous botanical gardens are a must for most visitors. Extending over 80,000 sq metres, the gardens…

  • Pereira D'Oliveira

    Pereira D'Oliveira

    Funchal

    Run by the fifth generation of the D'Oliveira family, this is Funchal's most easily accessible wine experience. Anyone can enter the strongly aromatic…

  • Curral das Freiras

    Curral das Freiras

    Madeira

    Dramatically set at the bottom of a mammoth cauldron of rock, the village of Curral das Freiras is one of the most popular daytrips from Funchal. Some…

View more attractions
  • placement: fullWidth
  • path: destinations/top
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [300, 250], [320, 50], [1, 1],
  • targeting: 
    {
  "destination": "Madeira",
  "region": "Western-Europe",
  "country": "Portugal",
  "continent": "Europe"
}

Plan with a local

Articles

Latest stories from Madeira

Filter by interest:

Neuschwanstein, Germany - 1 February, 2019: Beautiful view of world-famous Neuschwanstein Castle, Germany Beautiful view of world-famous Neuschwanstein Castle, the nineteenth-century Romanesque Revival palace built for King Ludwig II on a rugged cliff near Fussen, southwest Bavaria, Germany 1177375283 neuschwanstein, landscape, view, landmark, beautiful, alps, famous, alpine, royal, bavarian, tale, european, german, destination, hohenschwangau, amazing, attraction, building, scenic, scenery, panorama, ludwig, king, schloss, swanstone, popular, world, romantic Beautiful view of world-famous Neuschwanstein Castle, southwest Bavaria, Germany.

Festivals & Events

14 of the best places to go in Europe in winter

Sep 15, 2024 • 5 min read

Read more articles

Go Beyond

Madeira and beyond

Beyond Madeira
  • placement: fullWidth
  • path: destinations/bottom
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [300, 250], [320, 50], [1, 1],
  • targeting: 
    {
  "destination": "Madeira",
  "region": "Western-Europe",
  "country": "Portugal",
  "continent": "Europe"
}