By Air

Madeira Funchal Airport, located only a few miles from Funchal city centre, offers transport to most of the major cities in Portugal, with flights to Lisbon taking 1 hour 30 minutes. There is also reliable service to London Gatwick via TAP Air Portugal and British Airways. Flights to London take 3 hours 30 minutes. Services are also available to the Canary Islands and some greater Continental European destinations.

Funchal Airport was once infamous for its short runway, which terminates abruptly at the edge of a cliff overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. However, the airport has been expanded and now offers modern facilities with more space and plenty of passenger amenities.

All gates and facilities are housed in a single terminal. Passengers will be pleasantly surprised by the scope of cafs and restaurants on hand. Shopping options include local handicrafts as well as newspaper and snack vendors. Alcoholic beverages are on hand at any of the on-site bars. There are also a couple of travel agents with offices in the terminal, an information counter for tourists, ATMs, currency exchange facilities and a post office.

By Rail

There was a cog railway in service on Madeira between the years of 1893 and 1943. This line once carried passengers from Monte and Funcahl to Terreoro de Luta. Today, this line is serviced by a cable car, in place of the rail service.

By Bus

As may be expected, the island of Madeira offers plenty of options to travel by bus to nearby destinations. Passengers can easily disembark for Monte and any other prominent destination on the island. There is a main line that runs from the city to the airport; the trip from the airport to the city's centre takes 15 minutes.

By Ferry

Several passenger ships pass through Funchal harbour and as some of them are affiliated with travel agents operating out of Madeira, it's possible to book passage on some of the cruise liners. These ships hail from several European resort destinations and even from as far afield as Miami. However, there is no ferry service available between Madeira and the European continent and it is therefore impractical to transport vehicles to the island.

Monte Palace Tropical Garden, Monte Church, Santa Maria, Harbor Promenade, Terreiro da Luta

Monte Palace Tropical Garden

Among the many attractions here is the tropical garden, which once belonged to the Quinta do Prazer in the 1700s. This garden displays the gamut of flora indigenous to the island of Madeira. There is a museum on-site that displays minerals and another with exhibits of sculpture from Zimbabwe. The Monte Palace Tropical Garden has undergone renovation and has achieved even greater status as a botanical garden. It features exotic plants indigenous to South Africa, Belgium, Scotland and other countries. In addition, there are Japanese koi fish in ecologically-friendly lakes that use no chemicals in their purification process.

Monte Church

A cable car from Funchal offers scenic transportation to the summit of Monte, which has some of Portugal's most ancient and picturesque palaces, with an old-world charm that's increasingly difficult to find in today's world. The church at Monte, Nossa Senhora do Monte, is dedicated to the patron saint of Madeira, Our Lady of the Mount. Faithful pilgrims come to this site to fulfill vows and pray at the entombed site of Austria's Charles I. The emperor died in 1922 at the Quinta Jardin do Imerador.

Santa Maria

The oldest street in Funchal is the Santa Maria, first laid out in 1430 through the neighbourhood of the same name. This cobblestone street has access to many old buildings with refurbished faades, which offer a glimpse into the region's traditional architecture. A local fish market displays enormous tuna and scabbard fish. Many other attractions line this street including the Corpor Santo Chaple, the Barreirinha Bathing Complex and the cable car building, which offers transport to the hills of Monte. Several restaurants and an art museum can also be found along this thoroughfare.

Harbor Promenade

The harbor promenade east of the new marina has been given a recent facelift, and the floating cafes include the "Beatles Boat" which actually belonged to the Beatles at one time.

Terreiro da Luta

Less than a mile from Monte is Madeira's largest monument, built in honour of Our Lady of Peace after German submarines bombed Funchal in 1917. At that time, the citizens of Madeira vowed they would build a statue in honour of Senhora do Monte (Our Lady of the Mount) if peace was restored. Construction of this five-metre statue was completed 10 years later.

May - June

August - September -> 25(°C) - Summer
January - February -> 13(°C) - Spring

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