Funchal Shopping – Shops, Stores, Best Buys & Inside Tips Funchal Shopping Funchal is the largest city in Portugal, which makes it a hot spot for tourists. Vendors from all over the country bring their best items to Funchal looking to sell in traditional stores and open markets. Funchal Shopping – Shops & Stores There […]
The courses that take water around Madeira, forever known as the ‘levadas’, are a recurrent theme in literature and photography. Exploring the levada trails, following old water courses built by Man, is one of the activities on the island of Madeira that best expresses the symbiosis between tourists and residents. There are no qualms here, […]
Heart of the Portuguese nautical discoveries and a strategic location since its population, so goes the History of Madeira. Discovered in 1419 by the Portuguese, the population of Madeira required its first settlers to bring with them all they would need for their settlement on these islands, seeds and domestic animals included. This settlement served […]
There is a new cable car taking you to one of the most beautiful places in Madeira, Fajã dos Padres. Ever since people settled there in the 15th century, Fajã dos Padres has always been a difficult place to reach. Doing so required walking, sailing or using a lift. But now, this can be done […]
Madeira’s traditional Carnival makes its return between the 7th and 18th of February. The streets of Funchal are made jollier by thousands of people in costume and curious bystanders. This year’s edition of Carnival in Madeira is held between the 7th and 18th of February, though its apex is set for the 10th, when several […]
Long ago, before there were roads, the Royal Paths were the only thing linking different places on the Island. When reaching the area of Prazeres, by the Jardim do Atlântico Hotel, from just one look at their clothes, one can easily identify a large group of people as being hikers. With curiosity, they gaze at […]
More than a mere border, the sea is increasingly being used as a form of leisure via a range of different activities. Every year on July 4th, the waters of Madeira host the Blue Marlin World Cup Championship. The competition takes place on the same day in different parts of the world and the winning […]
Madeira Islands voted European´s Leading Island Destination. Essential suggests a few reasons why. When the World Travel Awards results were revealed on August 31st word soon got round that Madeira had been voted as Europe´s Leading Island Destination. The award had extra meaning as the Islands came first place in a category in which they […]
Funchal welcomes the brand new Praça do Povo, a leisure area at the heart of its fully renewed seafront. The sun always shines in Funchal and there’s a new beautiful place in town to enjoy it: Praça do Povo (People’s Square). Its many corners, benches and red-trailed gardens make this an ideal place for one […]
There is another side to Madeira, away from cars, roads and cities, full of beautiful trails that can only be reached by foot. Levadas are one of Madeira’s most ancient human heritage: These trails carved into the rocks started being built in the 15th Century at the first stages of the island’s human settlement and […]