Intro

Madeira is an island situated just 520 km west of Morocco in the Atlantic Ocean and is part of the several volcanic islands that constitute the region of Macaronesia. More precisely this island is part of a small archipelago that includes the two inhabited islands of Madeira and Porto Santo as well as 2 uninhabited island groups: the Desertas and the Selvagens.

Madeira is an autonomous region of Portugal. Portuguese sailors discovered it around 1419. The island is considered to be the first territorial discovery of the Age of Discovery. Apart from its human inhabitants, Madeira has one of the best preserved vegetation of Macaronesia. For instance, the prehistoric forest that once covered Europe was able to survive the last ice age on this island and can still be found here today.

We spent 2 weeks on Madeira in May 2021 and explored many parts of the island, with a slight focus on the west side. Even though the island is not very huge, it has much to offer – which is why we didn’t manage to do everything we wanted to, but at least that gives us a good reason to go back some day;).

Madeira FAQs

Planning your trip to Madeira and don’t know where to start?

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Since Madeira has a mild Mediterranean climate all year, there is actually no best time to visit. During the winter months there is however a bit more rainfall, while the summer months have more beach weather temperatures. For instance, August has the highest temperature average with 27°C! April and May are best if you wish to see the many flowers this island is known for.

We would recommend to plan at least 7 days to explore Madeira. If you wish to do numerous hikes while also having time to relax in between, maybe consider staying for 10-14 days!

We would highly recommend you to rent a car on Madeira if you wish to explore the whole island – especially the inland! That way you can base yourself on the southern part of the island, which tends to be a bit more sunny and explore the rest of Madeira as day trips from there!

As an autonomous region of Portugal and thus part of the European Union, the currency used is the Euro (€).

The power plug socket used is the same as for the rest of Continental Europe, which is Type F. The standard voltage is 230 V.

As an autonomous region of Portugal, the official language is Portuguese. We had absolutely no problem getting by with English though!

Travel Planning Guides

What to see and do while on Madeira!


THE MIGRATORY BIRDS

Hi! We are Florence and Andy, the faces behind ‘The Migratory Birds’! Since May of 2023 we are on the road full-time for a longer period of time! Right now we are traveling through Asia and taking you along for the ride. On this blog we share our experiences, but also focus a lot on travel-planning, budgeting as well as destination guides. With our posts, we aim to give you inspiration for your own travels and provide the tools you need to plan your own trips. If you want to follow our travels in real-time consider following us on Instagram (@xthemigratorybirds).

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