Lonely Planet Pocket Madeira (Travel Guide)

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Consider a night in Funchal to get oriented, and supplement this with stays in one or two more destinations elsewhere on the island – dedicate a day to active pursuits and, ideally, the following day to recover on the beach.

North Mills Distillery, on the island’s north shore, is one of the only remaining steam-powered factories in Europe. Also impressive is the cable car that descends to Fajã dos Padres, a rocky beach that is home to a farm and banana plantation, a cafe/restaurant and a dock for swimming.Dubbed the “pearl of the Atlantic”, Madeira — an island located about 670 miles (1078 km) off the Portuguese coast ⁠— has plunging green valleys and tranquil ocean bays that help it live up to the name. The pre-loved books are carefully cleaned and maintained offering a wide variety of general and specialist titles from children's to adults. The island is also a place of gentler pleasures, such as wine-tasting, visiting lush botanical gardens and watching embroiderers and wicker weavers at work. Rest assured, Madeirans don’t always put their wine in a blender and are the custodians of a fortified wine that has found itself in some important glasses throughout history. Dating from the 1930s, these see-and-be-seen public baths were renovated in 2016 and now offer two saltwater swimming pools (with direct sea access, so you can choose to hit the ocean as well) and all the infrastructure needed to while away a day.

A tradition dating back 100 years, Madeirans came up with a unique way to commute down into Funchal from the steep mountainous slopes of Monte village. These days a cable car has eliminated the need for commuting in this way, so the sledges have become the island's best one-of-a-kind amusement. It would seem there’s nothing like a stiff sea breeze and an open mind to stoke some culinary creativity. Forget everything you think you know (or might have heard) about Portugal – Madeira is a world apart. Madeira is blessed with a subtropical climate, and the island experiences an average temperature of 70°F (21°C).

Men known as carreiros, wearing special tyre-bottomed shoes for braking, transport passengers down the steep streets in special wicker sledges on wooden rails that reach speeds of up to 38kph. This happy accident caused the wines to oxidize, giving them an entirely new and desirable set of flavors and aromas.