[Funchal, Madeira, Portugal, May 10, 2025]

Finally, the destination this whole trip was centered around was on the docket – Madeira! The 4-island archipelago is located just 320 miles west of Morocco and 500 miles southwest of mainland Portugal. The two populated islands are Maderia and Porto Santo, with Maderia being the larger one. Madeira was uninhabited when Henry the Navigator discovered it in 1419 and claimed it for Portugal. The archipelago was the first territorial discovery during Portugal’s Age of Discovery.

Madeira is known for its wine and its prehistoric laurel tree forest, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Because Madeira is a volcanic island, it has the same high peaks and rugged landscape as the Hawaiian islands, thus earning its nickname. Long popular with Europeans (although slightly overshadowed by Spain’s Canary islands and the Azores), Madeira is finally gaining traction with US travelers. United Airlines even introduced non-stop flights to Madeira from New York this summer.

Just like in Hawaii, the best way to see Madeira is to split your time between the different parts of the island because driving from one side to the other takes a long time. We only had 5 nights and 4 full days though, and we decided to base ourselves out of the capital Funchal for all 5 nights.

We took a non-stop Easy Jet flight from Porto to Funchal. Our flight and landing were uneventful, thankfully. Because flat land is hard to find on this volcanic island, a portion of the runway is on stilts above the water and is one of the shortest ones around. The winds can also be challenging due to the ocean and the mountain nearby. It takes a skillful pilot to land on Madeira. At one point, the airport was ranked the 9th most dangerous in the world and the 3rd most challenging in Europe.

Driving on the island is another challenge. We had heard from others that the steep narrow roads present a nightmare for drivers who are not used to such challenging conditions. Add the manual transmission to the mix and we were in for an adventure! The adventure began before we even left the rental car lot. The car we had had a warning light on for low tire pressure. Luckily, I noticed, and we exchanged it right away. Unfortunately, the substitute car was a little bit larger, which is the opposite of what you want on Madeira. You want a powerful engine to get up the hills but a smaller car so you can maneuver more easily.

We got to our AirBnB, which was right in downtown Funchal. The walkability was a huge plus, the parking situation – a huge minus! We had to park on the street and pay for parking. Fortunately, we found a sport right away.

We didn’t waste any time in the apartment and immediately went outside for a walk. It started to rain shortly after but it didn’t last long and the rest of the evening was dry.

We soon stumbled upon the Madeira Flower Festival. It happens every year in the first few weeks of May. It includes a flower and regional goods market, a car show, a flower carpet, a parade… it’s a great event and I highly recommend you visit when it’s happening! It’s also just slightly before high season, when the crowds are not quite so intense yet.

I immediately gravitated towards the bolo do caco from one of the vendors at the market. Bolo do caco is a circular Madeiran flatbread, shaped like a cake and thus called bolo (Portuguese for ‘cake’). It is traditionally cooked on a caco, a flat basalt stone slab. The bread is usually served with garlic butter or eaten as a sandwich with some sort of filling. I picked Nutella – how could I not?

As in the rest of the country, churches in Funchal are a sight of their own. We didn’t get a chance to visit any but we did poke our heads into the Funchal Cathedral. Its architecture is a mix of Gothic and Manueline styles.

We continued our walk until we felt like we got the gist of the city center. It was time to find some dinner!

We found a little square that was a little farther away from the busiest streets. Brasa had tables right on the square and the menu looked delicious. I got the artichoke and hummus and Teddy got the beef carpaccio. It was all delicious!

We decided to walk off our dinner, so we took the long way home. I took note of the azulejos on the façade of the Ritz!

Our final stop was Santa Catarina park. It Funchal’s oldest park and also one of its largest. We enjoyed the fountains, the beautifully landscaped grounds, the views of the harbor and the gorgeous sunset light. The cloud that had brought the earlier rain were making for a quite dramatic sky!

We noticed an interesting building at the edge of the harbor. It was a design center for architect Nina Andrade. The emblematic building is known locally as “Molhe”. Fortaleza da Nossa Senhora da Conceição was once the home of Gonçalves Zarco, an old Portuguese sea navigator and colonizer of the Archipelago of Madeira.

Our first day in Madeira was enchanting! I couldn’t wait to see what the rest of the island had to offer.