Madeira

On the long list of places to visit, Madeira has always been pretty high up there so in July/August of 2025 a week was spent staying in the capital, Funchal. As it turned out, most of the week was spent in the capital as there is plenty to do. By luck the trip was timed with the Rali de Madeira which has it’s base in Funchal and hosts a street time stage along the promenade area. Great to get close to the garages and cars as they speed past you.

Must visits are to the cable car which takes you up to the Monte area. A second cable car will take you part the way down to the Jardim Botânico da Madeira. Whilst up at Monte, why not take the Madeira Toboggan Ride on wicker baskets.

Well worth a visit is to Cabo Girão, a 580m sea cliff viewpoint with it’s glass floor and sligthly to the east the fishing port of Câmara de Lobos where Winston Churchill spent time painting.

We only scratched the surface of Madeira and will no doubt go back to explore further.