Getting to Madeira

The only practical means of getting to the island is by air. There are no regular ferry services, but the occasional cruise ship will drop anchor. Once on Madeira, there are buses serving most of the island.

By ferry

There are no regular passenger ferries to Madeira from mainland Europe. However, it is possible to reach the island on one of the cruise ships that call at Funchal. A regular passenger ferry goes from Funchal to the neighbouring island of Porto Santo, and this ferry can carry vehicles.

By car

Madeira has many newly asphalted roads and a recent dual carriage motorway. Madeirans drive on the right hand side of the road and all cars have the steering column on the left. Seat belts are required, as in all of Europe. Children under the age of 12 are not allowed to sit in the front seats. The speed within cities and villages is limited to 25 to 30mph, while it is 50mph in non-urban zones.

You can still find narrow cobbled roads within cities and villages, which can be very slippery when wet. Even outside residential areas, there are many narrow winding roads. That is why special care and attention should be taken when touring the island. The locals obviously know their way around and therefore tend to drive very fast.

By bus

Funchal has an efficient bus service, which runs a long way out into the countryside. Places that are far afield are not so easily reached by bus if you want to make it back to Funchal by night. A tourist plan showing bus routes and fare zones (not timetables) is available from information kiosks on Avenue Mar das Communidades Madeirenses. Buy double tickets (bilhetes duplos) from the information kiosks and get two trips for less than the price of one trip. You can buy tickets from some other kiosks and newspaper stands as well. Funchal city buses are yellow. If you're staying in the Lido area, you can take bus number 1, 2, 4 and 6 from Funchal. Lido is within zone 1.

By air

There are regular charter and scheduled connections to many major European destinations including Berlin, Frankfurt, Amsterdam and Helsinki. Connections from the UK are available from London Heathrow, Gatwick and Luton, Birmingham, Bristol, Glasgow and Manchester. Flying time from the UK is 3 hours 30 minutes.

Taxis

Taxis are available in the major cities and tourist areas throughout Madeira. They can be recognised by their blue stripes and yellow colour. Catching a taxi is generally easy. There are plenty of taxis driving around the busy streets, which will stop when waved down. Airports are full of cabs and there are many taxi ranks situated around the city. Hotels and restaurants will be happy to arrange a pick up for you. Fares in the city are set by the government and are based on the distance between destinations; a list of rates can be found on the back seats. Fares to destinations outside of the city are generally levied by the kilometre. In or outside of the city, if the meter is not turned on, dont be afraid to bargain.