Madeira (Portugal) – new


Madeira, an autonomous region of Portugal, is a scenic and colorful island with beautiful landscapes, pretty towns and interesting flora.

I did two very nice hikes out of the many available: Ponta de Sao Lourenco and Levada do Alecrim (main hikes on Madeira require tickets from this site). Both were very interesting and unique, I enjoyed them a lot. Another beautiful natural spot was Fanal Forest.

Driving around the island's scenic cliff roads and admiring the varied and interesting vegetation was very enjoyable. The entire island was filled with flowers in May when we visited. We also had the chance to be on Madeira during the annual flower festival, Festa do Flor, and got to see its beautiful and colorful parade - a highlight of the trip.

The island capital of Funchal is charming, as were the towns of Ponta do Sol and Porto Moniz. Other sights and attractions that we enjoyed included Monte Palace Madeira Gardens, the Funchal cable car for nice views of the city and Miradouro do Cristo Rei. Pico do Arieiro, the island's highest peak, was rainy and covered in fog when we went.

Food was very good on the island. I particularly enjoyed beef espetada and beef picada dishes, the Madeira honey cake and Madeira wine. A wide selection of delicious fruit was also available, including a range of passion fruit varieties.

Additional info:
- island entry on Wikipedia
- country profile on Wikivoyage

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Madeira

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