Madeira: Travel and tourism

Far out in the Atlantic Ocean (nearly 600 kilometres from North Africa and 1000 km from Lisbon) lies the archipelago of Madeira and Porto Santo, the first with its luxuriant vegetation, steep hills and astonishing views, the second with almost no vegetation but boasting of a 9-km beach.

The island of Madeira is well-known to tourists; its capital, Funchal, offers a wide choice of hotels, restaurants and shops, besides museums and historical buildings.

But the best is to explore the whole island: from Pico Ruivo, the highest mountain, only to be reached by foot, to Curral das Freiras, a magnificent valley surrounded by frightening peaks, and to the small villages by the sea, everywhere you can see impressive sceneries of deep cliffs, green woods and exotic flowers.

By contrast, Porto Santo has the only thing Madeira lacks: an enormous sandy beach, where you can enjoy all sorts of water sports.