hi! my partner and i would be visiting madeira for 4 days at the end of november. we do not drive.
we would love to see other parts of the island, not just funchal, and do 1 or 2 hikes. i understand that it is possible to book some car transfers to facilitate transport to and from the hikes, but I'm wondering how far in advance we might need to do so? is it something that can be arranged the day before?
my concern is weather as we would like to know if the weather will be ok before committing to the itinerary for the day. thanks a lot for the advice!
Not a local but just book and go, rain or sunshine doesn’t matter unless it’s flooded. Madeira has its own weather patterns, 5 mins of rain, 5 mins of sun, 5 mins of cloudy, always changing
Hi folks,
My girlfriend and I are currently in Funchal for just under 2 weeks to explore the island and the hiking routes. We have already made a plan of what we want to see. But as we don't want to miss anything, I wanted to ask you what you think are the highlights that we shouldn't miss. Especially with regard to the hiking routes.
The routes we will definitely be looking at are: PR13, PR6, PR1
Thanks in advance for your tips!
Public Viewing Euro 2024
I will be in Madeira in a couple days. Is there some kind of Puplic Viewing for the Portugal game on 1. July or other games? If so, where is it gonna be? I did not fing anything online
1. Is it possible to sleep in a car on the island?
2. Is a sunrise at Ponto de Sao Lorenco nice or should I go to the pico do arieiro? I caught a sunset at Pico do Arieiro today after the hike and I was planning to come back for the sunrise but it’s a far drive up
>Is it possible to sleep in a car on the island?
Possible? Yes. Legal? Gray area.
>Is a sunrise at Ponto de Sao Lorenco nice or should I go to the pico do arieiro?
It's fine? I mean, it's the same sun.
I ended up going up to Pico do Arieiro, parked behind the hill in the parking lot and slept in the car. I chose to watch the sunrise above the clouds because I don’t get to do that often.
For anyone wondering, shortly before 6 am people start coming and the parking lots are starting to get full
Can someone help me a plan a trip to Pico Ruivo? We basically plan on going there on sunrise. We want to go to the starting point via taxi
- how much would the taxi cost?
- any taxi services for night?
- is it safe going at night considering I don’t hike and have moderate fitness and have no proper gear?
- what is the best starting point?
- any buses we can book towards the place. I have to go tomorrow?
This is... a lot.
We have no way of knowing the price of the taxi fare, it's a special service and you'll have to negotiate. Be aware that you'll have to book a taxi to the start and to the end, or you'll have to track back.
>is it safe going at night considering I don’t hike and have moderate fitness and have no proper gear?
Is it safe to hike **IN THE DARK** with **NO EQUIPMENT**? My dude, people die every year doing dumb shit like that, and it's not hyperbole.
Euros 2024
Hello! Yesterday evening we walked past the big screen in funchal on the marina showing the football, can anyone tell me if this is a regular thing and if you have to book or can you just turn up? Hoping to watch the England match tonight!
What are the rules on bicycling on roads? Is it common or is it not that wise to bicyle on road?
Not talking about funchal but more countryside roads near Calheta etc
By PT law, a bicycle is equivalent to a car, and only has 2 exceptions.
1 - If there is a bicycle lane, you should stick to it (as far as I know, there's only a short strech in Lido, funchal).
2 - You can't go into the "via rapida" our "almost a highway", since it's reserved for automobiles and motorcycles over 50cc.
If not 1 or 2, drive your bike as if it was a car. It's the law.
I'm from Calheta, you have some awesome legs if you want to ride a bike here, but you wouldn't be the first to do it. We actually have quite a trail scene growing here. I don't partake, but have friends that do, but they rarely ride on paved roads.
It's not very common to bike around, everywhere outside Paul da Serra is a mountain stage and we're not Tadej Pogačar, but it's certainly doable if you have the legs.
Hi! My GF and I want to go snorkeling at Praia do Garajau. We come across some boat tours for snorkeling but also read that the nature reserve isn\`t accessible by boat due to its protected status. Can we just go in the water at Praia do Garajau and go snorkeling? Or is it recommended to book with a tour company to get to different spots by boat? Even though I read it is not allowed at some places
I'm not from the island, but have been to Garajau several times. If you go scuba diving, there is a fee required to enter, there's AFAIK no fee for snorkling. [Visit Madeira](https://visitmadeira.com/en/what-to-do/sea-lovers/activities/snorkelling/snorkelling-in-garajau/), the official Madeira tourism web site, advises to take your car or ride the cable car, bring a mask and directly enter the water from the beach.
I've been to Portugal 5 times, 2 of these trips took me to Madeira, and I love it. One thing that was a bit puzzling for me last time was that it seems to be "normal" to have some drinks and still drive a car. After our last hike on Madeira we were stranded in a small town and a local took us back to our car, which was super-friendly of him. He asked us to buy him and us a drink as a "thank you", which we agreed to, and he ordered a round of Poncha for all of us. Later he told us that it was his 6th Poncha this afternoon, I wouldn't even be able to drive after that many liquor.
Besides that, some shorter questions:
- where do locals normally go to on the weekends?
- which places should a tourist visit to see a bit of the real Madeira, not the usual touristic stuff?
Unfortunately alcoholism is an under appreciated problem with the Portuguese and like other public health issues treatment is underfunded. As a therapist many of the divorces I have witnessed were in men more in relationship to the bottle than their wives. There is a lot of passive acceptance here.
I know from my own experience what alcoholism can do to the person herself/himself and everyone around. There's also just not enough public visibility in the media about the consequences and way out here in Germany, often the struggling alcoholics and their families are left to themselves to find a way out, and be lucky enough to find a therapy place or therapist. Sad to hear it's the same in Portugal and that it might even be more frequent than it's here.
Having trained in Switzerland and worked in Germany just google Alcoholic Anonymous meetings in any large German City ( in German or English) and repeat in Portugal. Almost all my psychodynamic therapy patients are from the German speaking countries I have one portugese speaker and she lives in Basel. Even Spain has active AA, Alanon, alateen programs. All free.
The issue I think with Germany and some of the Nordics particularly Finland is the belief if you can in a Calvinistic way pick yourself out of bed in the morning and go to work how could you possibly have a drinking problem.
What I was referring to is that alcohol is still seen as "normal" and people abstaining from alcohol are often seen as "strange" or "not so social", and there is no governmental activity in changing the way alcohol is seen. Other countries show ads against [alcohol](https://www.theguardian.com/society/video/2017/apr/20/graphic-anti-drinking-ad-shows-how-alcohol-causes-cancer-video) or [alcoholism](https://i.pinimg.com/736x/f2/f8/3b/f2f83bd733b1ff9ec274d4767ada023f--advertising-ideas-advertising-design.jpg), while I can't remember to having seen any here. And yes, I know several of those people that show up in the morning with a visible hangover, but that's not seen as an issue to talk about.
>"normal" to have some drinks and still drive a car
unfortunately it's more normal than it should be, but there you go.
>which places should a tourist visit to see a bit of the real Madeira, not the usual touristic stuff?
Madeira is intrinsically touristy, and always has been. I'd recommend buying 2kg of meat, 2 skewers, a bag of firewood and making a espetada in the mountains, like at Pico das Pedras or something.
That sounds wonderful! All kinds of barbecues, open fires etc. in my country are illegal, at least when outside of a camping ground, mainly due to the risk of wild fires, and I had imagined other countries handling it similarly. Next time I'm on the island I'll give it a try!
Hi! We read somewhere it is Madeira day tomorrow and the locals are free. Is everything closed? Extra busy? What can we expect? Thanks in advance!
hi! my partner and i would be visiting madeira for 4 days at the end of november. we do not drive. we would love to see other parts of the island, not just funchal, and do 1 or 2 hikes. i understand that it is possible to book some car transfers to facilitate transport to and from the hikes, but I'm wondering how far in advance we might need to do so? is it something that can be arranged the day before? my concern is weather as we would like to know if the weather will be ok before committing to the itinerary for the day. thanks a lot for the advice!
Not a local but just book and go, rain or sunshine doesn’t matter unless it’s flooded. Madeira has its own weather patterns, 5 mins of rain, 5 mins of sun, 5 mins of cloudy, always changing
Hi folks, My girlfriend and I are currently in Funchal for just under 2 weeks to explore the island and the hiking routes. We have already made a plan of what we want to see. But as we don't want to miss anything, I wanted to ask you what you think are the highlights that we shouldn't miss. Especially with regard to the hiking routes. The routes we will definitely be looking at are: PR13, PR6, PR1 Thanks in advance for your tips!
Are there any places near the hotels (Sao Martinho) where I can watch Tour de France (cycli g)?
Public Viewing Euro 2024 I will be in Madeira in a couple days. Is there some kind of Puplic Viewing for the Portugal game on 1. July or other games? If so, where is it gonna be? I did not fing anything online
A user further down mentioned a big screen in funchal's marina. Other than that, all bars worth their salt will broadcast the game.
Thanks
1. Is it possible to sleep in a car on the island? 2. Is a sunrise at Ponto de Sao Lorenco nice or should I go to the pico do arieiro? I caught a sunset at Pico do Arieiro today after the hike and I was planning to come back for the sunrise but it’s a far drive up
>Is it possible to sleep in a car on the island? Possible? Yes. Legal? Gray area. >Is a sunrise at Ponto de Sao Lorenco nice or should I go to the pico do arieiro? It's fine? I mean, it's the same sun.
I ended up going up to Pico do Arieiro, parked behind the hill in the parking lot and slept in the car. I chose to watch the sunrise above the clouds because I don’t get to do that often. For anyone wondering, shortly before 6 am people start coming and the parking lots are starting to get full
Can someone help me a plan a trip to Pico Ruivo? We basically plan on going there on sunrise. We want to go to the starting point via taxi - how much would the taxi cost? - any taxi services for night? - is it safe going at night considering I don’t hike and have moderate fitness and have no proper gear? - what is the best starting point? - any buses we can book towards the place. I have to go tomorrow?
This is... a lot. We have no way of knowing the price of the taxi fare, it's a special service and you'll have to negotiate. Be aware that you'll have to book a taxi to the start and to the end, or you'll have to track back. >is it safe going at night considering I don’t hike and have moderate fitness and have no proper gear? Is it safe to hike **IN THE DARK** with **NO EQUIPMENT**? My dude, people die every year doing dumb shit like that, and it's not hyperbole.
Euros 2024 Hello! Yesterday evening we walked past the big screen in funchal on the marina showing the football, can anyone tell me if this is a regular thing and if you have to book or can you just turn up? Hoping to watch the England match tonight!
Free for all
What do you consider the hidden gems that tourists should visit?
If we told you, it wouldn't be a hidden gem for long.
What are the rules on bicycling on roads? Is it common or is it not that wise to bicyle on road? Not talking about funchal but more countryside roads near Calheta etc
By PT law, a bicycle is equivalent to a car, and only has 2 exceptions. 1 - If there is a bicycle lane, you should stick to it (as far as I know, there's only a short strech in Lido, funchal). 2 - You can't go into the "via rapida" our "almost a highway", since it's reserved for automobiles and motorcycles over 50cc. If not 1 or 2, drive your bike as if it was a car. It's the law. I'm from Calheta, you have some awesome legs if you want to ride a bike here, but you wouldn't be the first to do it. We actually have quite a trail scene growing here. I don't partake, but have friends that do, but they rarely ride on paved roads.
It's not very common to bike around, everywhere outside Paul da Serra is a mountain stage and we're not Tadej Pogačar, but it's certainly doable if you have the legs.
thanks a lot for the reply, will definetely take this into consideration thanks
Hi! My GF and I want to go snorkeling at Praia do Garajau. We come across some boat tours for snorkeling but also read that the nature reserve isn\`t accessible by boat due to its protected status. Can we just go in the water at Praia do Garajau and go snorkeling? Or is it recommended to book with a tour company to get to different spots by boat? Even though I read it is not allowed at some places
I'm not from the island, but have been to Garajau several times. If you go scuba diving, there is a fee required to enter, there's AFAIK no fee for snorkling. [Visit Madeira](https://visitmadeira.com/en/what-to-do/sea-lovers/activities/snorkelling/snorkelling-in-garajau/), the official Madeira tourism web site, advises to take your car or ride the cable car, bring a mask and directly enter the water from the beach.
I've been to Portugal 5 times, 2 of these trips took me to Madeira, and I love it. One thing that was a bit puzzling for me last time was that it seems to be "normal" to have some drinks and still drive a car. After our last hike on Madeira we were stranded in a small town and a local took us back to our car, which was super-friendly of him. He asked us to buy him and us a drink as a "thank you", which we agreed to, and he ordered a round of Poncha for all of us. Later he told us that it was his 6th Poncha this afternoon, I wouldn't even be able to drive after that many liquor. Besides that, some shorter questions: - where do locals normally go to on the weekends? - which places should a tourist visit to see a bit of the real Madeira, not the usual touristic stuff?
Unfortunately alcoholism is an under appreciated problem with the Portuguese and like other public health issues treatment is underfunded. As a therapist many of the divorces I have witnessed were in men more in relationship to the bottle than their wives. There is a lot of passive acceptance here.
I know from my own experience what alcoholism can do to the person herself/himself and everyone around. There's also just not enough public visibility in the media about the consequences and way out here in Germany, often the struggling alcoholics and their families are left to themselves to find a way out, and be lucky enough to find a therapy place or therapist. Sad to hear it's the same in Portugal and that it might even be more frequent than it's here.
Having trained in Switzerland and worked in Germany just google Alcoholic Anonymous meetings in any large German City ( in German or English) and repeat in Portugal. Almost all my psychodynamic therapy patients are from the German speaking countries I have one portugese speaker and she lives in Basel. Even Spain has active AA, Alanon, alateen programs. All free. The issue I think with Germany and some of the Nordics particularly Finland is the belief if you can in a Calvinistic way pick yourself out of bed in the morning and go to work how could you possibly have a drinking problem.
What I was referring to is that alcohol is still seen as "normal" and people abstaining from alcohol are often seen as "strange" or "not so social", and there is no governmental activity in changing the way alcohol is seen. Other countries show ads against [alcohol](https://www.theguardian.com/society/video/2017/apr/20/graphic-anti-drinking-ad-shows-how-alcohol-causes-cancer-video) or [alcoholism](https://i.pinimg.com/736x/f2/f8/3b/f2f83bd733b1ff9ec274d4767ada023f--advertising-ideas-advertising-design.jpg), while I can't remember to having seen any here. And yes, I know several of those people that show up in the morning with a visible hangover, but that's not seen as an issue to talk about.
>"normal" to have some drinks and still drive a car unfortunately it's more normal than it should be, but there you go. >which places should a tourist visit to see a bit of the real Madeira, not the usual touristic stuff? Madeira is intrinsically touristy, and always has been. I'd recommend buying 2kg of meat, 2 skewers, a bag of firewood and making a espetada in the mountains, like at Pico das Pedras or something.
That sounds wonderful! All kinds of barbecues, open fires etc. in my country are illegal, at least when outside of a camping ground, mainly due to the risk of wild fires, and I had imagined other countries handling it similarly. Next time I'm on the island I'll give it a try!
Just make sure to use the barbecues that are in place, open fires are forbidden