Independent. No sponsored listings.
What’s on MadeiraWHAT’S ON MADEIRAIndependent planning notes for Madeira
Category · 15 articles

Practical

Practical travel tips for Madeira: getting there, car rental, opening hours and what to sort out on the ground.

Rock ridge at Pico do Arieiro with cloud pouring around itPracticalBest Madeira travel guidebooks: which one to actually buyA printed or ebook guidebook still earns its place on a Madeira trip — for offline maps on a trail with no signal, and for the kind of curated, edited overview a phone full of open tabs doesn't give you. The four names that come up for Madeira are Lonely Planet, DK Eyewitness, Rough Guides, and Marco Polo. Here's what each is actually good at.
Still from the live camera at Santa Cruz, MadeiraPracticalMadeira airport webcam: two live streams onto the runwayCristiano Ronaldo Airport at Santa Cruz is regarded as one of the most demanding commercial airports in Europe. Two cameras sit at the snack bars by the runway end and show you why.8. September 2026Still from the live camera at Funchal, MadeiraPracticalCR7 Museum webcam, Funchal: the island’s one moving cameraThe only moving camera in this collection. It sits at the CR7 Museum on the Praça do Mar and pans at fixed intervals across the promenade, the harbour basin and the bay.8. September 2026Still from the live camera at Funchal, MadeiraPracticalFunchal harbour webcam: Molo da Pontinha liveThe camera looks out over the Molo da Pontinha, the long rock spur that closes Funchal bay to the west. This is where the cruise ships berth, and that is what makes this camera more useful than it looks.8. September 2026Still from the live camera at Funchal, MadeiraPracticalFunchal Marina webcam: two live streams from the yacht harbourTwo cameras on the same harbour from different angles. Together they cover most of the basin — the pontoons with the sailing boats, the harbour wall behind them, and on a clear day the headland of Cabo Girão closing the bay to the west.8. September 2026Rock ridge at Pico do Arieiro with cloud pouring around itPracticalMadeira webcams: 18 live streams from across the islandMadeira has a weather problem no forecast solves: the island runs four different weathers at the same hour. Funchal is in sun, the north is in rain, the Paul da Serra plateau is under fog thick enough to lose the levada in, and people are on the beach at Ponta do Sol. A forecast for "Madeira" averages that into a number that is true nowhere.8. September 2026Rock ridge at Pico do Arieiro with cloud pouring around itPracticalMore activities on MadeiraEverything that does not need its own page — but is bookable. Sorted by occasion.8. September 2026A mountain road below a rock face, with a hazard sign in frontPracticalHiking transfers and shuttlesThe island's least glamorous category — and for walkers the most useful. 23 transfer options from around €16, plus four water taxis.8. September 2026Rock ridge at Pico do Arieiro with cloud pouring around itPracticalActivities and tours on MadeiraMadeira has more than 500 bookable activities, from a €16 walking tour of Funchal's old town to a two-day trip round the island. This page sorts them, gives real prices, and says for each category whether booking is worth it at all.8. September 2026A mountain road below a rock face, with a hazard sign in frontPracticalCar hire and getting thereThe coastal roads are new and fast. The routes into the highlands are not. What that means for the car you book.8. September 2026