Welcome to Visit-the-World's Madeira section ...

The beautiful island of Madeira is part of Portugal. It lies in the Atlantic Ocean, 470 miles to the west of Morocco and 300 miles north of Tenerife in the Canary Islands. It therefore enjoys a wonderful warm climate the whole year round. For centuries, it was a particular favourite amongst British aristocratic travellers wishing to escape British winters, long before travelling and winter breaks became the norm for less wealthy folk.

Madeira, [Portugese for "wood"], is often described as a "Floating
Garden" due to the luxuriant greenery and abundance of wild flowering
shrubs that can be seen there.

It is a rugged, extremely mountainous, highly picturesque island, roughly rectangular in shape and measuring about 30 miles in length by 10 miles wide. The highest mountain on this extinct volcanic isle is Pico Ruivo, which is 1862 metres, or  6060 feet, above sea level.

Coaches can carry visitors up very winding mountain roads to over
5000 feet. It is not an experience enjoyed by those of a nervous
disposition. Although the views from the mountains on a clear day are
breathtakingly spectacular!

Due to the hight of the mountains, their peaks are sometimes shrouded in mist or low cloud. This provides Madeira with valuable water for irrigation, as well as everyday household use. The hard-working Madeirans have, over the centuries, created a fantastic network of  "Levadas" or irrigation channels alongside narrow paths, to carry valuable water from the highest peaks to the much drier valleys and coastal villages way down below. The levadas are a fantastic feat of engineering and a tribute to the Madeirans dogged determination to
make the best of their island. It is quite humbling to think of the heroic
effort that must have gone into the creating of these levadas on the most difficult steep terrain imaginable, using the simplest of hand tools to break up the volcanic rock. The Madeirans of old  must have been as
nimble as mountain goats  and very tough!

Today, the levada walks are amongst the favourite tourist attractions
of Madeira, and  one of the  prime reasons that thousands return, year after year, to this  gem of an island. The scenery of the Madeiran mountains and rugged coastline is truly spectacular, particularly when the shrubs and trees are in flower. The beautiful "Bird of Paradise" flower, or strelitzia 'is a firm favourite with visitors, who buy them in their thousands from the colourful  flower shops.

The capital of Madeira is the attractive port of Funchal on the south coast. It is a lovely, quite elegant, historic little city with fine, centuries-
old Portugese colonial architecture. It has far more character than the
modern resorts of the the Canaries. More than half Madeira's 350,000
population are active around Funchal during the day, making it more
than a little busy with traffic!! The centre of the town is at sea level, but
there are steep hills all around as one travels in from the coast. This
makes for a very picturesque location, with palm trees and little banana
plantations dotted between the pretty whitewashed buildings with red-
tiled roofs. It is a firm favourite with the passengers of the many cruise
liners that call at the wonderful harbour, which has very deep water ,
just off-shore. The passengers love the historic Portugese architecture
and narrow  cobbled streets, lined with a wonderful selection of good
quality shops, restaurants, bars and cafes.

Visits to the beautiful Se Cathedral, colourful botanic gardens and
Museum of Madeira wine, are extremely popular with tourists. Another
of their favourite relaxing past-times is an evening stroll along the sea-
front promenade to view visiting cruise ships or  the expensive yachts,
that often call  in for provisions as they sail to the Canaries or even
across the Atlantic.

A cable car rises  from Funchal Old Town to Monte Village, offering
panoramic views. Monte  Palace Tropical Gardens has orchids,
hydrangea and strelitzia mingling with lush tropical foliage. A traditional
toboggan run down the steep hill, through the cobbled streets brings
you back down into Funchal.

The modern part of Funchal exudes cosmopolitan charm and effortless sophistication. There are at least seven 5-star hotels here, including the legendary Reid's Hotel, famous for its afternoon teas.There are also several good quality 4-star hotels and an exclusive casino with its wonderful floor shows.

Outside Funchal, the tranquil  village of Canico with its lovely little
square, surrounded by relaxing restaurants and bars  is  a nice place to
visit. The views from the area are stunning. The Palheiro Golf Course is
not far away.

There are also stunning views from Cabo Girao, the world's second
highest sea cliff, whilst on the north coast, Santana, where houses
have triangular thatched roofs, is a very pretty place and worth visiting.

When it comes to Madeiran food, espada or scabbard fish from some of the deepest water  fished by man, is a must! Don't be put off by the rather fearsome  appearance of this fish, it is delicious !!

Caldo Verde,  a Madeiran soup made from cabbage and potato, is a
popular dish, as is chourico, a spicy sausage.

Bolo de mel, or honey cake, is the most well-known pudding here and is a speciality of the island. It is particularly enjoyed by sweet-toothed diners who do not bother counting calories!!

In any case, who cares about calories whilst on holiday? Why not
enjoy yourself and have an extra glass or two of sweet Madeiran wine
to round off  your meals ?