Mad about Madeira: a 72-hour guide to the best of the Portuguese islands

Brimming with activity, Madeira is by turns rugged, lush and luxurious

ribeirabrava_serradeagua7.jpg

The international press was plastered last March with photos from the Portuguese islands of Madeira. At a renaming ceremony for Funchal Airport, authorities revealed a distinctly unflattering bust of local hero Cristiano Ronaldo, apparently captured at the precise moment he was fighting off a sneeze.

Though Madeira is justly proud of its famous son — visitors now fly in to Cristiano Ronaldo International Airport — the footballer’s buckled visage does scant justice to a far more beautiful and intriguing archipelago. There is significantly more to discover and photograph across Madeira’s 800-square kilometres than this lump of metal a couple of yards outside the terminal building.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
Explore More