Madeira - A 2024 travel guide

This is the ultimate travel guide for Madeira first timers. In this video, I'll give you an overview of the islands geography, how to get to Madeira, when to go and what to do. We'll explore the following places and do the following activities:
Chapters:
0:00 Ey up
0:37 Geography
1:15 Getting in
1:43 When to go
2:19 Funchal
3:22 Monte Palace Cable Car
4:35 Monte Palace Gardens
6:19 Doca do Cavacas and Praia Formosa beach
8:39 Hiking Pico Ruivo
10:00 Hiking 25 Fontes
11:27 Hiking Ponta de Sao Lorenco
14:06 Off-roading
16:06 Fanal Forest
16:50 Porto Moniz
17:25 Seixal Beach
19:26 How I did it?
Finally, I'll show you how I got to Madeira and where I stayed as well as some hints and tips. I travelled to Madeira for 10 nights, but the above can easily be done in a 7 night trip.
I booked my Pico Ruivo and 25 Fontes hiking transfers through a company called 'DoIt Madeira', a link to their website is here: www.doit-madeira.com/
Fancy a city break? Come to Budapest with me here: • Budapest - A 2024 week...
Or check out my bucket list adventure to Jordan here: • Jordan - The Ultimate ...
Check out my Pico Ruivo video here: • HIKING PICO RUIVO - Do...
For the 25 Fontes video, check it out here: • Hiking Madeira’s Levad...
I booked the 'Amazing West' off-roading tour including lunch through Madeira Mountain Expeditions. A link to this is here: www.mex.pt/product/amazing-we...
All prices detailed in this video were correct at the time of making the video but these may have changed so please don't have a go at me if they're wrong.
If you've enjoyed it, please dont forget to like and subscribe, you'll make my day.

[@danielandrade8359]

Hi good morning Joe, it’s so refreshing to know that you loved visiting my beloved Arquipélago of Madeira the pearl of Atlantic. You . Hey it seams you’re from UK. Well I’m from Madeira and I’ve been in London for more than 33 years. Here is one thing I should tell you. You can’t imagine how much I loved watching this video. You’ve made me cry emotionally missing all those beautiful places . I thank you very much for what great pictures and sceneries. Good Bless you.

[@markthompson2466]

Best video I've watched on Madeira High quality, down to earth with a peaceful, calm pace ...

[@nicholasclark23]

Great video mate. Thank you for uploading!

[@jetawayjoe]

Thanks Nicholas, glad you enjoyed!

[@brannonjackson5490]

We lived in Hawaii and upon arriving at Funchal’s airport we felt we were back in the Hawaiian islands. This island is magical, if you can go you must. We have been twice in last 7 years and are planning to go again in 2024

[@jetawayjoe]

Great to hear, so jealous you’re looking to go again next year, have a great trip!

[@dom4534]

Nothing like Hawaii. Please do not compare

[@joyhursey1480]

Looks lovely.

[@AdamandRose]

I've been to Madeira. Incredibly beautiful island with so much to see and do. Will go back for sure.

[@juliodefreitas157]

Absolutely gorgeous. Thank you for sharing your beautiful video ❤❤❤

[@sisselnilsen4699]

Good travel video. Been in Madeira a few times, satisfy many of my interests and hobbies. A Norwegian retired girl

[@jetawayjoe]

Thanks! It’s a great island, so much to do and lots of natural beauty :)

[@sisselnilsen4699]

@@jetawayjoe and a flower festival in April/may each year. Seen it twice

[@anacarolinacorreia2749]

beautiful place ❤

[@jetawayjoe]

It’s a stunning island!

[@Valdemaaar]

Amazing video, Joe 😮 Very well done 👏👏 Madeira is outstanding, hands down. Thanks for such an informative guide

[@dom4534]

It’s called the pearl of the Atlantic not Hawaii. I find that offensive

[@beriomeneses6150]

Nice.😊

[@scottcarter7108]

Really nice informative video. Will be in Madeira the end of September for 13 days. Five in Funchal and eight in Seixal. Got nice Airbnb overlooking the beach.

[@jetawayjoe]

Thanks Scott! That sounds like an epic trip. I have to say, I’m very jealous of your 8 days in Seixal, unreal how beautiful it is on that north coast!

[@spain_walk_]

Excellent tour of the island of Madeira, a wonderful place 💖Thanks for sharing! I give you all my support!😘

[@jetawayjoe]

Thank you for your kind words :) I’m glad you enjoyed the video

[@henryi9738]

that was great , thank you !

[@jetawayjoe]

Thanks Henry, glad you liked it!

[@jasonjung5326]

Great Narrative video! Good information!

[@IanRamon]

Yes so well said this looks like Hawaii of Europe. And far more accesible for EU people.very beautiful! Thank you for sharing!

[@jetawayjoe]

Thank you Ian, it’s a beautiful island for sure!

[@yorkshirelass8954]

Visiting for first time early September can't wait!

[@jetawayjoe]

From a Yorkshire lad to a Yorkshirelass, it’s bloody beautiful is Madeira!

[@msrjorge1805]

Very well done video! Loved 🥰

[@jetawayjoe]

Thank you!

[@rexrules]

I am going to go soon. I was waiting to see what happened with the fires before booking. Thanks for your video

[@user-fe3mk1my3x]

thank you for the great video, perfect description, I'm in Madeira and will use your recommendation

[@jetawayjoe]

Glad you enjoyed the video, have a great trip to Madeira!

[@missfung3900]

Amazing! I will be there soon!

[@jetawayjoe]

It’s a stunning island, have a fab trip!

[@alphapt9370]

Hope u have a great time. Just be sure to avoid some tourist mistakes. Just last week I saw someone pay 3.5€ for a 1.5l bottle water in a cafe... when they could have walked 3 minutes to the supermarket and get the exact same type\brand from less than 60 cents.

[@liesbetzondermeer]

Prachtig ❤

[@andreasstolten9179]

Very well done video. I like watching it very much. I especilly liked your hint "How I did it". Madeira definitily is on my bucket list. Thanks for this video.

[@jetawayjoe]

Thanks Andreas for the comment and feedback, I'll keep the 'How I did it' in mind for a current guide I'm working on for Jordan!

[@RubyRuby-iz4oo]

Going in September can’t wait. Your video has given me lots of ideas, thank you 🙏

[@jetawayjoe]

Thanks for the message! I hope you have a great time on Madeira

[@Nathan.Manchester]

Great video - looking at going next year subscribed

[@jetawayjoe]

Cheers! It’s a great island, I’d love to go back :)

[@emalinekelley9626]

Lovely presentation

[@jetawayjoe]

Thank you

[@2crail]

Brilliant thanks lots of good tips if you are visiting Madeira for the firs time

[@jetawayjoe]

Thank you, glad you enjoyed it! It was my first trip to Madeira (won’t be my last!)

[@MindBlower18]

Very well presented, Joe 👍 Thx from Munich... 😉

[@jetawayjoe]

Thank you! Had the pleasure of visiting Munich about 7-8 years ago, wish I had the camera stuff for that trip, nice city, excellent beer gardens!

[@angie1253]

WOW, so beautiful-my next destination 😍Nice video 👍👍New subscriber 😊

[@jetawayjoe]

It’s a beautiful island. Thanks, got some more videos from other trips to come :)

[@ingrid2x]

Excellent video! I'm planning on making a trip to Madera next year.

[@jetawayjoe]

Thanks Ingrid. Happy planning, hope you’ve got some inspiration from the video :)

[@alphapt9370]

Cool. Hope you enjoy it here.

[@sirgalahad1470]

Really great video. I got exposed to Madeira by watching STAY CLASSY VLOGS but although their videos are amazing, their lifestyle is out of my budget. This is more the type of video that really helps me think I could make a trip here a reality. Thanks, and I subscribed.

[@jetawayjoe]

Thanks for the comment and the subscription! I try to travel to a budget and try to put prices of things I've done in my videos which were correct at the time to hopefully help people plan. Madeira was a very wallet friendly island when it came to eating and drinking too, and there's accommodation from hostels, guesthouses, airbnbs, to budget mid range and luxury hotels. You wont regret making that trip a reality!

[@grampsworld]

Great video enjoyed it we are going in September but as senior citizen walking will be limited the off road tour I will try to book using your link

[@jetawayjoe]

Thank you. Have an amazing time, I travelled late September and early October! It’s good fun off roading, a unique way to see the island. Enjoy!

[@helend222]

Visited 20 years ago. Lace making is local craft. Fish market. Best tomato soup ever. Lovely Portugese people.

[@xxOzzie63xx]

Absolutely beautiful video. One point, the music parts where no talking is I thought was too loud, but apart from that everything about the video was excellent and very informative. We are thinking about going to Madeira in July 2023 for a week and your video has very much inspired us to see more of the island. I will certainly look for a hotel situated in Funchal and I like the look of your hotel.

[@jetawayjoe]

Thanks. That interesting about the music as I haven’t increased the volume on it when editing - I wonder if it’s because the voiceover is dubbed over this make it seem louder?! Either way, glad you like the content. I do recommend the hotel, modern, chilled out and comfy :)

[@xxOzzie63xx]

@@jetawayjoe That maybe is because I was watching it on my iPhone and listening to it on my airpods. What is the name of the hotel, I can't quite make it out either on the video or on the side of the hotel.

[@jetawayjoe]

@@xxOzzie63xx it’s the Baia Azul Hotel. It’s in the lido area of Funchal, it’s got lots bars and restaurants within walking distance and is about 2-3 miles from the city centre, but there’s a bus stop straight outside that’ll take you in in 5-10 mins :)

[@dcchiasson5991]

@@jetawayjoe I also found the music much too loud. It's the middle of the night here, and I had to silence it and watch with subtitles so I wouldn't wake people up, and turn the volume on when you're speaking! Very beautiful location and video though!

[@jetawayjoe]

@@dcchiasson5991 thanks! I’ve taken this on board in my most recent video of Petra. Music volume reduced by several decibels and I think it’s better, so hopefully others do too.

[@shapeoftimes]

This looks amazing! Is the snorkeling good in the area? Greetings from Canada!

[@jetawayjoe]

I’m sure you can snorkel at some places in Madeira but honestly, it doesn’t strike me as a destination for it due to the volcanic beaches and the currents / swell. Lots of good rock formations though. For snorkelling maybe check out some of the Greek islands, Cyprus, Malta or Croatia.

[@saimpigeons5617]

Beutiful

[@paultoone3678]

Another great video Joe 👌. We are staying in the same hotel. Any recommendations on local restaurants?

[@jetawayjoe]

Thanks Paul, really nice hotel. There's lots of restaurants and bars in walking distance and a bus stop outside to take you to the city centre. A couple near the hotel were a lunch place called Loft and a place called Lido Grill across the road that were good. Solar d'ajuda did a good steak on the stone!

[@paultoone3678]

@@jetawayjoe sounds amazing, thank you.

[@kathychua7449]

Amazing video! Can you please suggest a moderately priced hotel with good location?

[@caseyjames1038]

Thanks for sharing! What time of the year did you visit? I'm going in February, and hoping for good weather.

[@jetawayjoe]

Thanks for your comment! I visited in early October and the weather was actually perfect, but it can be very changeable in Madeira and there are a lot of microclimates! My best advice would be to pack for all weathers, one some hikes it got cold!

[@s7r49]

are there hikes that are like 1-2 hours that are still nice? i see the most incredible hikes and they are like 4-6 hours but i have an old foot injury that is pretty okay for a good hour or two but after that starts to act up

[@morena-jackson]

Lovely video, I'm thinking of visiting Portugal and heard about Madeira. Thanks for the beautiful tour. Place however check your music vulumn, it is way too loud when you are not talking. I had to keep lowering the volume whenever just the music played.

[@jetawayjoe]

Thanks! It’s a beautiful island I highly recommend. The music volume has been corrected in later videos 😅

[@miriampalacios2622]

Ciao. Thank you for your video. I am planning to visit in October. Is that a good time? Also im older and dont want to hire a car and wanted to adk you about reacing places like tbat rain forest hike. I can manage the eadier hikes. Is it posdible to get a taxi or other ki d of local transport ?

[@jetawayjoe]

Thanks Miriam, I visited the first 10 days in October 2022 and the weather was perfect - Madeira is a year round island, think I had a rain shower one afternoon - obviously though I can’t predict the weather. I booked a shared shuttle transport for the hikes via Airbnb, I think the link is in the video description. They picked me up at my hotel (but I’m sure they’d accommodate an apartment or Airbnb rental pickup too), dropped me off at the start and picked me up to take me back to my accommodation from a designated pick up point after the walk :)

[@miriampalacios2622]

P.s. Can one have a swim in the pool at the waterfall?

[@jetawayjoe]

Yes you can. It’s VERY cold though, it was in October when I went!

[@mitchellshailer8019]

Music was way too loud!! Great info though and appreciate the video

[@jetawayjoe]

Thanks Mitchell. I’ll look at the music volume but as I’ve previously explained, I’ve not actually done anything to the volume of it - so it’s ‘as it comes’ so to speak.

[@dom4534]

It’s the Pearl of the Atlantic. Get it right

[@znsaidi]

Europe's Hawaii!!! It's more like Africa's Hawaii. Europe took most Africa's land...

[@VvvnimaL]

Lol shutup

[@susanatinsley7136]

@@VvvnimaL 😆😅😅😅😂😂