Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Left
Madeira tourist office
Right
Christmas, peak season on Madeira
General Information
!
When to Go
$
Passports
mineral water is cheap
and readily available.
and Visas
Visitors can stay on
Madeira for 90 days with
a valid passport or recog-
nized EU identity card
and an onward or return
ticket. There are no
embassies on the island
itself (they are all located
in Lisbon). Several
consulates are located in
Funchal
(see box)
.
%
Customs
Christmas is peak sea-
son; hotels charge double
their normal rates. Easter,
July and August are also
busy. June is surprisingly
quiet, and enjoys perfect
weather. Madeira has a
generally mild sub-tropical
climate, with average tem-
peratures ranging from
17° C (62° F) in February
to 23° C (75° F) in Sep-
tember. October to March
sees the highest rainfall,
especially on the northern
side of the island. Porto
Santo tends to be fine
throughout the year.
@
What to Pack
*
Opening Hours
Shops trade from
9am-7pm on weekdays
and from 9am-1pm on
Saturdays. Large super-
markets stay open until
10pm every day. Banks
are open weekdays from
8:30am-3pm. Most
museums are shut from
noon on Saturday until
Tuesday; a few are open
on Sunday mornings.
Churches mainly open
from 8am-noon and
again from 4-7pm.
(
Time Differences
As part of the Europe-
an Union, Madeira impos-
es virtually no restrictions
on imports of cigarettes
and alcohol from other
EU member states, as
long as they are for pri-
vate consumption.
^
Public Holidays
Even in winter it is
warm enough to eat out
of doors during the day,
so you will need light
clothes, with extra layers
for nights and the cooler
mountains. Casual wear
is the norm. If you intend
to walk, bring a torch
(flashlight), waterproofs
and non-slip shoes.
Madeira observes
exactly the same time as
the UK, throughout the
year. At noon on Madei-
ra, it is 7am in New York
and 4am in Los Angeles.
)
Language
Everything closes on
25 Dec, 1 Jan and
throughout Easter. The
following are also
holidays: Shrove Tuesday,
Ash Wednesday, 25 April,
1 May, Corpus Christi
(June), 10 June, 1 July,
15 Aug, 21 Aug, 5 Oct, 1
Nov and 1 Dec. Shops
and offices close on
public holidays; large
supermarkets stay open,
as do businesses aimed
at tourists.
Most Madeirans can
converse in English. Many
can also manage com-
mon French and German
phrases, in addition to
their native Portuguese.
£
Tourist Offices
The Portuguese tourist
office has branches in
most countries, but offers
only basic information on
Madeira. The Madeira tour-
ist board's website is help-
ful, but infrequently
updated. Funchal's main
tourist office sells guides,
maps, bus timetables and
tickets for cultural events.
d
Madeira Board of Tour-
ism: Avda Arriaga 16, Fun-
chal. Map P3. 291 211 902.
Open 9am-8pm Mon-Fri,
9am-6pm Sat & Sun. www.
madeiratourism.org
Consulates
in Funchal
Belgium
291 210 200
France
291 200 750
Germany
291 220 338
Italy
291 223 890
Netherlands
291 223 830
Norway
291 741 515
Spain
962 381 599
Sweden
291 233 603
UK
291 212 860
USA
291 235 636
&
Electricity
and Water
The electricity supply is
220 volts AC. Sockets
accept plugs with two
round pins. Transformers
are required for 110-volt
devices, and adaptors for
non-continental plugs. Tap
water is safe to drink;
102
Preceding pages
Stalls at Funchal's Mercado dos Lavradores
