Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Left
Unofficial tourist information centre
Right
Trawling for custom outside of a restaurant
Things to Avoid
!
Overcharging
$
Lobster
particularly dangerous on
Madeira's narrow, twisting
roads; it also leads rapid-
ly to car sickness.
byTaxi Drivers
Taxi drivers very often
take advantage of naive
visitors by overcharging,
especially on the journey
to and from the airport.
The government fixes the
price for this trip annual-
ly. Taxi drivers are legally
obliged to display a table
of fixed fares and must
use their meters for
other journeys, unless
you have agreed a price
in advance.
Remember that the
oh-so-tempting “fresh
lobster” much touted in
seafood restaurants
could end up costing you
a small fortune. Lobsters
are imported and priced
by weight, so make sure
you know exactly how
much you will be charged.
%
Information
*
Hidden Car Costs
If you decide to hire a
car and want to compare
prices, don't be guided
by the advertised daily
rates. Make sure there
are no hidden extras,
such as tax and insur-
ance, which can add 20
per cent or more to the
basic daily rate.
Centres
Various establishments
along the route from the
hotel zone to downtown
Funchal call themselves
“tourist information cen-
tres” and offer free
maps. In reality, they are
tour agents that will extol
the delights of Madeira
in order to sign you up
on a guided tour.
^
Guided Tours
@
Timeshare Touts
(
Out-of-date Maps
The problem is not as
bad as in some other hol-
iday resorts, but time-
share touts do operate in
Funchal, accosting people
on Avenida do Infante as
they stroll into downtown
Funchal from the hotel
zone. If somebody greets
you with a cheery “Hello,
do you speak English? ,
there's a good chance
that he's a tout. They are
not very persistent, so
just answer with a polite
“No, thank you .
Once you have your
car, you might well want
a map or a walking
guide. Beware: most of
the maps and guides
sold in souvenir shops
are years out of date,
and can be seriously
misleading, given how
much Madeira has
developed in recent
years. Choose a reliable
bookshop
(see p57)
and
check the publication
date before you buy.
)
Beggars
Scores of tour com-
panies offer identical
trips in air-conditioned
coaches. These are a
good way of getting a
quick overview of Madei-
ra, but they involve com-
pulsory shopping and
restaurant stops. To gain
a more personal view of
the island, choose a mini-
bus tour or ask your hotel
to recommend a taxi driv-
er who speaks English.
&
Aggressive
£
Restaurant Touts
Although tourists
come for the quaint boat-
yard and pretty seaside
setting of Câmara de
Lobos
(see p75)
, this
fishing village also offers
a glimpse of real life in
Madeira. It is not unusual
to see children begging
for a couple of euros
here. How you respond
is up to you - but if you
decide to give money be
aware that it may encour-
age other children to
approach you.
Restaurant touts are
more difficult to shake off
than the timeshare variety.
They operate especially in
the Zone Velha (Old Town),
the marina complex and
the restaurant strip along
Caminho da Casa Branca.
If you want to browse
menus before choosing
where to eat, it is best to
do this in the morning or
afternoon, avoiding times
when restaurants trawl
for customers.
Drivers
If you are thinking of hir-
ing a taxi for a day or
half-day trip, make sure
the driver knows that fast
driving and daredevil
overtaking do not impress
you. Aggressive driving is
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