Beautiful island of Madeira

Madeira, “Ilha Jardim” {Garden Island} or “Pearl of the Atlantic”, it has a mild climate throughout the entire year and one of the most beautiful destinations in Europe. I fell in love with this small island the first time I visited. It was just me and my husband then; I was totally blown away with its scenery – simply beautiful! This time round, we visited the family with our 2 kids.

My husband’s parents grew up in this island, but they moved to South Africa for better opportunities when they were young. They flew to Madeira to meet us and spend some quality time with the rest of the family. It was indeed an unforgettable trip.

Madeira is a small island which offers a lot of activities to all ages – from the busy streets of Funchal to the peak of Pico do Areeiro – you will be delighted with the stunning views and fun activities. There are a lot of tours to choose from; well… we are lucky to have locals as our guide. I think we pretty much did most of the Must-Do activities.

Here are my favorites.

Madeira Cable Car – Teleférico do Funchal

The ride takes only about 15-20mins from the old part of Funchal to Monte, but it is all worth the ride. The panoramic view spans to the beautiful city of Funchal, amazing landscape and gorgeous valleys where ocean view meets the mountain view. When you reach the top at Monte, you can visit:

– Monte Palace Tropical Gardens / Museum of Semi-Precious Stones

– Church of Our Lady of the Mount (Nossa Senhora do Monte)

– Fountain of the Virgin (Fontenário de Nossa Senhora do Monte)

– Monte Municipal Park

Monte Toboggan Ride – Carro de Cesto

Originally  this form of transport has been around since 1850 and was a fast means of transport down to Funchal for all the wealthy aristocrats that lived in the Monte. It landed as CNN’s 7 of the world’s coolest commutes.

I promise this is so much fun!!!  It is a bit pricey and a short ride (1-mile descent from Monte to Funchal in about 10-15mins) but I believe that the kids will never forget the experience. They had a blast.

Tip: Find the Monte toboggans at the bottom of the stairs leading to the Nossa Senhora do Monte Church. It won’t go down all the way to the city so you need to get a taxi ride down. Consider this an extra cost.

Levada Walk

What? You mean a walking trail? I asked when I first heard about a Levada walk. “Levada” is a Portuguese word that derives from “levar”, which means to carry and is very loosely interpreted as “carriageway”. The levadas were originally created in the 16th Century to bring water from the mountains to farmland. And yes, it is walking trails along the maintenance paths beside the Levadas. There are many levada walks with varying degrees of difficulties. Some are very long with areas of narrow and unprotected paths and are definitely not suitable for families with children or people with vertigo; however there are also levadas walks perfect for the little ones.

There are many levada walks with varying degrees of difficulties. Some are very long with areas of narrow and unprotected paths and are definitely not suitable for families with children or people with vertigo; however there are also levadas walks perfect for the little ones.

It was an enjoyable experience for everyone. This is a great for kids!!!