Shopping
Cheap or country-specific goods, souvenirs
Local souvenirs are white embroidery and other embroidery, basketry, flowers, postage stamps with beautiful images and traditional clothing such as goatskin boots and knitwear, but also Madeiran liqueurs and candied fruits.
Shop opening times
Monday – Saturday: 8:30 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Sunday: closed
Currency
The national currency in Madeira is the euro = 100 cents.
The following banknotes are valid and in circulation in the country:
- 5
- 10
- 20th
- 50
- 100
- 200
- 500 euro
Bank opening times
Many banks take a lunch break between 12:30 p.m. and 2:00 p.m.
- Monday – Friday: 8.30 a.m. – 3 p.m.
- Saturday and Sunday: closed
Madeira: Well-known people
John Blandy (1783-1855)
merchant. The Englishman Blandy settled in Madeira in 1807 and founded a wine trade. The “Blandys Madeira Wine Company” became a company known throughout Europe.
Henry the Navigator (1394-1460)
son of King. He financed numerous exploratory trips and discovered the Madeira group, which was then colonized.
Charles I (1888-1922), Emperor of Austria and King of Hungary. After the end of the First World War, Charles I was banished from the Entente to Madeira after he tried twice to restore the monarchy in Hungary. He died there of a lung disease in 1922 and was buried in Monte.
Paul Langerhans (1847-1888)
pathologist. Langerhans moved to Madeira in 1874. There he wrote a “Handbook for Madeira” containing useful information about the island for travelers.
William Reid (1822-1888)
hotelier. Reid, a native of Scots, founded the classiest hotel in Madeira, Reid’s Hotel.
Christiano Ronaldo (born 1985 in Madeira)
Ronalda was named Footballer of the Year in Europe in 2008 and World Footballer of the Year 2008.
Holidays and events
Public holidays
There are a number of public holidays that do not have a fixed date but are based on the time of Easter. Easter falls on the first Sunday following the first full moon after the beginning of spring. Lent, which lasts 46 days, begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Holy Saturday. Pentecost is 50 days after Easter. The Corpus Christi festival is celebrated on the 2nd Thursday after Pentecost. All Saints’ Day is celebrated for Orthodox Christians on the 1st Sunday after Pentecost, but for Catholic Christians the date is fixed on November 1st. On October 31, Protestants celebrate Reformation Day. The Halloween festival also takes place on this day.
| Date | Holiday |
| January 1 | New Year |
| February March | carnival |
| March April | Good Friday |
| April 25 | Day of freedom |
| 1st of May | Labor Day |
| May June | Corpus Christi |
| June 10 | Camoes day |
| July 1 | Madeira Discovery Day |
| 15th of August | Assumption Day |
| 5th October | day of the Republic |
| November 1 | All Saints Day |
| December 1 | National holiday |
| December 8 | Feast of the Immaculate Conception |
| 25 December | Christmas |
| December 26 | St. Stephen’s Day |
Cultural events
| Date | Holiday |
| February March | carnival |
| April May | Flower festival |
| June | Classical music festival in Funchal Sheep shearing festival in Poiso, Chao da Lagoa and Paul da Serra |
| July | Folklore festival in Santana |
| September | Madeira Wine Festival in Funchal, Estreito de Camara de Lobos Apple Festival in Ponta do Pargo Christopher Columbus week on Porto Santo boat procession in Canical |
| October | Apple festival in Camacha |
| November | Chestnut festival in Curral |
Sporting events
The Madeira Wine Rally has been held annually in August since 1959.
Climate
Travel times
There is actually no best time to travel to Madeira, as every season of the year develops its charms on the island in the middle of the Atlantic. However, the idea of what is meant by a particularly favorable travel climate depends on various factors. Pure cultural travelers certainly see the climate differently than people planning a beach holiday. Health status and age can also play a role in the experience of the climate.
Climate
It should be noted that the climatic conditions in different regions of the archipelago can differ from one another. In general, the archipelago has an average temperature of around 25 °C in summer and around 17 °C in winter. But average temperatures say only limited information about the currently prevailing temperatures – they can be considerably lower or higher.
