| Tips and photos of Madeira Island tourist attractions and tourist traps, posted by real travelers and Madeira Island locals. Madeira Island Map |
 | Madeira Island Tourist Traps | Tips 1 - 10 of 21 |  |
 Toboggan by zweiblumen
Did I take a toboggan trip then? Of course I did!
Well at least save yourself 10 Euros and ask the photographer to take a picture of you with your own camera, they are usually quite happy to do so.
You could try walking .. it's only 4km! Damned hard on the knees though .. steep! Leave a Comment
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 Very beautiful entrance of the
mercado. by Jerelis
The town is blessed with a long beach, a river and an unusually long thin strip of flat slightly sloping land on which the town is built. Apart from the sea front, it is surrounded on all sides by a wonderful lush mountain scenery. Facing east from the harbour, you will be looking towards the cliffs of Gabo Girao, one of the highest cliffs in Europe.
Ribeira Brava has made enormous progress in the last few years and has geared itself up to tourism. Now it's a lot of easier to access since the construction of the two lane motorway from Funchal. The town boasts many street cafes and shops and is certainly a place to spend a few hours taking in the sights and sounds.
We guess that there is not a real alternative. You must at least visit this place and maybe try not to take too much notice of the many tourists :-)
Address:
The village of Ribeira Brava
Directions:
The village is situated at the south side of the island at the beach. It's a 30 km drive from the capital of Madeira, Funchal.
Website:
http://ww.cm-ribeirabrava.pt Leave a Comment
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The obviously new promenade consists of stone block flooring, with imaginative curvy raised and stepped areas, with wooden decking. Together with the beach area there is a childrens wimming pool, infants paddling pool, changing room, toilets and reception. Because of all these changes it is now considered a significant tourist destination, especially for those who are passing through on a day trip. We were this one day tourists, but rather liked to visit some historic sites. Like what was left of the Sao Bento Fort, built in the 17th century. It's a surviving witness to the battles against pirates. At this day it is the local Tourist Office.
Also the Mercado dos Lavradores with its beautiful tile entrance. Once we were inside we saw a rather large central courtyard. Immediately we witnessed the hive of activity and the atmosphere was a riot of colours. We smelled the aromas from the various exotic flowers, fruit/vegetables, willow work, fish and local crafts. Some of the vendors were in traditional costumes, which again added to the vibrancy of this magical place.
Ribeira Brava has a small harbour tucked away to the east of the town, but it is not visible from the town itself. We had to access it through a rock tunnel at the east end of the sea front. A fun fact is that this tunnel to the harbour is the coolest place in Ribeira Brava on a very hot day!
We guess that there is not a real alternative. You must at least visit this place and maybe try not to take too much notice of the many tourists :-)
Address:
The village of Ribeira Brava
Directions:
The village is situated at the south side of the island at the beach. It's a 30 km drive from the capital of Madeira, Funchal.
Website:
http://ww.cm-ribeirabrava.pt Leave a Comment
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 The Igreja de Sao Bento near
the principal square. by Jerelis, 1 more photos
Be aware that the Igreja de Sao Bento closes from 1 pm to 3 pm for lunch. We arrived at the closed doors as we read that it was supposed to be open from 7 am to 7 pm, which is true, but do remind the lunchtime! The church clock chimes the hour twice and the church bells 'talks' to the community usually once and sometimes severals times a day, so its presence in the town is felt everywhere.
We guess that there is not a real alternative. You must at least visit this place and maybe try not to take too much notice of the many tourists :-)
Address:
The village of Ribeira Brava
Directions:
The village is situated at the south side of the island at the beach. It's a 30 km drive from the capital of Madeira, Funchal.
Website:
http://ww.cm-ribeirabrava.pt Leave a Comment
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Camacha is famous for its apple festival and very active folklore dance troops. Therefore many consider the Camacha village the Madeiran Capital of Culture. We were unlucky not to see the very talented people on a cultural, social or entertainment event.
They also like to call this the village of basket makers. Well, that's not quite true, because it's much more than that - it's the centre of Madeira's willow craft industry. You will be surprised what they can produce from basket. From normal small stuff over garden-furnitures up to complete furniture for living rooms - and all that of stable quality. We learned that there are over 1000 different articles on exhibition, like ornaments, kitchen utensils and wine holders.
At the back of the shop "O Relogio" we saw the craftsmen doing their work. Just be aware that you will hav eto swirm your way through the masses. Busloads of tourists are being dropped in front of the shop!
Address:
Village of Camacha
Directions:
Situated at the middle (bit to the north east) side of the island. It is a 18 km drive from the capital of Madeira, Funchal. Leave a Comment
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Camacha is situated on a mountain, it is rich on secular trees. We noticed that some of the magnificent Quintas da Madeira still remain with all their splendorous gardens.
More than the average (bus) tourist we rather had more appreciation for the little church which was situated near the centre square. It's quite old, because we learned that some documents presented us the year of 1452 as the date of its foundation. A funny fact is that we were about the only people visiting this beautiful little church and we admired its finely sculpted wood altars and the baroque tiles.
Later on we strolled down the street to have a look at the new and modern church which was inaugurated in 1998. It has a very interesting architecture - very, very different from the traditional churches on the island.
Address:
Village of Camacha
Directions:
Situated at the middle (bit to the north east) side of the island. It is a 18 km drive from the capital of Madeira, Funchal. Leave a Comment
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We went to the tourist information office in Funchal downtown and it was very useless and disappointing. Nothing more than a travel book...a basic one! They were not helpful. On the seaside there are many others but private, basically. They are even worse. We asked for some nice place where live music is played and they answer they are used to raccomand tourists to go to the Casino, where tourists can have a dinner and a show for tourist as well. it is obvious that we don't want to do what all tourists do!!!! What kind of advice is it?
it is nonesense to go there. You'll waste your time.
Ask to the receptionists for any kind of information about the island. They are very proud to be born there and will welcome you and give you all kind of information you may need. Leave a Comment
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 Pretty- but you've seen
it now! by davidcross
In fact houses with the triangular shape can be found in many parts of Madeira - but nothing like as smartly decorated as those in Santana. These are simply not typical and we only saw one garden shed resembling them!
What's more, if you want to go and look at the overpriced goods at the one which functions as a shop' you'll have to give to beggers or work to avoid them on your way in.
Whrn we went it was belting down with rain but I believe there's a cable-car fairly near that gives good views.
With a car you are conveniently placed for seeing a lot of the north coast. We were without a car and therefore I shall not be doing a specific tip. Leave a Comment
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 Soccer was played for the
first time in Portugal. by Jerelis
Finally we we visited Achada, which is the centre of this small village where the locals socialize. Arriving there we were pleasantly surprised by the monument we saw there. We read that right here soccer was played for the first time (1875) in Portugal due to the influence of the British.
But eventhough we had this last positive surprise we won't stick with the opinion of the people that say that Camacha is the most picturesque village of the island. In our opinion it has some beautiful Quintas, great craftsmen, a nice little church and a soccer monument, but it's mostly a place where busloads of tourists are blocking the way and most old traditional houses are replaced by modern ones.
Address:
Village of Camacha
Directions:
Situated at the middle (bit to the north east) side of the island. It is a 18 km drive from the capital of Madeira, Funchal. Leave a Comment
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 Traditional clothing of
Madeira. by Jerelis
When we drove some further to Camacha we noticed that lots of new houses were being built replacing the old traditional ones. In the village itself the small shops and bars are fast disappearing to be replaced by supermarkets and large shopping centres. Such a shame!
Address:
Village of Camacha
Directions:
Situated at the middle (bit to the north east) side of the island. It is a 18 km drive from the capital of Madeira, Funchal. Leave a Comment
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