Are you planning to go on holiday to Madeira with children? This is the top 10 of the best Madeira sights and activities for kids!
Madeira is a Portuguese archipelago located in the Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of Africa. For MamsatWork I was allowed to go to the island of Madeira together with Daughter. Together we experienced how nice this 'flower island' is as a holiday destination. I can say:Madeira surprised us and we have embraced the beautiful nature and friendly local residents. Curious about what you can do in Madeira with children? I'll give you my top 10 activities in Madeira that are fun for kids! But first some background information.
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The Madeira archipelago consists of a number of islands, two of which are inhabited:Madeira and Porto Santo. Madeira was discovered by the Portuguese as an empty island, so without indigenous people. Madeira has about 240,000 inhabitants, of which 120,000 live in the capital Funchal. In addition, about 2.5 million (!) tourists come to the island every year. Most tourists come by cruise ship, whose season runs from Sept/Oct to May. The average temperature is 25 degrees…all year round!
We stayed at Hotel Pescana Casino Park in Funchal. This five star hotel overlooking the sea and the mountains was a fine hotel. We could see the cruise ships dock from our fifth floor room and the pool seemed to spill out into the sea due to its elevated position. The sunrise was therefore beautiful to see!
Psssttt … have you already seen all Madeira sights below, and would you like to look a little further? Porto Santo is 50 km from Madeira, where blogger Pauline has been and has listed the nice hotspots.
Our Top 10 activities you should do with children in Madeira has been compiled by Daughter. Because yes, who better to tell you what is fun for children and which Madeira sights you should see, than this 8-year-old girl?
The top 10:
One of the best Madeira attractions according to Daughter were the whales and dolphins. This mom is also number 1 by far! This three hour boat trip on the catamaran was truly the highlight of our trip. We sat at the front of the catamaran, the sun was shining on our skin and meanwhile we looked to the horizon in search of dolphins and whales.
Suddenly the boat turned to the left and made speed. Tensed at what was to come, we sat against each other. The captain mentioned into the microphone that there was a group of dolphins to our left. It became quiet on the boat. Everyone waited for the dolphins to surface. We were first rank! Cameras clicked, Daughter's eyes widened and Mom was in awe of so much natural beauty. This boat trip was already a success for me. As icing on the cake we later also saw a group of small whales. "You always see dolphins, but you don't see whales every day," the woman from the tourist office said. It felt like we had won the top prize…
Do you want to discover the rugged nature of Madeira? Then go on a jeep tour with the family! Feel the wind blowing through your hair off-road, surrounded by the scent of the eucalyptus trees that grow here. Driving uphill past banana plantations and the most beautiful flowers, dodging sheep and goats, to finally enjoy the view of the mountains of Madeira. During our jeep tour it was unfortunately cloudy, but this also resulted in beautiful pictures! And Daughter thought it was really interesting that at one point we drove straight through the clouds.
Snow was nowhere to be seen in this country, yet we sled down a mountain. Two men, each holding a rope, pushed and sent our 'Carreiro do Monte' in Vicente down the mountain. Originally this was a means of transport for women and children, who with their hoop skirts and other clothing had difficulty walking from the town of Monte (on the mountain) to Funchal. The ride is 2 km long, the asphalt was slippery from all our predecessors and afterwards we could of course buy a photo. By the way, you could also receive the digital version by e-mail. As you can see in our photo, Daughter thought it was quite exciting 😉 .
Madeira is a volcanic island, created by volcanoes erupting into the sea, forming an archipelago. There is no longer an active volcano on the island, but in São Vicente you can take a tour of the lava caves in the volcanic center. Talk about Maderia sights! The tour concludes with a visit to an interactive exhibition about volcanoes in Madeira. The locals have known about the caves since 1885, but they only opened to the public in 1996.
I myself have been to many 'normal' caves in France, but a lava cave is different. No stalagmites or stalactites (due to the lack of calcium), but 'haha-lava':solidified lava that would give a tickling experience to your feet when you walk on it. Hence the name;) .
The guide pointed out a special 'Kodak moment':'if you stand here and take a picture, it looks like this passage is a dragon's eye'. I think she's right!
Press the button and let the volcano erupt!
Cabo Girão is the highest cliff in Europe and the second highest cliff in the world. The coastline of Madeira mainly consists of cliffs, for a real sandy beach you go to the island of Porto Santo. The special thing about Cabo Girão is that this vantage point has a glass floor, so that you actually 'float' above the 580m high abyss. A bit crazy to walk on, but it's an experience you won't soon forget. And of course the view is phenomenal…
Incidentally, the kids were also very impressed by the lizards that warmed up there on the stones 😉 .
During a free hour, Daughter and I saw a large rock in Funchal, near the harbor, on the edge of the city. This turned out to be a remnant of a Fort, which belongs to the smallest country in the world. Historically, this has to do with the fact that Madeira was first Portuguese territory, then it was sold to Great Britain and later became Portuguese again. Except for this rock.
Weird story, but actually it's just a beautiful view point. You may make a voluntary contribution for the visit to the rock, which is used to feed the stray cats here.
All the toys in this museum come from the private collection of the 64-year-old owner. From his 14 e he collects toys. This started with a simple deer and has grown into about 20,000 different types of toys, of which 5000 are cars. Even the packaging has been preserved. Six rooms full of display cases with assorted toys. Nice to take a look with your child. Daughter marveled at the display cases with all the toys, which are still supplemented with special items.
With us at number 8 of the Madeira sights, but we are not football fans;) . This museum is probably much higher on the rankings for little football players! Cristiano Ronaldo was born in Madeira and often visits here. His family founded this museum, which incidentally is attached to the Pestana CR7 hotel (yes, Cristiano Ronaldo, number 7).
In this Madeira theme park, children can see the typical houses of Madeira in miniature, discover the old crafts of the island and also have fun playing in the maze. Or on the trampolines and in the playground. Do not expect a high-quality amusement park, but on a nice day you can enjoy yourself here as a family. The entrance fee (€6 per child, €4 per adult) is reasonable for what there is to see and do.
For Daughter at number 10 of the Madeira sights (“I don't want to go to a market!”), for me a few places higher. The sellers in this market often wear traditional clothing. You will find flowers, fish, vegetables, fruit and souvenirs. I've seen fruits that I didn't know existed, such as this 'banana-pineapple'.
And those colours, wow!
