Funchal

From the airport

Bus. The Eurobus leaves from the airport and goes to the main Avenida in Funchal. There are seven daily services from 9.30am.

Shop

Buy your fresh cut flowers, bulbs and seeds from the island's smallest flower shop on Rua Imperatriz behind the Hotel Savoy.
Antiguidades Galarias Sao Pedro on Rua Mouraria is the place for antiques lovers looking for a bargain. Maybe you will find a small piece of history to take home.

Before you go on a walk alongside Madeira's famous levadas, make sure you talk to your hotel or tourist office to plan a safe route. Some paths are precarious in places and people have been known to get lost or injured.

When stopping for lunch in the city, check your bill at the end as some restaurants offer cheaper lunchtime menu and have been known to change the evening price, which is far more expensive.

The Praca Municipal in the centre of town offers a rich area of architecture as well as churches and cafes, and small streets full of shops. A hive of activity during the day when busy locals are seen suited and booted for work.

Madeira's beaches usually consist of black sand and rocks but Calheta, on the west coast of the island, has beautiful golden sand, it is mainly imported from Morocco.

Day trip

Palheiro. This village is known for one main activity: golf. Book a day's golf, with club and buggy hire and play on one of Madeira's most luxurious courses. For the 'golf widow', the famous Blandy Gardens adjoining the course are a must-see, with beautifully manicured gardens, a stately home and the special Camellia Garden. 
Paul de Serra. For a change from city scenery, venture along the plateau of Paul de Serra with its new wind turbines then stop at Rabacal and follow one of the many pathways that lead to magnificent levada walks, and waterfalls if you walk far enough. Don't forget your picnic and camera.

Algarve

The Algarve is a bustling tourist region thanks to its beautiful beaches and its exceptionally sunny climate (average temperatures between 15 and 25C) and the ideal conditions it offers for all types of sport, including water sports and golf. The word Algarve comes from the Arabic "El Gharb" which means the West.

The Algarve has the best beaches in Europe, so how do you select your favourite?

Nao faz mal, as they say in Portugal. Never mind. Why should you have to? After all, you could spend weeks, months even years exploring all the beaches of the Algarve. From east to west there is a stretch of coastline, over 200 kilometres of it, to suit everybody, from sheltered dunes to rocky coves, from tiny bays to vast stretches of open sands, from shallow lagoons to the crashing surf of the wild Atlantic. Blessed with over 300 days of sunshine a year, the Algarve also enjoys the perfect climate to complement its spectacular. Spring arrives early, long hot summers are tempered by cooling sea breezes, autumn lingers into the year, and even in winter, sunny days are the norm rather than the exception.

Families, couples, singles, groups? Whether you are seeking the summer sun or escaping the winter blues, on a quick out-of-season break or a well-deserved holiday, you will love it here. And you will be in good company. Swimmers and snorkelers, sailors and surfers, naturalists and naturists. You will find them all savouring the clean and safe beaches, the stunning scenery, the fabulous weather, the host of activities and the naturally warm welcome of the Algarve and its people.

And everybody can enjoy the Algarve at their own pace. If you just want to relax and soak up the sun, who can blame you? Pull up a comfortable chair, stretch out on a sun-bed or settle yourself into a gently swaying hammock, and simply watch the world go by. There are few better places than the Algarve for chilling out. Looking for more to do, things to see, and ways of keeping the whole family occupied? From museums to multi-screen cinemas, swimming with the dolphins to swashbuckling pirate ships, carnivals to castles, the Algarve has bustling atmospheric towns, picturesque villages, a rich history and culture, and a lively, thriving arts and entertainment scene.

Esy to get to, easy to get around, and with an array of bars, clubs and restaurants and a wealth of accommodation choices, from self-catering apartments and campsites to private villas and hotels to suit every style and budget, the Algarve not only makes the most of its natural assets but also its man-made ones, including marinas, water-parks, zoos and education centres. There are also plans for further gold courses, sports complexes, marinas and luxury hotels across the region. But don't worry. The Algarve will always maintain its reputation for quality, and its individual hotels, golf courses and developments continue to collect international awards from leading travel, sporting and property organisations.

Guimaraes

Guimaraes is the cradle of Portugal, as Afonso Henriques, the first king of the country, was born in the medieval castle. The city was the "capital" of the dukedom of Portugal (hence the name of the country) offered to his father Henry of Burgundy, a Knight in the Western Crusades.