A guide to driving on Madeira: 12 useful tips to get you going

1 | RENT AND DROP OFF YOUR CAR AT FUNCHAL AIRPORT

While it’s totally possible to rent a car in the Funchal city centre, I would highly recommend picking up your rental car at the Funchal airport, directly after your flight.

By doing so, you’re not only saving quite some time, but you also save nearly €80,- worth of taxi rides, which is quite expensive considering that the Funchal city centre is only a 20-minute drive from the airport.

Also, the majority of car rental companies are situated directly at the airport, which makes it pretty convenient to rent and drop off your car here.

Nevertheless, I wouldn’t risk renting a car upon arrival, since it’s likely that the availability is limited. For that reason, I highly advise booking a car in advance (more on that later).

2 | SAVE MONEY BY RENTING YOUR CAR IN ADVANCE

I assume we all prefer to keep the cost of our trips low, and one of the easiest ways to do so is by sorting out your rental car in advance through a trusted online car supplier.

For car rental on Madeira, I would highly recommend the use of RentalCars; an excellent online car rental service that holds over 900 of the world’s leading rental car suppliers.

My best advice for car rental on Madeira however, is to book your car as soon as you confirmed your flights, since last-minute rates are remarkably higher than when you book in advance, especially during the peak summer months.

Additionally, if you want to book a rental car spontaneously when already on the island, make sure you ask at the reception of your hotel, they will most likely fix you a cheaper rate.

3 | DRIVE ON THE RIGHT-HAND SIDE OF THE ROAD

Like most places in the world, you’ll be driving your car on the right side of the road. So unless you’re from the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa or a former British colony, there isn’t really a big adjustment for you

However, if you are from a left-driving country, and it’s your first time driving on the right side, allow yourself a few days to get used to handling the car in the complete opposite way.

Though I’ve never driven on the opposite side of the road myself, I can totally understand if only the thoughts of driving on the other side stressing you out already.

If that’s the case, hiring an automatic car will make things a lot easier, as you don’t have to worry about changing the gears constantly.

4 | DRIVE ONE GEAR LOWER IN THE MOUNTAINS

Madeira is famed for its extremely picturesque mountains and the steep roads that run through them, making driving here one of the absolute highlights on the island.

However, driving these roads can be quite a challenge at times. It also requires a slightly different approach than most of us are used to, including me.

When driving uphill, I would always advise downshifting to a lower gear so your car has the extra power to handle the incline.

This rule also applies when driving downhill, as driving in a lower gear causes your car to brake on the engine, which means there’s significantly less pressure on the brakes.

Of course, this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t use your brakes at all. In most cases, it is still necessary to use them, but just be a little more cautious to prevent overheated brake discs.

Also, make sure you live by this rule; don’t drive down a mountain road any faster than you drove up to it.

5 | BE EXTRA CAUTIOUS WHEN LEAVING THE ACCESS ROADS

One thing that quickly caught my attention when picking up my rental, was the fact that the access roads on Madeira were notably shorter compared to other countries I had driven.

The reason for this is that the road rules on Madeira imply that you stop your car on the access road, where you should wait until the lane is completely clear of passing cars, before inserting your own car.

Though it takes some time to get used to, I believe this rule is actually pretty good for the flow of traffic, as well as general road safety.

6 | ALWAYS FILL UP THE TANK BEFORE HITTING THE MOUNTAINS

Winding through steep mountain roads requires significantly more fuel than your ordinary ride through the city, and filling up your car should be an absolute no-brainer before hitting the mountains.

Pair that with the absence of gas stations in the mountains, insufficient mobile services, and often only a few other people around, and you have yourself a blueprint to prevent stranding along the roadside.

So if you’re heading fort the mountains, live by this rule; fill up your car – and don’t say that I didn’t warn you!

7 | DON’T GET CONFUSED BY GASOLINA OR GASÓLEO

One thing I can’t stress enough is that the Portuguese language can be quite misleading for those renting a car on Madeira.

As soon as you need to fill up your tank for the first time, you’ll notice that the words gasoline and diesel are only a few letters different from each other.

I hope this will clear up the confusion; Gasoline is Gasolina. | Diesel is Gasóleo.

If you’re not sure, don’t worry, it’s nearly always possible to quickly check with one of the gas station attendants to avoid filling up your car with the wrong fuel.

8 | STUDY THE MAPS AND DOWNLOAD THEM TO YOUR PHONE

Before your road trip adventures, I advise downloading the offline map of Madeira on your Google Maps app, so you can also navigate the island when you lose phone services.

Believe me, this will happen quite often when driving in the mountains or through a tunnel.

Additionally, I would also recommend investing some time to research the best routes to take, as well as the duration to get to the highlights of your itinerary – more on that later.

9 | PLAN YOUR ROUTE IN ADVANCE

Even though Madeira is pretty compact in size, you’ll be surprised how much time you could actually lose when driving from A to B.

While this obviously isn’t a problem, considering the stunning scenery along the way (trust me, you will stop a lot during your first days), it isn’t really useful if you want to make the most out of your time on Madeira.

Therefore, it’s wise to thoroughly research the highlights, and then bundle them in a logical day-to-day itinerary. I personally bundled my highlights per area. But I quickly noticed that I was a bit too enthusiastic, given the driving part took more time than I thought beforehand.

If you’re not from the logistics side of things, that’s ok. I’ve put together an easy to follow 10-day Madeira road trip itinerary, so make sure you check that one out too.

10 | PICK A HOTEL WITH FREE PARKING

One thing that is often overlooked when renting a car on Madeira, are the hidden expenses. One of those expenses is parking, especially if you choose to base yourself in the city centre of Funchal.

For that reason, I’d highly recommend finding yourself accommodation with free parking service before planning out your Madeira road trip itinerary.

I’ve stayed at the newly renovated Vila Baleira, an excellent hotel that provides its guests with a spacious and secured parking lot right under the property.

Add to that brilliant rooms, a large rooftop terrace with a bar and swimming pool, and you understand why I chose Vila Baleira as my base.

Additionally, if you choose to select one of the fancy hotels in the heart of Funchal Old Town (these often don’t include parking), make sure you check out Almirante Reis Parking, where you can find relatively cheap parking space too.

11 | SORT OUT YOUR INSURANCE

Even though I never felt unsafe throughout my road trip on Madeira, I wouldn’t advise anyone to travel without having their necessary insurance sorted out.

First of all, I believe it’s quite unwise to leave out the full insurance option just to lower the cost of your car rental. By adding this, in my opinion, an essential option, the supplier will fully cover the car’s excess – plus the possible damage of the windows, mirrors, wheels and tyres.

Of course, full insurance comes at a price, but with Madeira’s fluctuating driving conditions, an accident may happen far more likely too. So I would say; it’s better to be safe than sorry!

Then there is your travel insurance, which, I believe, you should always purchase when travelling abroad, especially if you’re planning a road trip on Madeira.

For travel insurance, I use Heymondo, as they offer full covid-19 coverage, as well as a handy app with 24-hour medical assistance. Make sure you check it out – readers of WTSW receive 5% off any insurance policy. Additionally, I also recommend World Nomads.

12 | PREPARE FOR QUICKLY CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS

Given that Madeira is made almost entirely out of rugged mountains, the island is home to several different micro climates.

During my 10 days on Madeira, the roads took me to sunny coastal towns, misty forests, mountain passages above the clouds, and everything in between.

For road-trippers, it’s therefore important to know that the weather conditions could change extremely quick on Madeira – and I mean zero to one hundred, real quick.

As you drive around the island you will have to adjust to all sorts of unpredictable weather circumstances, and it’s exactly this that makes a road trip on Madeira unique.

WHERE TO STAY ON MADEIRA

Since Madeira is rather compact, I highly recommend anyone to base themselves in Funchal, Madeira’s vibrant capital city.

Funchal is an awesome city in its own right and is home to plenty of excellent accommodation options, is packed with history and culture, plus it has trendy restaurants and cafes at just about every corner.

To help you find suitable accommodation, I’ve listed three of my favourites below, one of which is marked – this is the place where I stayed.

STAY SAFE ON MADEIRA | TRAVEL INSURANCE

Since travelling on Madeira is all about hiking and nature, I recommend everyone to sort out good travel insurance before setting out on their own adventure.

Where we prefer that everything goes smoothly during our travels, something unfortunate can happen at any moment, whether it’s an injury during a hike or an accident on the road.

For travel insurance, I use Heymondo, as they offer full covid-19 coverage, as well as a handy app with 24-hour medical assistance. Make sure you check it out – readers of WTSW receive 5% off any insurance policy too.