Selection of customised and general issue maps
Replica of Columbus's famous Santa Maria
1419 - Portugal discovers the Madeira Islands*
Sailing from mainland Portugal on a voyage of discovery, captain João Gonçalves Zarco and his men made landfall at a small sandy island. They dropped anchor in a sheltered harbour on the island's south coast in 1418. Such was their relief at avoiding shipwreck after several stormy days at sea, they named it Porto Santo (Holy Harbour).
A great pall of cloud to the southwest turned out to be the main island in the archipelago. Covered by thick forests, the obvious name on the sailors' lips was Madeira – Portuguese for wood.
The story goes that as the clouds thickened and darkened, the sailors' foreboding increased. They were convinced their ship was nearing the edge of the earth and could hurtle down into a bottomless abyss at any moment...
* Recent DNA evidence from Madeira's mice (!) confirms that the Vikings were in Madeira in the 9th Century, though no physical evidence of their presence has yet been found. Learn more here: http://scienceline.org/2016/01/viking-rodents-reveal-paths-of-historic-human-exploration/
The newly-designed gardens along the Avenida do Mar, Funchal's promenade
Madeira maps for all
Easy to read, big-scale, up-to-date
Our maps are regularly updated to include new hotels, visitor attractions, roads, etc. They cover Madeira's capital, Funchal, the main hotel zone to the west, the Zona Velha (old eastern quarter), the city of Caniço 6 km east of the capital and the main town on Porto Santo Island, a 2 1/2 hour boat trip northeast of Madeira.
Recently we added the large (58 cm x 45 cm) Madeira Island Drive & Walk (D&W) Map, the perfect way to discover the island by car or on foot. An electronic version of the D&W map, together with 3 Funchal maps (West, Centre and East) plus Caniço are also available as a 5 e-map set at Amazon, especially designed for downloading onto mobile devices.
Funchal City Centre Map (detail)
Funchal City Map
Easy to read, big-scale, up-to-date
Sailing southwest from Porto Santo to a larger cloud-covered island, the Portuguese made landfall in a bay they named Machico. Historians say the origin could be Machin, an Englishman who legend says stopped here before the Portuguese but was never heard of again!
Zarco settled in Machico, but soon, despite the fears of his men, sailed west along the south coast into another natural bay. They called it Funchal, from the Portuguese funcho (fennel), a herb which grew abundantly in the amphitheatre of hills surrounding the bay. Continuing along the coast westwards, their ship reached a massive headland, at which point the sailors said "That's it! No further!" and turned back. To this day the cliff, rising to 589 metres above sea-level, is named Cabo Girão - Cape Turnaround.
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Main hotel zone - West Funchal Map (detail)
West Funchal Map
(main hotel zone) - Easy to read, big-scale, up-to-date
Most of Funchal's hotels are concentrated on the western side of the city. It has been said you don't really know Madeira until you've had afternoon tea at Reid's Hotel - now known as Belmond Reid's Palace.
One way to keep fit is walking or jogging along the promenade which follows the coast westwards from the Lido. Another is a dip in the Atlantic Ocean. The sea-water temperature here rarely drops below 17C and is normally around 22C from June to October. Many of Madeira's hotels have tennis courts. There are lush green, challenging golf courses at Palheiro and Santo da Serra. If you're familiar with links courses, you'll enjoy a round on nearby sandy Porto Santo island. It's also nice to sit and watch others running around: the Barreiros Stadium, a few minutes drive from downtown Funchal, hosts soccer matches most weekends.
Funchal East Map - the Zona Velha (old town), just beyond the city market (mercado)
Old Town Map
Easy to read, big-scale, up-to-date
Funchal's Old Town or Zona Velha is a small area east of the mercado - the city's main fruit, vegetable and fish market. The Old Town is a warren of narrow streets which have changed little over the centuries.
Rua Santa Maria with its door art from one end to the other - mainly paintings and at least one spectacular metal sculpture (see below) - provides a fascinating ten-minute stroll or an opportunity to relax, sit at an outdoor table, savour a local speciality and watch the world go by. The 17th century São Tiago Fort was built to defend Funchal from marauding corsairs. Open to the public, its ramparts are a perfect vantage point for panoramic photos of the city.
Caniço map: Garajau, Upper and Lower Caniço and Reis Magos
Caniço Area Map
Easy to read, big-scale, up-to-date
Driving east along the motorway (via rápida) from Funchal, you'll see the sign for Garajau, known for its sea-cliff, topped by the Cristo Rei statue.
There's a protected marine reserve along the Caniço coast. This is a favourite area for snorkelers and scuba-divers keen to discover the wonders of Madeira's underwater world.
Old Caniço was originally a village, then a town, now a small city. Madeira's finest onions are grown in the area. 1000 metres downhill is newer Caniço de Baixo (Lower Caniço), with its many fine hotels, large and small, most with breathtaking sea views.
Caniço de Baixo - Lower Caniço
Caniço de Baixo
(Lower Caniço)
Caniço is comprised of the original town (Caniço Centre on the map above) and Caniço de Baixo (Lower Caniço). Caniço has a good variety of hotels, most with access to the sea or within minutes of the Atlantic Ocean. There are restaurants to suit all tastes, bars, cafés, bread, cake and fruit and vegetable shops. Plus three of Madeira's best diving centres, Mero, Manta and Atalaia.
Agencies in the area can arrange for a variety of activities: levada walks, bicycle tours and, for the daring and adventurous, canyoning. The map below provides you with numerous suggestions for getting to know Madeira by car and on foot.
Madeira Drive & Walk Map detail. Easy walks (green), tougher (orange) and difficult (red)
Madeira Drive & Walk Map Easy to read, big-scale, up-to-date
Created in 2013, this large (68 cm x 45 cm) edition has brief instructions and safety tips in French, English, German and Portuguese. The D&W map, chosen by several tour operators for their clients, is also available in shops.
There are 22 suggested walks. Those marked green are relatively easy, mainly flat trails. Many run alongside levadas, man-made irrigation channels. Some levadas date back to the 15th century, hewn out of solid rock by the settlers. Trails marked in orange are more demanding and the red sections are best undertaken by experienced hikers and climbers.
Map of Levada dos Tornos walk from Monte to Palheiro Gardens
Custom map for levada (water-course) walkers
This map depicts a section of the Levada dos Tornos, an ideal introduction to levada-walking in Madeira. There are some 2,000 km of levadas, man-made irrigation channels. Many were created centuries ago to bring water down from the mountains and the island's wetter north coast to the drier south. The start of this levada walk from just below Monte to Palheiro Gardens and golf course is easily accessed from Funchal via cable car, bus or taxi.
During a leisurely 3 1/2 hour walk through some lovely countryside, you'll be greeted at every turn by spectacular views over Madeira's south coast. You'll find two of Madeira's finest tea-houses en route, Hortensia Gardens and Jasmine, where you can take it easy and enjoy a cup of tea or coffee and a bite to eat.
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Porto Santo Island and main town Vila Baleira
Porto Santo Island & main town Vila Baleira
Porto Santo was the first island in the Madeira Archipelago to be discovered by João Gonçalves Zarco and Tristão Vaz Teixeira in 1418.
The Archipelago also includes the Desertas, a group of small uninhabited islands southeast of Madeira and the Selvagens, which are actually nearer to the Canary Islands. In stark contrast to Madeira's mainly grey volcanic ash and pebble beaches, Porto Santo is famed for the 9 miles of golden sand along its south coast. The island is much less rugged than its larger neighbour; palm trees dotted around everywhere give it a more sub-tropical atmosphere. Porto Santo is just fifteen minutes by air from Madeira or a two-and-a-half hour ferry boat trip from Funchal harbour.
Open-air Show in Funchal's Jardim Municipal (City Gardens)
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Pride of Madeira
(Echium Candicans)
EMAIL ADDRESS:
hello@holidaymaps.com TELEPHONE NUMBER…
00351 965126549 PHYSICAL ADDRESS:
Imp. Autonomia 83 - Garajau 9125-050 Caniço, MADEIRA, Portugal |
Looking for a great deal at Madeira & Porto Santo hotels featured on our maps?
... most with gorgeous sea and mountain views ...
Look no further !
hotels.mesmo.me
... most with gorgeous sea and mountain views ...
Look no further !
hotels.mesmo.me
Note: Visitors can get a HOLIDAYMAPS Madeira map at many of the hotels, restaurants, agencies and other points of interest featured on this website. The large Madeira Drive & Walk Island Map is available at several tour operators and agencies on the island. For downloading onto mobile devices, there's also an electronic version of the Madeira Island map, plus Funchal and Caniço maps, at Amazon
