Portugal
Walking Madeira: Portugal’s Isle of Flowers By Foot
Program No. 20367RJ
Portugal’s botanical wonders, sun-warmed coasts, renowned vineyards and exquisite Mediterranean cuisine make this European gem a real-life paradise for exploration and adventure.
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10 days
9 nights
18 meals
8B 6L 4D
1
In Transit to Program
In Flight
2
Arrive Madeira, Check-in, Welcome Dinner
Funchal - Madeira
3
Southwest Coast
Funchal - Madeira
4
Botanical Garden, Levada da Serra do Faial
Funchal - Madeira
5
Market Day in Funchal, Free Time
Funchal - Madeira
6
North Coast
Funchal - Madeira
7
Câmara de Lobos
Funchal - Madeira
8
Porto Moniz
Funchal - Madeira
9
Ponta de São Lourenço, Free Time
Funchal - Madeira
10
Program Concludes
In Flight
At a Glance
With its reputation as the “Isle of Flowers,” Madeira’s rich, volcanic soil and levadas — or carriage ways and mini-canals — offer pristine walkways that wind along its coastlines, weave through gardens and lead to the islands most scenic vistas. Meander along one of Portugal’s most beautiful regions as you join local experts for a walking exploration of Madeira’s capital city of Funchal, a city wedged between the sea and mountain slopes.
Activity Level
Outdoor: Spirited
Low level walks of 3-5 miles, approximately 2-4 hours per day. Elevations up to 5964 feet, with 500-800 feet elevation change over two miles. Private coach or local transportation to travel to different day locations. Sturdy walking/hiking shoes are required (ankle-high shoes are not required, but highly recommended).
Small Group
Love to learn and explore in a small-group setting? These adventures offer small, personal experiences with groups of 13 to 24 participants.
Best of all, you’ll…
- Admire indigenous and exotic plants of the Botanical Gardens on the grounds of the Quinta do Bom Sucesso.
- Hike in a pristine laurel forest, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
- Visit the colorful market where local purveyors offer fresh fish, exotic vegetables, fruits, spices and herbs.
Suggested Reading List
(16 books)
Visit the Road Scholar Bookshop
You can find many of the books we recommend at the Road Scholar store on bookshop.org, a website that supports local bookstores.
Walking Madeira: Portugal’s Isle of Flowers By Foot
Program Number: 20367
Lonely Planet Pocket Madeira
A practical city guide to region of Madeira that fits in your pocket, with the top sites, the best walks, food, art, shopping, views, nightlife and more. Includes pull out city map.
The Taste of Conquest, The Rise and Fall of the Three Great Cities of Spice
Weaving travel and history, Michael Krondl writes of a world where pepper, cinnamon and cloves were as valuable as gold -- and Venice, Lisbon and Amsterdam jockeyed for global control of the spice trade.
Madeira, The Mid-Atlantic Wine
Originally published in 1998, this engaging history tells the story of Madeira. Once shunned by wine connoisseurs as just a cooking wine, Madeira has been growing in popularity worldwide as a drink. Liddell provides a robust, full-flavored history, taking readers from the 1500s to the present and covering all aspects of the wine's production. A revised second edition.
Europe Between the Oceans: 9000 BC-AD 1000
In this magnificent book, distinguished archaeologist Cunliffe boldly recasts European history through the lens of geography, showing its seas and rivers as the conduits to trade and culture. With lucid maps and choice illustrations.
Prince Henry "The Navigator," A Life
A complicated yet rewarding portrait and the first biography of this empire-minded Portuguese prince in more than a hundred years.
Walking in Madeira
Featuring a rich and varied selection of walks on Madeira and neighboring Porto Santo.
Authentic Portuguese Cooking
With over 200 recipes, this is the biggest and most comprehensive book available on Portuguese cooking. In delicious detail, Chef Ana Patuleia Ortins explains recipes like Madeiran Wine and Garlic Beef Kabobs, Mushroom-Stuffed Pork Tenderloin with Pomegranate Sauce and Sauteed Kale with Pine Nuts and Onions.
A Birdwatchers' Guide to Portugal, the Azores & Madeira Archipelagos
The first and only birdwatching guide to cover all of Portugal, this enlarged second edition features several new sites (44 in all) and includes the Azores and Madeira archipelagos.
Tango in Madeira, A Dance of Life, Love and Death
A tangled web of ambitions, romance and murder featuring Agatha Christie, George Bernard Shaw, the exiled emperor of Austria, a WWI veteran and a priest with dubious political intentions, set on the isolated island of Madeira.
A Traveller's History of Portugal
A lively, admirably concise survey from prehistory to the present, great for travelers to Portugal who would like an overview of the country's history and culture.
Small Memories
In this contemplative memoir, the Portuguese Nobel laureate recalls a childhood both dark and magical, split between the growing city of Lisbon and the tiny village of Azinhaga.
Journey to Portugal, In Pursuit of Portugal's History and Culture
Jose Saramago's richly detailed account of his journey across Portugal in 1979. He combines his vivid impressions of the Portuguese landscape and people with a dose of history, fiction and meditation.
Cork Boat, A True Story of the Unlikeliest Boat Ever Built
This endearing tale of family, loss and friendship revolves around a deliciously absurd childhood quest to build a boat of cork and sail it 133 miles on Portugal's Douro River.
Baltasar and Blimunda
This tale of two unlikely lovers in Inquisition-era Portugal is arguably Saramago's masterwork: a philosophically charged, intellectually rigorous historical drama which is also a captivating read.
Alentejo Blue
These short stories set in the Alentejo province of Portugal star a range of colorful expats and locals, including Teresa, a beautiful young girl from the village engaged to a suitable man who yearns to see the world and Vasco, a cafe owner losing business to the new Internet cafe down the road.
Oceans of Wine, Madeira and the Emergence of American Trade and Taste
Hancock's unexpectedly engrossing book explores the culture of wine in Madeira and trade in 18th-century America.
