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Welcome to Madeira

Welcome to this site for visitors to Madeira. Check the menu for the full contents. I hope it helps you to find places of interest on the island and to visit them. For general information on transport, see Getting Around and for what you need to know before you set out on foot, see Walking . Information on specific activities and destinations can be found in the menu. The main focus is on places you can visit in a day trip from Funchal, but we'll also look at some further-flung options if you're a repeat visitor or if you're staying for some time.

Prepaid HF Giro Tickets Valid until May 2025

According to press reports, Horários do Funchal has extended the deadline for using up the credit on the old-style pre-paid Giro cards that are being phased out. HF has accepted that there will be a significant number of people - many of them tourists - who will be unable to use up their remaining credit before the previously-announced deadline of the end of November, 2024. Consequently, the old tickets will continue to be accepted until 31st May, 2025. The company will also allow the old cards to be topped up with new credit until the end of this year.

Payment for Walking Routes Starts 28th October

By 1st January, 2025, there will be a charge for everyone using the regionally recommended walking routes (with numbers prefixed by PR). However, some routes are payable from 28th October. These are: PR1 - Vereda do Areeiro PR1.2 - Vereda do Pico Ruivo PR 6.1 - Levada do Risco PR 8 - Vereda da Ponta de São Lourenço (existing charge goes up) PR 9 - Levada do Caldeirão Verde PR 11 - Vereda dos Balcões PR 18 - Levada do Rei  A payment of 3 Euros per person, per route per day should be made in advance online via the SIMplifica portal. Your permit will only be valid on the date and route for which it was issued, though you can contact the call centre to change it to another date or another route  if you're unable to embark on the walk you have booked. For a transitionary period, there may be staff available on site to take payments. Spot checks will me made to check people have paid the fee and penalties may be issued. Children of 12 and under are exempt, as are residents of Made

Organ, Guitar and Piano Festivals

As the Madeira Organ Festival draws to a close, a reminder that 2024's Madeira Piano Fest will take place in Funchal's Teatro Municipal Baltazar Dias beetween 2nd and 10th November. The programme includes a variety of performances for solo piano, four hands on a single piano and pieces for two pianos. In between the two, the Maderia International Guitar Festival runs in various locations between 25th October and 3rd November.

Changes to Pico do Areeiro Shuttle

23rd October: The majority of the PR1 trail at Pico do Areeiro remains closed. Horários do Funchal has announced two changes to the operation of its twice-daily shuttle service between Funchal and Pico do Areeiro which will come into effect on Sunday, 27th October. The departure point for the shuttle will change from Praça da Autonomia to the Cable Car Terminal bus station (4A), hopefully making it easier to find. Owing to the shortening days, the last departure from Pico do Areeiro, which is currently at 19:00 will leave an hour earlier, at 18:00. This winter timetable will run until 29th March 2025 (inclusive). The summer timetable will resume on 30th March. Summer departures from Funchal are presently timetabled as follows: 06:00 | 13:30 – Praça da Autonomia - stop Rua 31 Janeiro S (9); 06:02 | 13:32 – Jardim Santa Luzia; 06:10 | 13:40 – Monte - Largo da Fonte; 06:11 | 13:41 – Entrada Corujeira de Dentro; 06:15 | 13:45 – Terreiro da Luta; 06:23 | 13:53 – Portão Norte da Herdade do

Temporary Walking Route Closures

The IFCN has announced the closure of recommended walking route PR19 (Caminho Real do Paul do Mar) owing to rockfalls. There are also reports that a section of the Passeio Público Marítimo between Praia Formosa and Câmara de Lobos is impassable owing to construction work.

Expiry of Prepaid Bus Tickets

If you currently have credit on your old style Horários do Funchal Giro card, HF are "recommending" that you use it by 30th November. The last day on which you can add credit will be 15th November. It is presently unclear whether it will be possible for unused credit to be refunded or transferred, but visitors who have cards with existing credit who return after 30th November will be unable to use those cards on board.  New ticketing is being introduced that should - in theory - make it easier to undertake journeys that involve multiple buses from different operators.