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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11 days
10 nights
19 meals
9B 5L 5D
1
In Transit to Program
In Flight
3
Funchal, Orientation
Funchal - Madeira
4
Southwest Coast
Funchal - Madeira
5
Market Day in Funchal, Free Time
Funchal - Madeira
6
Botanical Garden, Levada da Serra do Faial
Funchal - Madeira
7
North Coast
Funchal - Madeira
8
Porto Moniz
Funchal - Madeira
9
Ponta de São Lourenço, Free Time
Funchal - Madeira
11
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.
What You'll Learn
- 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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Meals
19 Meals
9 Breakfasts
5 Lunches
5 Dinners
The following choices may be available when requested in advance: Low Fat, Vegetarian, Low Salt, Gluten Free
Lodging
Lodgings may differ by date. Select a date to see the lodgings specific to that date.
Display
- Oct 14, 2024 - Oct 24, 2024
- Sep 09, 2024 - Sep 19, 2024
- Sep 30, 2024 - Oct 10, 2024
- Oct 14, 2024 - Oct 24, 2024
- Mar 18, 2025 - Mar 27, 2025
- Apr 08, 2025 - Apr 17, 2025
- May 06, 2025 - May 15, 2025
- Sep 16, 2025 - Sep 25, 2025
- Sep 30, 2025 - Oct 09, 2025
- Oct 21, 2025 - Oct 30, 2025
2 nights
Lisboa
Hotel Olissippo Marquês de Sá is located in the heart of Avenidas Novas in Lisbon, just a 2-minute walk from sites such as the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum and the São Sebastião Metro Station, which provides easy access to historic Lisbon areas. The hotel was opened in 1996, renovated in 2009, and offers 164 guest rooms on 9 floors with each floor bringing a different color experience. Guests can enjoy a variety of international and Portuguese dishes in the hotel’s Varanda do Marquês Restaurant, and the bar offers a trendy setting for a cocktail with friends.
7 nights
9004-541 Funchal, Madeira
The Views Monumental hotel is located in the tourist center , Lido. The town Funchal City is around 3 km away. The nearest shopping facilities are located approx. 50 km from the hotel, a supermarket can be reached after around 200 m. There are restaurants and bars within a very short distance of the hotel. Further entertainment facilities such as a cinema and a theatre are approx. 1 km or approx. 2 km away. For medical treatment in emergencies there is a hospital around 2 km away.
2 nights
Lisboa
Hotel Olissippo Marquês de Sá is located in the heart of Avenidas Novas in Lisbon, just a 2-minute walk from sites such as the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum and the São Sebastião Metro Station, which provides easy access to historic Lisbon areas. The hotel was opened in 1996, renovated in 2009, and offers 164 guest rooms on 9 floors with each floor bringing a different color experience. Guests can enjoy a variety of international and Portuguese dishes in the hotel’s Varanda do Marquês Restaurant, and the bar offers a trendy setting for a cocktail with friends.
7 nights
9004-541 Funchal, Madeira
The Views Monumental hotel is located in the tourist center , Lido. The town Funchal City is around 3 km away. The nearest shopping facilities are located approx. 50 km from the hotel, a supermarket can be reached after around 200 m. There are restaurants and bars within a very short distance of the hotel. Further entertainment facilities such as a cinema and a theatre are approx. 1 km or approx. 2 km away. For medical treatment in emergencies there is a hospital around 2 km away.
2 nights
Lisboa
Hotel Olissippo Marquês de Sá is located in the heart of Avenidas Novas in Lisbon, just a 2-minute walk from sites such as the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum and the São Sebastião Metro Station, which provides easy access to historic Lisbon areas. The hotel was opened in 1996, renovated in 2009, and offers 164 guest rooms on 9 floors with each floor bringing a different color experience. Guests can enjoy a variety of international and Portuguese dishes in the hotel’s Varanda do Marquês Restaurant, and the bar offers a trendy setting for a cocktail with friends.
7 nights
9004-541 Funchal, Madeira
The Views Monumental hotel is located in the tourist center , Lido. The town Funchal City is around 3 km away. The nearest shopping facilities are located approx. 50 km from the hotel, a supermarket can be reached after around 200 m. There are restaurants and bars within a very short distance of the hotel. Further entertainment facilities such as a cinema and a theatre are approx. 1 km or approx. 2 km away. For medical treatment in emergencies there is a hospital around 2 km away.
8 nights
Funchal
The Pestana Casino Park in Madeira is surrounded by 15,000 square meters of private gardens, where there is an abundance of open-air green spaces, century-old trees, and typical plants of the island. All the buildings of this 5-star hotel were designed by the Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer, considered to be one of the masters of design and modern construction, who was part of the team that designed the city of Brasilia. The space and the integration of natural light are the principal characteristics of this magnificent example of modern art.
8 nights
Funchal
The Pestana Casino Park in Madeira is surrounded by 15,000 square meters of private gardens, where there is an abundance of open-air green spaces, century-old trees, and typical plants of the island. All the buildings of this 5-star hotel were designed by the Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer, considered to be one of the masters of design and modern construction, who was part of the team that designed the city of Brasilia. The space and the integration of natural light are the principal characteristics of this magnificent example of modern art.
8 nights
Funchal
The Pestana Casino Park in Madeira is surrounded by 15,000 square meters of private gardens, where there is an abundance of open-air green spaces, century-old trees, and typical plants of the island. All the buildings of this 5-star hotel were designed by the Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer, considered to be one of the masters of design and modern construction, who was part of the team that designed the city of Brasilia. The space and the integration of natural light are the principal characteristics of this magnificent example of modern art.
8 nights
Funchal
The Pestana Casino Park in Madeira is surrounded by 15,000 square meters of private gardens, where there is an abundance of open-air green spaces, century-old trees, and typical plants of the island. All the buildings of this 5-star hotel were designed by the Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer, considered to be one of the masters of design and modern construction, who was part of the team that designed the city of Brasilia. The space and the integration of natural light are the principal characteristics of this magnificent example of modern art.
8 nights
Funchal
The Pestana Casino Park in Madeira is surrounded by 15,000 square meters of private gardens, where there is an abundance of open-air green spaces, century-old trees, and typical plants of the island. All the buildings of this 5-star hotel were designed by the Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer, considered to be one of the masters of design and modern construction, who was part of the team that designed the city of Brasilia. The space and the integration of natural light are the principal characteristics of this magnificent example of modern art.
8 nights
Funchal
The Pestana Casino Park in Madeira is surrounded by 15,000 square meters of private gardens, where there is an abundance of open-air green spaces, century-old trees, and typical plants of the island. All the buildings of this 5-star hotel were designed by the Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer, considered to be one of the masters of design and modern construction, who was part of the team that designed the city of Brasilia. The space and the integration of natural light are the principal characteristics of this magnificent example of modern art.
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