Madeira Airport has a single terminal on the south-east coast, 16 km from Funchal, with a runway that runs out over the sea on pillars and the VR1 expressway right outside. Collect your car on arrival and you are twenty minutes from Funchal, under an hour from the summit of Pico do Arieiro and about an hour and a quarter from the lava pools of Porto Moniz – most of it through tunnels and up some of the steepest roads in Europe.
Madeira Airport has a single terminal on the south-east coast, 16 km from Funchal, with a runway that runs out over the sea on pillars and the VR1 expressway right outside. Collect your car on arrival and you are twenty minutes from Funchal, under an hour from the summit of Pico do Arieiro and about an hour and a quarter from the lava pools of Porto Moniz – most of it through tunnels and up some of the steepest roads in Europe.
Madeira car hire: debit card, not credit card
You can rent without a credit card. A refundable security deposit is taken on your debit card at pick-up and released after return; the amount is on each car before you book.
Deposit and excess shown up front
Each car lists its insurance options, its excess and the refundable debit-card deposit before you book, so nothing about the cover is a surprise at the desk.
No airport surcharge
Direct prices from Madeiran partners. What you book is what you pay at pick-up, with no desk fee bolted on at the terminal.
The island without the tour bus
Levada trailheads, sunrise on the peaks and the north coast villages run on no timetable. With a car you start the walk before the coaches arrive and stay for the sunset.
Built for a diverted flight
Strong crosswinds sometimes delay or divert landings at Madeira. Add your flight number at booking and the desk works to the real landing time, not the voucher.
The airport sits halfway between Funchal and the island's eastern tip, so the capital and the wildest coastline are each about twenty minutes away.
The Zona Velha, where every door on Rua de Santa Maria is painted by a different artist, and the Mercado dos Lavradores next to it, with its fish hall and stalls of tropical fruit. Use the underground car parks by the seafront.
The hill village above Funchal, with the Monte Palace Tropical Garden and the church where the last Austrian emperor is buried. The famous ride down is in a wicker sledge steered by two men in straw hats.
The bare, wind-cut peninsula at the island's eastern tip, red and ochre cliffs falling to the Atlantic. Park at Baía d'Abra at the end of the road; the walk to the last viewpoint and back takes about three hours.
One of the highest sea cliffs in Europe, 580 m straight down to the terraced fields at its foot, with a glass floor platform at the top. West of Funchal past the fishing village of Câmara de Lobos.
Madeira is 57 km long, but its roads climb from sea level to 1,800 m and back. Each of these is a full day once you add the stops.
about 50 min one way
A road climbs all the way to the island's third-highest summit at 1,818 m, usually above the clouds. Come for sunrise with a warm jacket, then walk part of the ridge path towards Pico Ruivo.
40–50 min to Santana
Through the tunnels north to Santana and its triangular thatched houses, then west along the green north coast to São Vicente. The Caldeirão Verde levada walk starts at Queimadas, just above the village.
about 1h15 one way
To the far north-west tip, where the sea fills natural pools in the black lava rock at Porto Moniz. Stop at the black-sand beach of Seixal on the way, and come back by the south coast for the full loop.
about 1h15 one way
Up to the island's high plateau, to the twisted ancient laurel trees of Fanal in the mist and the levada walks to the 25 Fontes and Risco waterfalls. The side road down to Rabaçal is closed to private cars; park on the ER110.
The hills are steeper than you think
Village roads on Madeira reach gradients rarely seen on the mainland, often with a hill start at a junction. If hill starts are not second nature, filter for an automatic.
Low gear on the way down
Long descents from the plateau and the peaks overheat brakes quickly. Drop to second or third gear and let the engine hold the car instead of riding the pedal.
Know your exit before the tunnel
Much of the VR1 runs through tunnels, and exits come up fast between them. Set the navigation before you leave the car park and keep the headlights on.
Weather changes with height
It can be sunny in Funchal and thick fog on Paul da Serra or Pico do Arieiro. Check the summit webcams before a sunrise drive, and expect mountain roads to close in winter storms.
Fuel before the mountains
Fuel stations are along the coast; the high plateau and the mountain roads have none. Fill up before a day in the interior, and remember gasóleo is diesel.
No tolls on the island
None of Madeira's roads charges a toll, the VR1 included. In Funchal, street parking is short and the underground car parks along the seafront are the easier choice.
Yes – you rent with a debit card. A refundable security deposit is taken on that debit card at pick-up and released after you return the car. Its amount is shown on each car before you book, so you know exactly what will be held.
It depends on the car and the cover you choose, and it is shown on each car before you book. It is held on your debit card at pick-up and released after you return the car; your bank may take a few working days to show it.
Madeira Airport has a single passenger terminal, so there is no terminal to choose. Your voucher names the exact meeting point and your pick-up time.
The car is held for an hour past your booked pick-up time, within the station's opening hours. If strong winds divert your flight and you land on another day, contact us as soon as you know so the pick-up can be moved.
The expressway is easy; the old roads are steep, narrow and full of hairpins. Most drivers are comfortable within a day. Take the climbs in a low gear, use the horn on blind bends, and avoid the mountains in thick fog.
Not a 4x4 – every sight on this page is on a paved road. A little more power does help on the steepest climbs, though, especially with four people and luggage aboard, so avoid the very smallest engines.
Only with the partner's written permission. Most visitors leave the car in Funchal and take the ferry, which takes about 2h30 each way, on foot; Porto Santo is small and has buses and taxis of its own.
Twenty-one, with at least a year of driving behind you. Some vehicle categories ask for more; each car shows its minimum next to the deposit before you book.
Madeira Airport (FNC)
Book in minutes with a debit card, see the deposit on each car before you choose, and collect at the terminal when you land.
