If you think October is a boring time to come to the Island of the Eternal Spring, you are sorely mistaken: summer is not so quick to leave this beautiful place and there are a lot of things to see and a lot of activities to take part in during autumn. Here are a few events to attend in Madeira in October 2017.

One of these events is the Madeira Nature Festival (also known as the Madeira World Games) scheduled for October 4th-9th 2017. This is the latest of the events in the calendar organized by the Madeira Tourism Board. It encourages people to explore all the natural aspects of Madeira, from its seaside and watersport options to hiking around the rich Laurisilva. Active, sporty visitors will be thrilled to attend, for sure.

Less active tourists can also enjoy an unforgettable Madeira tour and know that the prices are considerably lower during this time of year.

Back to the events to attend in Madeira, apples are celebrated here in style! You can attend the Festa da Maçã in October as well. The dates are yet to be announced, but this annual event held in rural paradise-like Camacha, is bound to bring a lot of joy this year as well, with apples on sale from the local producers, exhibitions and parades, street food, good Madeira wine and traditional music, all in the Portuguese (or rather Madeiran) style.

And guess what happens on October 31st, the last day of the month? In case you have forgotten, it’s time to say, “Happy Halloween”! As a Catholic community, Madeira celebrates the Feast of all the Hollow in church, but the modern young people are bound to fill the shops, malls and clubs all dressed in scary costumes, ready to have some fun.

So if you have decided to travel to Madeira this autumn, don’t worry: you won’t get bored!

Of late, Madeira has become one of the hottest destinations in Europe (or well – in Africa, bizarrely enough, as you will soon see). So for today, we’re going to give you some reasons to visit the beautiful Island of the Eternal Spring.

Madeira is a fascinating island. Reminiscent of Portugal’s overseas past, the island belongs to Portugal – it’s Portuguese land outside of the country, just like the Azores Islands. But if Portugal is European land, Madeira, an island in the Atlantic Ocean, lies closer to Africa than Europe. In fact, it’s just 520 kilometers away from the African coast (as opposed to 1000 from the Old Continent).

You would say that normally an island is a perfect summer destination, with all the sun and water and the deep forests of the Laurisilva and its “levadas” to explore. But the truth is way more surprising than that. One of the reasons thousands of people crowd to Madeira every winter is because they want to enjoy the largest fireworks display in the world. This happens on New Year’s Eve and people crowd by the waterside to see the waters of the ocean seemingly come alive, afire with hundreds of luminous colors.

Convinced Madeira is so much more than an exotic island?

Madeira is, after all, just a large archipelago, but it does have tunnels… and a lot of them! Actually, it can brag about its 40 kilometers worth of tunnels, for the most part built in the 16th century. It also has kilometers of aqueducts and altogether, the infrastructure of Madeira is amazing, as you will see on your visit there.

Madeira has beautiful beaches and some of the most amazing gardens on the Continent. It boasts with some of the most breathtaking views and has all the stories to tell.

If you go there, consider the fact that you may need a Madeira car hire.