December is always a happy time – it is particularly so in Madeira. The Christmas Lights are lit on December 1st and remain thus, ornating the city of Funchal and making it merry until January 7th. The whole capital city of the island becomes a magical, fairytale place for all to see.

As all Portuguese people, being Catholic, the people of Madeira celebrate Christmas with a pre-period of fasting and then a week of Christmas Celebrations. These usually start on December 16th and end on Christmas Day, which is December 25th.

During these days, people go to church and also prepare for the celebration with nativity scenes and Christmas Trees.

The last and most beautiful mass of the season is the The Midnight Mass, held in churches on Christmas Eve, December 24th. It is called “Missa do Galo”, because it is believed that the rooster was the first to see the birth of Baby Jesus. After Mass, people head back home to enjoy the good food prepared for the occasion and of course, to see what Santa Claus has brought this year.

Christmas is celebrated on December 25th with carols, good food and families gathering by the Christmas Tree. the greatest celebration in Christianity does not present any significant differences here from how it is celebrated on the European continent or anywhere else, for that matter.

And alas, Christmas being over, we are preparing for a new celebration: we are eager to welcome the New Year 2018. Here, Madeira really presents one of the most amazing and awesome options: the greatest fireworks display in Europe, which happens every year on December 31tst by the shore of the Atlantic Ocean in Funchal.

If you want to enjoy all this in December, be sure to book your Funchal car hire too!

The post Greatest events in Madeira this December 2017 appeared first on Car Hire Madeira.

November seems like the least interesting month of the year from the tourist perspective – probably at a tie with February; it’s cold and nobody travels… or do they? The truth is that Madeira still displays exceptionally nice weather, even in November (at any rate, much nicer compared to other sides of the world), so you will love traveling here at a low cost even in the third and last month of autumn.

Traveling to Madeira Island during the low season will always be a good getaway. Here are some of the events to be looking forward to in November:

Funchal International Film Festival will take place in the island’s capital city, Funchal, between November 14 and 20 2017. This event will welcome a lot of foreign and local visitors, all lovers of movies. It is sponsored by the Madeira Regional Government in an attempt to promote local tourism and events, but also independent filmmaking.

If you thought Madeira is nothing but an exotic destination, you couldn’t be more wrong. The cultural life of the island is very important and if you want to sample this, you can attend the Madeira Piano Fest 2017 held on November 4th to 12th at the Baltazar Dias Municipal Theatre. So if you want to listen to some classical music and some piano acoustics, this is your chance.

How about chestnuts? “Roasting by an open fire” as the song goes or not, you’ve got to love them if you are in Madeira. Festa da Castanha is virtually a November constituent in Madeira. There are several venues and activities scheduled for the month all around the island. The beginning of November in Curral das Freiras marks the annual festivity of this popular fruit. But the Serra do Campanario Ribeira Brava is also a fine option.

You can explore them all with Madeira car rental.

The post What to do in Madeira in November 2017 appeared first on Car Hire Madeira.

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!

The post A few events to attend in Madeira in October 2017 appeared first on Car Hire Madeira.

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.

The post Some reasons to visit the beautiful Island of the Eternal Spring appeared first on Car Hire Madeira.

So what do we do in Madeira this coming August? Plenty of options are available, not the least attractive being the Madeira Wine Rally, a competition (slash show) meant to combine the most beautiful landscapes with a car show. Mind you, we’re not suggesting any drunk-driving is involved (so no, the idea of the rally is not to drink wine and drive in this order, but rather to witness some spectacular car races with experienced drivers, capable of negotiating the winding roads on unpredictable and somewhat wet weather). The fact that wine is produced there is just a coincidence, but if you are not driving, you should take a sip of a good, authentic glass of Madeira wine. The rally is scheduled for 3-5 August 2017 and everyone is invited to participate.

If you prefer to lead a healthier life, biking might be your thing. If you want, you can take active part in the 42nd edition of the Madeira Bike Tour, held this year at the end of this month, between July 28th and 30th. Then in August you can rent a bike in town and race your friends in a more amateurish way.

And if you are too complacent to want to make much effort during your holidays, you can always rent a car in Madeira and drive wherever you like.

Next time we will explore more fun options for your August 2017 in Madeira.

The post Plan an eventful August 2017 in Madeira – Part 1 appeared first on Car Hire Madeira.

Madeira is actually an archipelago, not just a single island, however Madeira is the largest and most well known of the two populated islands, and for some good reasons, mainly of which is the mild climate that it boasts all throughout the year.

The island’s capital is called Funchal and it is the focal point of most tourist activity as well as being the largest city. Most visitors to the island will in fact be landing at the Funchal airport, and this is where our Funchal Airport Car Hire services can come in very handy, as you can have a car ready and waiting for you at the airport whenever you’ll be landing here.

The thing about Madeira car hire services is that many tourists to the island are very used to having a car at their disposal all the time, and this means that they’ll want one when they travel as well. The great thing about the Funchal Airport Car Hire services is that they offer unlimited mileage and twenty-four hour road assistance, and those are just a couple of the advantages.

The greatest advantage of employing our Madeira car hire services is that you will be able to drive your rental car all around the island and as such this means that you’ll be able to get a very unique experience of what it is to be in Madeira. Usually people tend to stay in one place, whether it’s Funchal or some coastal town or resort, but with a car at your disposal, the entire island is accessible.

Well maybe not the entire island, seeing as how there are some pretty magnificent mountains present, but you get the idea.

Talking a bit about the island, you should know that it is also called the Garden Island, the mild climate  allowing for flowers to be in bloom all year round, it’s something that has to be seen in order to fully appreciate.

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