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Growing up in Switzerland, the land of chocolate, cheese and gondolas (129 to be exact) makes you think you’ve seen it all; but there is one gondola on the island of Madeira that leaves them all in the dust - the (not yet) famous suicide dive gondola, aptly named for its insanely steep grade and heart stopping descent down to the ocean….but more on that later. Let’s first see why the island of Madeira is worth a visit.

Madeira - Faja (check out our shop for a full resolution version of this picture)

The island of Madeira is located in the Atlantic ocean, about 967km (600 miles) from Lisbon, the capital of Portugal, which Madeira belongs to. The fastest way to get there is by plane from Lisbon, which is a 3h20m flight. Upon arrival, you will touch down at the Cristiano Ronaldo International Airport (Madeira Airport) which ranks ninth place on the list of most dangerous airports in the world and third in Europe. In order to land here, pilots must undergo special training. So, if you are an avid plane watcher who enjoys observing airplanes take off and land on a windy slope on an incredibly short runway, here is your number one reason for visiting Madeira.

As a soccer pilgrim, the islands of Madeira are a must, since the capital of Madeira (Funchal) is the birth town of Cristiano Ronaldo (CR7), one of the best soccer players in the world, and even considered by some as one of the greatest players of all time. At the airport you can already see a piece of soccer history - the infamous bust of Ronaldo which had to be swapped since the first version was not well received - but this is a whole other story. Everything Ronaldo that the heart desires, can be found in the CR7 Museum in Funchal.

Madeira - Cristiano Ronaldo International Airport (check out our shop for full resolution posters and canvas prints)

If soccer is not your cup of tea, and you are more interested in the earlier history of Europe, then Madeira will not disappoint. The island was discovered in 1419 by sailors in the service of Prince Henry the Navigator and settled a year after. There was also archaeological evidence that the vikings visited the island between 900 and 1030AD. Since then the number of visitors has grown steadily. Nowadays, there are about 1.4 Million tourists visiting the island every year (almost 6 times its population). One of these visitors was Napoleon, albeit back in 1815. Christopher Columbus lived on a close by island and got married there. Madeira has seen a lot of visitors since then and if your are not one of them you are definitely missing out.

Madeira - North coast (check out our shop for a full resolution version of this picture)

Here just a few of the attractions of the islands of Madeira:

The Monte Toboggan run in Funchal
The natural pools of Porto Moniz also famous for its tasty sugar cane and honey cake
The Monte Palace Tropical Gardens with more than 100’000 species of plants
The glass skywalk at Cabo Girao
The lookout at Pico do Arieiro
The Levada Walks
The Madeira Botanical Garden
Ponta de Sao Lourenco, a scenic peninsula along the eastern tip of Madeira
The Sao Vicente Caves - lava tubes that can be walked through
The Volcano Center with exhibits and a great collection explaining volcanic activity around the island
The spectacular beaches of Porto Santo, which is an island north of Madeira. On Porto Santo, the Christopher Columbus Museum can also be found.

We can recommend the Hotel Pestana Miramar in Funchal, which is in walking distance to the harbour of Madeira (12min) , the CR7 Museum (14min), The Museum of Modern Art (5min) and just a couple of bus stops from the city centre. Around the corner you’ll find lots of restaurants ranging from Asian and Indian cuisine to pizza. The hotel is ideal for families. It offers an indoor and a number of outdoor pools, a beautiful breakfast buffet, is close to the beach and the prices are reasonable. If you are looking for something cheaper, just a stones throw away is the Pestana Casino Studios, where you save about 50% compared to the Pestana Miramar.

To explore all corners of the island, a rental car is the best means of transportation. You can cross the island and reach Porto Moniz in 50min, Pico do Areeiro in 40min or the Airport in 20min.

Madeira - Coast north east (check out our shop for a full resolution version of this picture)

For gondola lovers, the island has a number of options, including the one mentioned at the start - the suicide dive gondola.

Rocha do Navio (North shore, by the town of Santana, 5 min. ride)
Cabo Girao cable car (Teleferico do Rancho, 3km from the Cabo Girao skywalk, 3 min. ride)
Botanical Garden cable car (9 min. ride)
Garajau cable car (Teleferico do Cristo Rei, close to Canico and the Christ statue of Ponta do Garjau)
Faja dos Padres cable car (10 min west of Funchal, 2.5 min. ride)
Monte Cable car (Funchal cable car, 15 min. ride up, down you can ride with the famous Monte Toboggans )

Madeira - Teleferico das Achadas da Cruz (check out our shop for full resolution pictures and canvas prints)

But by far the most incredible gondola experience EVER will be had with the Teleferico das Achadas da Cruz. The gondola is located on the west coast of the island, near Porto Moniz. The gondola station consists basically of two metal bars holding a thin wire rope on top. The wire rope disappears pretty much vertically down into the abyss - with a gradient of 98%, it is considered the steepest gondola in Europe. Of course, it can’t compare with the 106% gradient of the Gelmerbahn in Switzerland, but the Gelmerbahn is a funicular. With the Teleferico das Achadas da Cruz you are hanging on a thin wire rope 450m above the ground in a tiny gondola that looks like Christopher Columbus himself did the last routine maintenance check. As if this would not be scary enough, there is only one person operating the gondola at the top and there are no barriers or anything remotely secure looking holding you back should you stick your head out too far for a peek over the edge.

Once you board the little passenger cabin - and in case you are wondering, there is space for a stroller but it is tight - and make the initial drop over the ledge, a breathtaking experience is guaranteed. You had better leave a fear of heights at home and prepare yourself for the most exhilarating ride of your lifetime.

At the bottom you can enjoy a little walk through the Faja (a splash zone at the bottom of a cliff built by lava flows, which, in Madeira, usually hosts gardens). To get back up you simply go back to the gondola, call the operator using a walky-talky located inside, tell him that you are ready to come back up and hope that he did not fall asleep or pack it in for the day. The alternate way up the cliff is a 4.5km hike (2 hours).

As you can see, the islands of Madeira have everything, from stunning views, steep cliffs, breathtaking scenery, amazing gondolas and a subtropical climate with temperatures around 15-20 Celsius year round. The best month to visit for a swim is September when the average sea temperature is 24 Celsius.

Madeira and the (not yet) famous suicide dive gondola

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