Madeira Will Limit Access to Popular Hiking Trails
Madeira will take action to protect its hiking trails and set limits on foot traffic. Digital tickets, more rangers, and higher fines will also be implemented.
Madeira will take action to protect its hiking trails and set limits on foot traffic. Digital tickets, more rangers, and higher fines will also be implemented.
Ponta do Sol intends to partially cover Estrada dos Anjos, following the Tabua-Ribeira Brava model, to ensure safety while preserving the landscape.
Today, SIGA launched a new range of pre-paid bus passes designed for tourists, filling a long-standing gap in Madeira’s local public transport offering.
This detailed 2026 guide to traveling Madeira by bus covers everything you need to know about using public transport in Madeira.
The Madeiran Chamber of Commerce warns that tourist taxes risk to confuse visitors, make business harder and damage the islands economy in the long term.
São Vicente will introduce a tourist tax in April, leaving just one of Madeira’s 11 municipalities without a current or planned tax.
Active since October 2024, Madeira’s tourist tax has raised over €13 million. However, Officials now argue this no longer covers expenses. Some propose a flat €20 airport fee to replace complicated hotel taxes and trail fees.
Funchal’s cruise port closed 2025 with record €62 million impact and 750,000 passengers, but growth slowed compared with the stronger increase seen in 2024.
Madeira hiking trails now operate with digital-only payments, leaving tourists frustrated by poor mobile coverage.
Rising in 1972, Hotel Atlantis was Madeira’s modernist masterpiece. Once a symbol of luxury, this concrete colossus collapsed within 22 years under the weight of a changing world.
Madeira will study building a megayacht marina in 2026, aiming to further expand the tourism sector and serve luxury yacht travelers.