Madeira: an island itinerary and the crafts worth bringing home

By Tiago Reis, co-founder of Ra-Ro · View profile

About a 6 minute read

A Madeira itinerary takes in Funchal, with the Mercado dos Lavradores and the Monte toboggan ride in wicker sledges, the Cabo Girão cliff, the peaks of Areeiro and Ruivo, the houses of Santana, the natural pools of Porto Moniz and the levadas of the Laurisilva forest, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The most typical crafts to bring home are Madeira embroidery, Camacha wicker and the ear cap made from island wool.

Madeira in short

• Funchal: the Mercado dos Lavradores, the historic centre and the trip up to Monte.
• Nature: the Laurisilva, the levadas, Pico do Areeiro and Pico Ruivo, the archipelago's highest point.
• Coast: Câmara de Lobos, Cabo Girão, Santana and Porto Moniz.
• Crafts: Madeira embroidery, Camacha wicker, the ear cap and the botas de vilão boots.
• At Ra-Ro: the ear cap and regional wool from the Enfia o Barrete collective, and embroidered pieces by Bailha.

What to see in Funchal

Start at the Mercado dos Lavradores, opened in 1940, with tile panels on regional themes on the façade and in the fish market. This is the place to see the island's fruit and the stalls of black scabbardfish. From the centre you go up to Monte by cable car or by road. At the top begins the ride in the carros de cesto: wicker and wood sledges steered by two carreiros dressed in white with straw hats, for about 2 km down to Livramento. It is Madeira wicker on the move.

South coast: Câmara de Lobos and Cabo Girão

West of Funchal, Câmara de Lobos is a fishing town with colourful boats in the bay. In the same municipality, Cabo Girão is a 580 metre sea cliff with a glass floored viewpoint. Above the town lies Estreito de Câmara de Lobos, home of David Oliveira, who grew up among his mother's and grandmother's embroidery and created Bailha, a project that brings Madeira embroidery to everyday clothing.

Mountains and levadas: Pico do Areeiro, Pico Ruivo and the Laurisilva

The interior of the island is mountainous. Pico Ruivo, at 1,862 metres, is the highest point in the archipelago, and you can walk there from Pico do Areeiro on the PR1 trail (Vereda do Areeiro) or take a shorter path from Achada do Teixeira. On the slopes lies the Laurisilva forest, inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1999, covering about 15,000 hectares, nearly a fifth of the island. The best way to see it is to follow a levada, the channels that carry water from the wet areas to the farmland. Wear proper footwear, bring rain gear and check trail conditions before you set out.

North coast: Santana and Porto Moniz

Santana is home to the typical triangular houses, with steep thatched roofs and wooden walls painted white, red and blue. They were family homes: kitchen and bedroom downstairs, an attic above to store the harvest. On the far northwest tip, Porto Moniz has natural seawater pools set in volcanic rock.

What crafts to bring home from Madeira

Madeira embroidery

This is the island's best known craft. It is embroidered by hand on linen, natural silk, organdie and cotton, with stitches such as richelieu, buttonhole, cord stitch, French knot and garanito, and a large piece can take months. In the second half of the 19th century, English merchants in Funchal began exporting it to England. Certified pieces carry the guarantee seal of IVBAM, the Madeira Wine, Embroidery and Handicraft Institute.

At Ra-Ro, Bailha brings embroidery to pieces for everyday wear: the Vilhões T-shirt (€49.40), in organic cotton, with a couple in Madeiran regional dress embroidered by Dorina Pina; the Ilhéu T-shirt (€49.40), with the coastal islets embroidered stitch by stitch by Helena Silva; and the Madeira Banana T-shirt (€49.40), with the small banana of the southern slopes. For the table, the Bailha Napkins (€27.70), in beige linen, embroidered in bastido, matiz, cord, garanito and pau stitches.

Camacha wicker

In Camacha, in the municipality of Santa Cruz, the wicker industry began in 1850: baskets, bags, boxes, furniture and the Monte sledges themselves. Only a few craftsmen remain today, working to order from home. A small piece travels well in a suitcase.

The ear cap, botas de vilão and island wool

The barrete de vilão, or ear cap, was an essential garment for country men and is now worn at festivals and in folk dancing, as are the botas de vilão boots. It is dense and hard wearing, made in the natural colours of sheep's wool, with removable side flaps and a tassel on top. The Regional Ear Cap costs €66.20 and the decorative miniature version €16.90. Both come from Enfia o Barrete, the collective that keeps the cap alive, and the story is in Putting on the cap: Madeira's most serious hat.

The same wool reaches Ra-Ro before it becomes a cap. Madeira's sheep are small, but their wool has a long, strong fibre, prepared by Irina Andrusko, a researcher and textile maker who has lived on the island since 2011. The Madeira Wool Pack (€73.80) brings together two 100 g bags of carded wool, for learning to spin, and 100 g of spun wool, for knitting, 10% cheaper than buying them separately. For spinning, there is the Wool and Linen Spinning Spindle (€33.80) and our guide How to spin wool with a drop spindle.

Where to buy Madeira crafts

In Funchal, the IVBAM handicraft shop on Rua dos Ferreiros is a good starting point for certified embroidery. To get pieces without travelling to the island, or to round off your trip, see our Madeira page. If your journey continues across the Atlantic, we also have an itinerary of the Azores and their basketry.

Frequently asked questions

What should you not miss on a trip to Madeira?

Funchal and the Mercado dos Lavradores, the Monte toboggan ride, Cabo Girão, Pico do Areeiro and Pico Ruivo, Santana, Porto Moniz and a levada walk in the Laurisilva.

What traditional crafts should you bring back from Madeira?

Madeira embroidery, a piece of Camacha wicker and the wool ear cap. There are also dolls in regional dress and botas de vilão boots.

How can you tell if Madeira embroidery is authentic?

Certified pieces carry the guarantee seal of IVBAM, the Madeira Wine, Embroidery and Handicraft Institute.

What is the Madeira ear cap?

It is Madeira's traditional wool cap, also called barrete de vilão, with removable side flaps and a tassel on top. Today it is worn mostly at festivals and in folk dancing.

What is the highest point in Madeira?

Pico Ruivo, at 1,862 metres. You can walk there from Pico do Areeiro or from Achada do Teixeira.

Where can you buy Madeira crafts online?

At Ra-Ro, with the ear cap and regional wool from the Enfia o Barrete collective and embroidered pieces by Bailha, shipping to Portugal, Europe, the USA, Canada and Brazil.