Car Hire at Madeira Airport (Funchal)

Airport travel guide

The capital of the Atlantic island of Madeira, Funchal receives hundreds of thousands of visitors every year. Located on the southeastern part of the island, Funchal is both a hub from which the rest of Madeira can be explored and a fascinating city in its own right. These are four of its most interesting attractions:

• Architecture. Despite its relatively small size, Funchal is home to a wide variety of impressive buildings of different styles and epochs. These include the iconic Sé Cathedral, but also the São Lourenço Palace, the Jesuit Colegio Church, the São Tiago Fort which was built to repel pirates, and the Santa Clara Convent with its blue tiles.
• Gardens and parks. Funchal has a disproportionate amount of beautiful public green areas and it would be a shame not to explore at least some of them while in the city. The most famous, Quinta do Palheiro Ferreiro Park, resembles a classical English park with long alleys and impressive gates and has a surprising variety of flora from around the world. Travellers also love the Madeira Botanical Garden and Monte Palace Hotel Gardens.
• Museums. While not as large and impressive as those of Lisbon or Porto, Funchal is home to some fascinating museums giving better insight into the traditions, art, and important historical industries of the island. These include the IBTAM Museum of Embroidery and Tapestry, Wine Museum, City of Sugar Museum, Museum of Sacred Art, and Museum of Natural History.
• Peasants’ Market. The market is one of the most popular attractions of the capital of Madeira, and for a good reason. Blessed with an enjoyable, tropical climate (it is about the same distance from Europe and Africa), the island is great for growing vegetables and fruits, and some of the best local produce can be found in the market. The market, centrally located and near the coast, is open on every weekday except Sundays, and is also closed on holidays. 

Top international routes

• Lisbon
• Porto
• London
• Porto Santo
• Frankfurt
• Ponta Delgada
• Dusseldorf
• Amsterdam
• Manchester
• Prague
   

Main airlines

Jet2.com, Germania, Volotea, easyJet, Condor, and TAP Air Portugal

Terminals

The single terminal has three levels and serves both local and international flights. The terminal building is mostly underground.

Location

Madeira Funchal Airport is 21 km (13 mi) east of Funchal, the largest city and the capital of the island. The trip takes about 20 minutes. Motorway VR1 is the main road connecting the airport to the city. All the other famous destinations of Madeira are also within your reach - for example, Calheta is 50 km (31 mi) northwest of the airport and takes about 50 minutes to reach by a rental car while Porto da Cruz is just 14 km (8.7 mi) north and can be reached in 20 minutes.

Most popular types of hire car

• Small cars - starting at £10 per day
• Medium cars - starting at £12 per day
• SUVs - starting at £13 per day
• Station wagons - starting at £21 per day
• People Carriers - starting at £27 per day
• Large cars - starting at £19 per day
• Convertibles - starting at £19 per day
• Premium cars - starting at £31 per day

Services and facilities

You’ll find a number of shops, three duty-free stores, a couple of restaurants and snack bars, ATMs on all three levels of the airport, a currency exchange, and a first aid station. The 24-hour luggage storage service is on the ground floor. The airport provides assistance to travelers with reduced mobility, but you should contact your airline in advance if you’d like this service.

Nearest petrol station

Repsol gas station, located at R. Cano, 3660-601 Santa Cruz da Trapa, can be reached in less than five minutes and is open daily from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. There are many other gas stations near the airport and on the island of Madeira.