Getting to Madeira: flights, airports and ferries
How to fly to Madeira, how long the flights take, which airport you land at, what happens if the wind closes it, and how to get on to Porto Santo.
Almost everyone arrives in Madeira by plane. The island has one main airport, and a second small one on Porto Santo.
The airport
Madeira International Airport Cristiano Ronaldo, code FNC, is near Santa Cruz on the east coast. Its runway is famous: part of it stands on columns over the sea, built out from the cliffs. Funchal is about 20 km away, roughly 20 to 30 minutes by car or the airport bus. See our guide to getting from the airport to Funchal.
Direct flights
Madeira has direct flights from most of western and central Europe, with more routes in summer and around Christmas. Typical flying times:
- Lisbon: about 1 hour 45 minutes
- Porto: about 2 hours
- Madrid and Barcelona: around 2 hours 30 minutes
- London, Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam: around 4 hours
- Frankfurt, Munich, Zurich, Warsaw: around 4 to 5 hours
- The Canary Islands: about 1 hour 30 minutes
Low-cost and charter airlines fly from many regional airports in the UK, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Poland and Scandinavia. If there is no direct flight from your city, connect in Lisbon or Porto, where TAP and other airlines fly to Funchal many times a day.
When to book
Flights are cheapest from mid-January to March, in November and outside school holidays. Prices rise sharply for Christmas and New Year, Easter, the Flower Festival weekends and August. For those dates book months ahead.
Wind and diversions
Madeira airport has strict wind limits, and on windy days some flights are delayed or diverted to Porto Santo, Lisbon, Porto, Faro or the Canary Islands. It happens most often between November and March. It is rarely more than a few hours of delay, but it is worth planning for. Our guide to Madeira airport wind explains what to expect and how to protect your trip.
By sea
There is no year-round passenger ferry between mainland Portugal and Madeira, so plan to fly. Cruise ships call at Funchal all year, most of them for a single day; see Funchal from a cruise ship.
Porto Santo
Porto Santo, the small island with the golden beach, is 2 hours 30 minutes from Funchal by the Lobo Marinho ferry, or about 15 minutes by plane from Madeira airport. Read our Porto Santo ferry guide.
Arriving: practical points
- Portugal is in the Schengen area and the EU. Check passport and visa rules for your nationality before you travel.
- There are car hire desks, taxis, the airport bus and ride-hailing pick-up points at arrivals.
- Madeira uses the euro, and the time is the same as in Lisbon and London: Western European Time, with summer time from late March to late October.
Sources: ANA, Madeira Airport