Madeira: Family Holiday

Madeira is not the obvious destination for a family holiday. Children need to be good walkers to cope with the hilly terrain, and there are few golden beaches for sandcastles, unless you head to Madeira’s sister island of Porto Santo. Unless they are particularly botanically-minded, children will probably not appreciate the beauty of Madeira’s wild flowers and gardens. However, they will probably enjoy a visit to Funchal’s aquarium, the water park at Santa Cruz, as well as the lidos in Funchal, with their excellent salt water pools and access to the sea. Children will also love the rock pools at Porto Moniz. If you have small children, pushing a pram or pushchair will require some strength, even in Madeira’s capital city of Funchal, which has cobbled, steep streets.