Madeira holidays winter

Well, answering the question is not difficult because Madeira is a year-round travel destination. This is mainly due to the relatively constant temperatures on the island. It's not too hot in summer and not too cold in winter.

Due to its mild climate, Madeira is particularly popular in the winter months, especially for visitors from Central Europe who want to escape the harsh winter climate. The average temperature is around 20°C from October to March. 

January and February tend to be wet months, but even when it rains temperatures rarely fall below 10˚C. Rainfall occurs between October and March; these months have between 10 and 13 rainy days per month. The months between May and September, on the other hand, are rather dry. There is more rainfall on the north coast of the island and less on the south coast.

It won't feel like winter at all, thanks to the average 5 - 6 hours of sunshine you can enjoy every day. The water remains mild most of the year; However, it reaches its lowest temperature of around 18 °C from February to March. 

Location of the island Madeira

Madeira is an archipelago in the North Atlantic Ocean, located about 700 kilometers west of the Moroccan coast and approximately 400 kilometers north of the Canary Islands. This positioning makes it an autonomous region of Portugal, despite being geographically closer to Africa.

The relation of Madeira to the continents can be summarized as follows:

Europe:  Madeira is politically a part of Portugal and, therefore, an outermost region of the European Union. Geographically, it is southwest of the European mainland, with the closest point being the Iberian Peninsula, roughly 1,000 kilometers to the northeast.

Africa: The African continent is Madeira's closest continental neighbour.

North America: Looking across the Atlantic Ocean, Madeira is quite distant from North America. The closest point would be the eastern coast of the United States, lying approximately 5,000 kilometres to the west. Despite the distance, Madeira's location is significant for transatlantic travel and historical maritime routes between the two territories.

South America: Turning to the South American continent, Madeira is about 4,000 kilometres northeast of the northern coast of Brazil. Historically, the trade winds and ocean currents have facilitated the connection between Madeira and South America, particularly during the Age of Discovery when Portugal established sea routes to its colonies.

The decorative Christmas lights on the streets of Funchal in December are worth seeing and mark the beginning of various festivities of the Christmas season. A highlight is the famous New Year's fireworks show in Funchal, which has been recognized as one of the largest fireworks displays in the world.