The only possible way to Madeira is by plane. There are no regular ferries from mainland Europe, Africa, the Canary Islands or the Azores to Madeira.
By air to Madeira
There is only one international airport on the island , Funchal FNC.
From mainland Portugal
Standalone tickets from Lisbon or Porto are cheapest with easyJet and Ryanair, with return trips also sold in promotions under 50 eur, the normal price tends to be around 100 eur.
Significantly more frequent connections from Lisbon and Porto can be purchased through TAP on the website flytap.com.
On average, flights to Madeira are about 6-8 times a day from Lisbon and 3-5 times a day from Porto.
From Europe
The most common way to buy tickets from European cities is via TAP with a connection in Lisbon or Porto. Typical prices for return flights from Western, Southern or Central Europe are around 400 eur.
However, you can also buy direct flights to Madeira from Europe with many other airlines. For example, the following airlines offer good prices:
- lufthansa.com - Frankfurt, Munich, Vienna (Austrian Airlines) and connecting flights worldwide.
- Iberia.com - Madrid and connecting flights mainly to Europe, North and South America
- Jet2.com - London, Birmingham, Manchester, East Midlands, Leeds, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Newcastle and others
- Transavia.com - Amsterdam, Lyon, Nantes, Paris
- condor.com - Frankfurt, Düsseldorf, Munich, Hamburg, Stuttgart
Direct flights from Europe are usually more expensive than connecting flights via TAP.
Low-cost airlines to Madeira include Ryanair, easyJet and Wizz Air, but fares are relatively high, typically around 250 eur for a return flight with only a small hand luggage allowance.
Flights from neighbouring cities (Vienna, Budapest, Munich and others) are in a similar price range after factoring in the journey from Prague to the airport.
From America
Nonstop flights from Funchal to New York are operated by Azores Airlines. Return fares are normally between 800 eur and 1 000 eur.
Significantly cheaper tickets are often available with a connection in Lisbon via flytap.com..
Ferries
A regular boat service for passengers only runs from Madeira to the island of Porto Santo, 35km away.
The service is operated by the Porto Santo Line and a one-way ticket costs around 35 eur.
The boat also carries cars. A one-way ticket for a car costs around 70 eur to 130 eur depending on the season.
For ticket prices, online purchase and a full timetable visit: portosantoline.pt.