Accessibility

Madeira and Porto Santo: increasingly accessible islands

Welcome to the archipelago

The archipelago of Madeira is a destination for everyone! As with other tourist destinations, proof of this is the presence of buildings with access and equipment for people with special needs all over the islands of Madeira and Porto Santo. Erecting new buildings already adapted to this reality, and turning existing infrastructures accessible to people with reduced mobility, is not only a concern but also a necessity for a tourist destination as acclaimed as ours.

Airports

For those visiting us by air, the airport of Funchal and the airport of Porto Santo are the gateways to an unforgettable stay in this archipelago. Both infrastructures are fully adapted to all users with special needs. Like all airports in Portugal, you can also request free assistance services for passengers with reduced mobility.

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Port of Funchal

If you are travelling to Madeira by one of the hundreds of cruise ships that stop over in the region every year, your mobility needs are guaranteed. The Port of Funchal is tasked with welcoming the large cruise ships, full of passengers eager to explore what the few hours of stopover allow them. Both the North Pier and the South Pier are accessible to people with reduced mobility.

Accessible accommodation

As far as accommodation is concerned, in the archipelago of Madeira, the vast majority of hotels have good conditions and equipment to comfortably accommodate people with special needs. Almost all hotels have access ramps and lifts to enable people with reduced mobility to enjoy their well-deserved rest. Even so, before booking your stay, get in touch with the accommodation you want to stay at to ensure that everything goes as expected.

Adapted transport

Public transport in the region has also undergone constant adaptation to become more and more capable of transporting people with reduced mobility.

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Equipment hire

All visitors with reduced mobility, when visiting the archipelago of Madeira, may bring with them their own support equipment. These include wheelchairs - manual or electric - as well as walkers, mobility scooters, or any other equipment that facilitates movement. In case of using the plane as a means of transport to reach the archipelago, when it comes to transport of electric chairs with lithium batteries, you should always contact the airline company as they must be informed in advance. For those passengers who prefer to rent mobility equipment when they arrive in Madeira, there are companies dedicated to hiring such equipment.

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Mobility scooters, for example, are easy-driving equipment, developed especially for the transport of people with reduced mobility (physical and/or motor disabilities), allowing them to be autonomous in carrying out their daily tasks. This type of vehicle is comparable to wheelchairs with an electric motor and its circulation on public roads is equivalent to pedestrian traffic.

Ortho Ilheus is one of the companies dedicated to the rental of this type of equipment, offering several easy-driving options.

Disabled parking permit

Citizens with a motor disability with a degree of disability equal to or greater than 60% or with profound multi-disability have the right to park in the spaces specifically designated for them and which are duly signposted. To do this, all that is needed is to place the Disabled Parking Permit for people with disability on the front windscreen of the vehicle, in accordance with the provisions of Decree-Law No. 307/2003 of 10 December.

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Acessibilidades madeira estacionamento 3

Walks for all

Madeira is the ideal destination for walk lovers, and in order to allow everyone to contemplate the lush beauty of our trails, there is a route between Pico das Pedras and Queimadas, in the municipality of Santana, which is prepared to receive visitors with motor disabilities. In this way, the charm of the Laurissilva Forest can be appreciated on dry days, on a route of about 2 km, by visitors with electric wheelchairs.

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Focus on Accessibility

There are several tourist entertainment companies that are duly accredited to provide quality services to people with reduced mobility.

Empresas de animação turística acessíveis

Accessible cultural spaces

Regarding the main attractions, mainly those of a cultural nature, all over the island and distributed among the leisure areas and cultural spaces, there is equipment that makes it possible for everyone to visit these spaces.

See here the cultural spaces that are perfectly adapted

Museums

Museum of the Vine and Wine

The Vine and Wine Museum focuses on the production process of this regional product which, over the centuries, has conquered the world.

Museums

Solar do Aposento

Visiting Solar do Aposento means stepping back in time and witnessing life on the island in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Museums

Casa Museu Frederico de Freitas

The Frederico de Freitas House Museum presents eclectic collection dating from the 17th to the 19th centuries.

Museums

Madeira Story Centre

The Madeira Story Centre offers the opportunity to discover the millenary history of the Madeiran archipelago through an informative and interactive tour.

Museums

CR7 Museum

The CR7 Museum of Funchal, depicts the career and displays over a hundred individual and collective trophies of Cristiano Ronaldo.

Museums

Funchal Electricity Museum

The Museu da Eletricidade of Funchal, or 'Casa da Luz', houses exhibits dedicated to the history of the electricity grid in Madeira.

Museums

Madeira Press Museum

The Madeira Press Museum allows you to explore the historic journey of the printing industry and the press in the archipelago.

Museums

Madeira Photography Museum - Atelier Vicente's

The Madeira Photography Museum gathers a collection of cameras, sceneries and a photographic archive of one and a half million copies.

Museums

Natural History Museum of Funchal

The Natural History Museum of Funchal houses more than 50,000 records of animal and botanical specimens. It is the ideal place to get to know Madeira's natural heritage.

Museums

Henrique e Francisco Franco Museum

The Museu Henrique e Francisco Franco houses a vast collection of works by these two brothers, considered important authors of the modernist movement.

Museums

Madeira Military Museum

Installed in São Lourenço Palace the Museu Militar da Madeira presents visitors with a wide range of military and artistic objects.

Museums

Monte Palace Museum Madeira

The Monte Palace Museum presents a collection of contemporary Zimbabwean sculpture and another with hundreds of mineral samples from all over the world.

Museums

Quinta das Cruzes Museum

Quinta das Cruzes Museum, located in this historic centre of Funchal, houses a vast collection of artworks, furniture, jewellery, ceramics and sculpture

Museums

São Lourenço Palace Museum

São Lourenço Palace, whose construction was commissioned in the 16th century, presents a vast set of decorative artworks and a gallery of royal portraits.

Monuments & Architecture

Baltazar Dias Theatre

Officially opened in 1888, the Baltazar Dias Municipal Theatre has an elegant and balanced architectural style, following the typically Italian model.

Museums

Cultural Centre of Quinta Magnólia

The Cultural Center of Quinta Magnolia, located in Funchal, is a place of artistic and cultural dissemination integrated in an iconic Madeiran garden.

Calheta

Casa das Mudas

Casa das Mudas is a dynamic museum dedicated to contemporary art. Its building, with modern lines and harmoniously integrated into the landscape.

Museums

Whale Museum

The Madeira Whale Museum offers visitors an insight into whale hunting in the archipelago and reveals current aspects of its preservation.

Museums

Solar do Ribeirinho Museum

The Solar do Ribeirinho Museum has a diverse collection of objects that reflect the economic, social and cultural history of Machico.

Ribeira Brava

Madeira Ethnographic Museum

The Madeira Ethnographic Museum presents collections that focus on the various social, cultural, ethnographic and economic aspects of the archipelago.

Ponta do Sol

John dos Passos Cultural Centre

The John dos Passos Cultural Centre is a dynamic place dedicated to this Portuguese writer and local artists. It hosts multiple cultural initiatives.

Vila Baleira

Centro Cultural de Congressos do Porto Santo

Centro Cultural de Congressos do Porto Santo, is a modern building that hosts exhibitions, congresses and many other cultural and artistic activities.

A facilitator APP

The TUR4ALL APP allows people with special needs to plan their trips, accessing accurate and reliable information about the accessibility of tourist resources. TUR4ALL is prepared to personalise the search according to the user's specific needs. TUR4ALL publishes tourist resources evaluated by accessibility specialists, with the TUR4ALL distinctive seal, and also resources introduced by users through online questionnaires prepared for this purpose.

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Keep in Touch

@visitmadeira