Find your own sunshine escape all year round in majestic Madeira

A solid of strong, saccharine vino made with Madeira’s Malvasia, Sercial, Vedelho and Bual grapes, oregon a portion of Bolo de Mel – the island’s existent barroom delicacy, made with honey, nuts and a globe-trotting blend of spices – volition rapidly person you that Madeira is an onshore of riches.

With nonstop British Airways flights from London Gatwick, you could beryllium soaking up the lukewarm year-round sunshine successful little than 4 hours, exploring the terracotta-tiled centre of Funchal, enjoying lukewarm land hospitality and exploring hiking trails done melodramatic volcanic landscapes.

Madeira’s temper calms aft the summertime sun-seekers caput home, portion the somesthesia tin scope 20°C adjacent successful winter. Here are the champion ways to bask Madeira during its dreamy dilatory season.

Madeira’s cuisine is seasoned successful history, drafting connected 600 years of seafaring trade. Seek retired authentic land dishes specified arsenic espetada – garlic-marinated beef, grilled connected bay twig skewers – and lapas (limpets) with citrus and butter.

In Funchal, effort cosy Casal da Penha for the island’s famed achromatic scabbard food with bananas, Il Gallo d’Oro for Benoît Sinthon’s double-Michelin-starred, Atlantic-inspired creations, oregon elegant William successful the historical Reid’s Palace hotel, wherever you whitethorn find land delicacies specified arsenic tabaibo (prickly pears) connected the menu.

Madeira’s fortified wines person a past spanning six centuries – Madeira vino was a favourite tipple of US president George Washington, amongst different personage advocates.

Madeira by British Airways

• A prime of Business Class and Economy cabins
• Stay refreshed – with a snack and h2o disposable successful British Airways’ system (Euro Traveller) cabin, oregon upgrade to British Airways’ concern (Club Europe) compartment to bask a prime of repast and drinks from the barroom
• Generous manus luggage connected each flights with 1 portion of manus baggage and an further idiosyncratic point
• British Airways Executive Club members tin usage their Avios for part-payment connected flights and vacation packages
• Keep connected – escaped messaging for British Airways Executive Club members*
• British Airways flies to implicit 40 European destinations crossed Europe and North Africa from London Gatwick and is the lone UK hose to service each 3 large London airports, making it casual to scope your destination

*Available connected astir services

The Henriques & Henriques and Barbeito vineyards invited visitors for tours and tastings, oregon driblet into legendary vino store Blandy’s Wine Lodge successful Funchal for a tasting travel and a sojourn to their depository of Madeira wine-making history.

Madeira was forged by volcanoes, and its rugged interior calls retired to hikers seeking melodramatic vistas and soundlessness breached lone by the gurgling of h2o successful levada h2o channels.

Follow the Levada bash Caldeirão Verde way to a tumbling waterfall, oregon hike the ‘Dragon’s Tail’ to the extremity of the craggy Ponta de São Lourenço peninsula to soak up swoon-inducing views.

The island’s capital, Funchal, is simply a spot of terracotta-tiled houses, botanical gardens and intriguing museums, wrapped astir a historical harbour.

Wander the reinvigorated Zona Velha, with its cobbled lanes and energetic Mercado dos Lavradores marketplace, past transverse the land to Santana to presumption the island’s accepted triangular homes. An insider tip: intermission en way for sweeping coastal views from the Miradouro bash Curtado lookout.