Madeira selected best island tourist destination in Europe in 2013Madeira Island News 

Madeira selected best island tourist destination in Europe in 2013

Madeira was elected the best island tourist destination in Europe by the World Travel Awards (Europe’s Leading Island Destination 2013), in a gala awards ceremony that took place in Antalya, Turkey, on August 31.
Long ago that the legendary beauty and the exceptional climate of Madeira made ​​this small Atlantic archipelago one very popular tourist destination .
” The Pearl of the Atlantic ” as it is known this archipelago consists of four islands : the main island of the archipelago is named – Madeira , an island smaller but habitable – Porto Santo , two uninhabited islands giving the name of Deserted and Wild , the latter two major habitats for various species of birds.


With regard to the main island that combines spectacular mountain scenery , exotic vegetation and tropical forests with a rich historical heritage and an excellent climate , is the quintessential holiday destination of many travelers throughout the year .
But the climate and the landscape are not the only trumps up its sleeve this island . This is also home to one of the world’s finest wines – Madeira Wine a fortified wine produced in the vineyards located in the hills of the volcanic island.

Monuments

Funchal , the capital of the archipelago , claims to be the city ‘s most impressive island. Mansions and beautiful gardens go hand in hand with an array of extremely varied religious buildings , including a cathedral of the fifteenth century , the Convent of Santa Clara (also century . XV ) and numerous churches built between the fifteenth and eighteenth centuries . Funchal is indeed an attractive town.

History

The archipelago of Madeira was discovered by chance in 1419 by Portuguese navigators João Gonçalves Zarco and Tristan Vaz Teixeira , having been forced by time to change their original route through Africa Coast . The name of the archipelago – Wood – is due to the dense vegetation and forests that have found broad and explored at the time of its discovery and colonization . Nowadays , the main industries of Madeira are undoubtedly tourism and production of your wine so peculiar .

Culture – Festivities

The people of Madeira is well known to be a good host when it comes to festivals and other celebrations . Some of the best and most important festivals are the Flower Festival ( June Funchal ) , Feasts of Our Lady of Mount ( Terreiro Fight , August) and the Feast of St. Sylvester . The latter happens on New Year’s Eve and is largely responsible for the wood to be considered one of the best places in the world to spend the night at the end of the year . The Carnival of Madeira is another great party increasingly sought after by tourists as it is rich in color , rhythm , fantasy and contagious joy of Madeira .


Drink Eat and drink wisely , Madeira is known for its heavily fortified wine . This unique wine and also known Port wine , are in fact the world’s most famous Portuguese products and in our opinion , also the most delicious . However this is not the only strong point of Madeiran cuisine . The ” Heads ” local pride is to prepare the typical ” meat came from garlic ” or your ” baked Madeira ” . For the sweet tooth , honey cake is unavoidable , a pastry traditional holiday season will base molasses cane sugar and honey . Tropical fruits such as banana, passion fruit, papaya, avocados are other ” goodies ” Madeira fantastic not to be missed .

Activities

Madeira is famous for being the ideal place for long walks . The climate , the scenery breathtaking and their ” taken ” (irrigation channels only ones that make it possible to walk around the entire island ) , are just some of the reasons for this fame.


Golf Madeira has two large and prestigious golf courses perfect for golf lovers, with a stunning surrounding beauty – Haystack Golf Club ( www.palheirogolf.com ) Golf Club and Santa Serra ( www.santodaserragolf.com ) . Incidentally , the island hosts the PGA European Tour every spring , during the Madeira Island Open at the Golf Club Santo da Serra .


The diving is another wealth of the island . May include a number of different species among which stands out the White Marlin Fishing , Tuna , the sea urchin and sometimes even Shark .
The Ferryboat trip to Madeira smallest island ( Porto Santo ) takes approximately 2:30 am, depending on weather conditions .

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