https:\/\/viata.ai\/event\/dis2025<\/a>We focus mainly on Funchal and places near the venue, but urge you to go explore the full Island. If you are travelling in or out of Funchal, the following interactive map shows some of our favourite places https:\/\/viata.ai\/event\/dis2025<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n The rest of this guide is divided into:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Funchal is very walkable (although we have some hills), and the center where most attractions and restaurants are located, can be traversed in 15 minutes. Hotels are normally located in the center or to the west of Funchal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The transport network in Funchal may not be extensive, but it covers most places, it’s cheap and on time. You can buy single ride tickets (on the bus, using cash) or get a rechargeable card for easier travel. Cards are available at bus stations, some hotels, and kiosks in Funchal. You can find bus schedules and routes on the official website<\/a> or their app, but we personally prefer to use Google Maps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ride-hailing services are limited to certain authorised services (e.g., Bolt, Rumus, Uber). Due to this limitation, there are less drivers; trying to book a service at a certain time of day might be challenging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some of these services are connected to taxi services, and will appear as an option when using the app. Taxis can also be requested by calling them directly (your hotel will easily do this for you). You can also search for the taxi operator (central de taxi) closest to you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you are traveling as a group, shuttle services or private driver services can also be booked online.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you are renting a car but planning to stay mostly in Funchal, you won\u2019t get full use of it. Car rentals can be pricey during Summer, and free parking can be hard to find. Public\/private transports will get to most places in Funchal worth seeing. If you are planning on exploring the Island, then we definitely recommend renting a car. Popular levadas, hikes and beaches are outside of Funchal, and public transport for these places is mostly used for locals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cities and Towns in Madeira are connected by a series of express roads (see https:\/\/madeira-travel.madere-leguide.com\/madeira-roads<\/a>); they are relatively easy to drive, free and fast (except for rush hour and when accidents happen).<\/p>\n\n\n\n When getting to rural areas, roads tend to be more difficult (being narrow, steep and winding) but still manageable. Take a look at these resources for an idea of what driving is like:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Not enough desserts and sweets? Visit this page for more https:\/\/blog.madeira.best\/22-madeira-traditional-sweets-you-must-try<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Looking for some extra caffeine to help you finish that presentation? Need some time alone with a piece of cake, a book and a view? Want to get out of the venue for a lazier lunch?<\/p>\n\n\n\n The only Starbucks is in the airport (after the security check), so you will have to get used to ordering in Portuguese. Luckily, we love coffee over here, and love giving it weird names, different from the mainland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Check the following guides for a crash course in coffee ordering:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Most caf\u00e9s, restaurants and bars will pour respectable coffee, but here some of favorites:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Simply put, there are too many restaurants that we like to put here, so we are writing down some tips:<\/p>\n\n\n\n For lunch, some places have a prato do dia (daily dish) or combined menus that are cheaper than other things in the menu (\u00e0 la carte). It’s common that these places also have different prices at night. For weekly or daily menus, most restaurants update their facebook or instagram accounts. For fixed menus, you can find the menu on the restaurant\u2019s website, on Tripadvisor<\/a> or Fork<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Most restaurants accept walk-ins easily. If you are a big group, then it’s better to call ahead or to book through a service. Using the Fork app to book ahead, will in some cases (depending on the offer) give you discounts making some fancier restaurants more affordable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Around the venue there are several restaurants, and you are a short walk from the Funchal center where you will find many more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Stuck at the hotel finishing slides?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Food labelling laws follow European regulations. This requires the 14 major food allergens to be labeled if they are present in any pre-packaged foods. They must be clearly identified on the ingredient list with a clear reference to the allergen present, such as milk, wheat, egg, peanuts, etc. Restaurants should also present this information if you ask or if you show them a food allergy card.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Industrial kitchens (e.g., hotels) or restaurants often highlight vegetarian\/vegan options, but might not indicate allergens. Be proactive in asking for help in deciphering menus. Most restaurants do not mind switching ingredients if they can. Some have gluten-free options on request (e.g., gluten free bread).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Waiters might not be aware of allergens\/special diets if they did not get training for it. For example, it’s common to have to explain what gluten is. Politely ask to speak to the chef directly if you feel it is best. Even though restaurants offer gluten-free dishes, beware of potential cross-contamination risks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n More traditional restaurants are lax regarding menus. Some items might be mislabeled (e.g., a vegetable soup sometimes has meat; \u201csopa de trigo\u201d (wheat soup) normally has meat) or use ingredients that are not clear in the description (e.g., frying in pork lard; using chicken stock in the preparation of rice sides). Again, be proactive and ask questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Supermarkets like Pingo Doce (https:\/\/www.pingodoce.pt\/<\/a>) and Continente (https:\/\/www.continente.pt\/<\/a>) have special sections for dietary alternative products (e.g., gluten-free products, meat replacements, snacks, etc.). They are pretty common and can be found around the Island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In Funchal, there are also several food stores specialising in dietary alternatives:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Most Portuguese restaurants will have at least one or two vegetarian\/vegan options. Recently, several new Asian (Chinese\/Japanese\/Indian\/Nepalese\/etc.) restaurants have opened, with several vegetarian and vegan options. The following list features some vegetarian\/vegan friendly restaurants (as in they have more than two options\u2026):<\/p>\n\n\n\n Weather in July?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Summer is the most popular time of year in Madeira due to our warm weather. Average temperatures at this time of year are around 23\u00baC during the day, and 20\u00baC at night. Madeira has microclimates, meaning that it’s normal to have a bright sunny day on one side of the island, and rain and wind on the other side.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What can I do about mosquitos?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the downsides of living in a tropical humid climate is that we have mosquitos. They are more prevalent in some areas (e.g., river beds) and normally more annoying than dangerous. Most locals use repellents like Previpiq<\/a>, which can be bought at the pharmacy or supermarkets like Pingo Doce and Continente.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here with family and need babysitting?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are a few services, with different requirements (e.g., full day, minimum hours):<\/p>\n\n\n\n Avoid buying fruits and vegetables at the big Lavradores Market or supermarkets if you can.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Fruits and vegetables at the large market are sometimes more expensive and sellers often trick tourists (e.g., let you taste ripe fruits, but sell you worst products). Fruits and vegetables in supermarkets are most times imported (if local, there will be an indication or sticker that they are from Madeira). If possible, support small shops (frutarias) or vendors, as they have local products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you want some treats from the island to take home, here\u2019s our favorites:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Get some cookies from F\u00e1brica de Santo Ant\u00f3nio<\/a> \u2013 trust us on this one. Our favourites are Bolachas Quadrada<\/a>, Broas de Gengibre<\/a>, Paci\u00eancias<\/a> and the iconic Broas de Mel de Cana<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The best Bolo de Mel is always the one made by our grandma, but since we can\u2019t have enough for everyone, we recommend either the one from Sociedade dos Engenho da Calheta<\/a> or the one from Pereira d\u2019Oliveira (Vinhos)<\/a> or Fabrica de Santo Ant\u00f3nio, sold in Funchal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Fennel candies (or other flavors) are perfect to share and can be found in supermarkets. Supermarkets usually have a section with local products (e.g., jams, honey). They also have bottled poncha, but it will never quite be like the fresh one\u2026 You will just have to come back.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Hello and welcome to Madeira! There are plenty of guides talking about our beautiful trails, our nice beaches, our delicious food, etc. We put together this guide to help you plan your time in Madeira, highlighting some things that you probably won\u2019t find in other guides. How to order a coffee in Portugal? Where to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-469","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dis.acm.org\/2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/469","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dis.acm.org\/2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dis.acm.org\/2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dis.acm.org\/2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dis.acm.org\/2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=469"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/dis.acm.org\/2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/469\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":481,"href":"https:\/\/dis.acm.org\/2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/469\/revisions\/481"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dis.acm.org\/2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=469"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"map](\"https:\/\/dis.acm.org\/2025\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/local-map-1024x479.jpg\")
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Official and Unofficial Guides\/Maps\/Itineraries<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Main Guide<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Guided Tours and\/or Levadas<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Self-guided – Community Guides and Blogs<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Self-guided – Maps<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Self-guided – Itineraries<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Getting around in Madeira<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Public Transport in Funchal<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Ride-hailing Services & Taxis<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Driving in Madeira<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Local Food & Drinks<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Starters<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Soups<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Fish<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Meat<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Sides<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Desserts & Sweets<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Sandwiches & Snacks<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Non-alcoholic Drinks<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Alcoholic Drinks<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Coffee!!! Sugar!!! Food!!!<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Ordering Coffee<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Favorite coffee\/dessert places close to the venue<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Restaurants near the venue<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Ordering Food<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Snacks? Ingredients to cook?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Food Allergies \/ Special Diets \/ Vegetarian \/ Vegan<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Dietary Alternatives<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Vegetarian\/vegan Friendly Restaurants<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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FAQ & Tips<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
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