The ‘Hawaii of Europe’ is getting more flights from the UK

With its rugged volcanic landscapes and gleaming turquoise waters, the Portugese island of Madeira is often thought of as the ‘Hawaii of Europe’ (albeit with much more rain). And over the past few years, more and more Brits have cottoned on to its beauty. 

Reflecting the island’s growing popularity (at the start of the year, TripAdvisor revealed that the island was the world’s top trending travel destination) this summer it’ll going to be even easier for Brits to visit Madeira. There’ll be an 11 percent increase in flights from London to the island, with easyJet introducing twice weekly services from Luton and Jet2 adding an extra departure on Mondays. Those flights typically take close to four hours and in the summer, start from around £42. 

There’ll also be an extra flight per week from Bristol airport and the return of weekly Jet2 flights from Bournemouth to the island’s capital Funchal for the summer season. Across the whole of the UK, those additional services mean that there’ll be a total of 55 flights to Madeira per week for travellers to choose from at the height of the season. That includes routes from Belfast, Birmingham, East Midlands, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Jersey, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, and Newcastle. 

The archipelago is particularly popular for its spectacular hiking trails with panoramic views over the North Atlantic Ocean. In the summer temperatures tend to be no more than 25C – perfect for when you’re being active all day.

To be completely submerged in the best of Madeira’s landscape, Time Out’s travel writers recommend staying in the lush São Vicente valley. Just keep in mind that the island has recently increased fees and put a cap on the number of visitors to its most popular treks. 

Over the summer, there are also a number of festivals worth booking a flight for, from the Atlantic Festival in June with fireworks, circus acts and music, to the Madeira Wine Festival in August and September welcoming the grape harvest. 

ICYMI: This budget airline is launching cheap flights from the UK to America this summer. 

Plus: Watch out, UK passport prices are about to go up

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