The Atlantic · The Island of Madeira · The Açores Archipelago
Madeira & Açores
Eternal spring, landscapes that defy the imagination. Islands where nature has redefined the meaning of a retreat.
The Essence
Madeira has a light unlike mainland Portugal's — more intense, more golden, more tropical. The levadas run across the island like veins, water channels built 500 years ago that still irrigate the fields and invite you to walk through the Laurissilva forest.
The Açores are nine volcanic islands in the middle of the Atlantic, each one different from the last. Lakes of impossible colour, steaming craters, whales in sight of the shore — an archipelago that has yet to be fully discovered.
Why Live Here
Madeira's eternal spring
No winter — just a greener season and a drier one. The temperature never drops below 15°C. The most stable climate in Europe.
The Açores — nature in its purest state
Geysers, volcanic lakes, mist-wrapped craters, whale bays. Each island is a world, each visit a discovery.
Whales and dolphins in view
The Gulf Stream brings blue whales, sperm whales and common dolphins. On Faial and Pico, a whale-watching tradition centuries old.
A paradise for digital nomads
Ponta do Sol was voted the world's best destination for digital nomads — fibre-optic broadband, co-working with an ocean view.
Madeira wine — the rarest in the world
The only wine in the world that improves indefinitely with age. An 1850 bottle is still good — and expensive.
Mountains that reach the ocean
Pico Ruivo rises to 1,862m, 30 minutes' drive from the beach. Levada trails through ancient forest, without too much effort.
A Day in Madeira & the Açores
Dawn at Pico do Areeiro
At 1,818m. The sun rises from the ocean, the sea of clouds sits below — a 360-degree horizon.
The Caldeirão Verde levada
Along centuries-old water channels, through the Laurissilva forest — trees that grew here 30 million years ago.
Lunch at the Mercado dos Lavradores
Tropical flowers, exotic fruit, smoked black scabbardfish, artisanal poncha — scabbardfish with banana and passion fruit.
Cable car to Monte and the toboggans
The cable car climbs in 15 minutes; in Monte, the wicker sledges have run down the steep streets since 1850.
Poncha in Calheta at sunset
Sugar-cane spirit, honey, lemon, orange — Madeiran poncha is not a cocktail, it is culture.
Culture & Festivals
Flower Festival — April/May, Madeira
The streets of Funchal are carpeted with flowers, an allegorical procession, the scent of magnolia in the air.
Funchal Fireworks Festival — New Year
The largest fireworks display in the world according to Guinness — visible from 30km away.
Festas do Espírito Santo — Summer, Açores
The Impérios do Espírito Santo — 700 years of a tradition of solidarity that still unites generations today.
Sanjoaninas — June, Terceira
Bull-running on ropes through the streets of Angra do Heroísmo (a UNESCO site), brass bands, a week when the island stops.
Whale Watching — May to October
Boats set out from Faial and Pico with a lookout on land — seeing a blue whale at 50 metres changes your perspective.
Madeira Wine Festival — August
Harvest, cellar tastings, folk dancing — Funchal turned briefly into a capital of wine.
Flavours of the Atlantic
Scabbardfish with Banana
Black scabbardfish caught at 800m, fried, with Madeira banana and a passion-fruit sauce.
Madeiran Espetada
Beef on a bay-laurel skewer, grilled over broom charcoal, served hanging at the table.
Cozido das Furnas
In the Açores, cooking inside the earth — geothermal steam from the volcanic crater, six hours of cooking.
Açores Pineapple
Grown in glasshouses since the 19th century. Smaller, milder, sweeter.
Where to Live
What You Need to Know
Compared with the mainland, the cost is similar or slightly higher. Compared with northern Europe, far more affordable. A couple lives well on €2,000–2,500 a month, including rent.
Madeira has direct flights from Lisbon (1h30), Porto, London, Frankfurt, Amsterdam and Madrid. The Açores have flights from Lisbon to every island and direct international flights to São Miguel and Terceira.
Yes — the Madeira International Business Centre (CINM) offers reduced corporate tax rates for registered companies. For individual residents, a specialist tax adviser can set out the benefits in detail.
Excellent. São Miguel has superb fibre-optic broadband, a cost of living 20–30% below the mainland, and the Ponta Delgada council runs programmes to attract remote workers.
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Homes in Madeira & the Açores
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The Islands that
Change Those Who Live On Them
Madeira or the Açores — FOZ VILLA has partnerships in both archipelagos. We find the right home for those who choose to live in the Atlantic.