CouchSurfing in Madeira
There are currently around 840 registered hosts offering free of costs accommodation in Madeira Island. [ LINK ]CouchSurfing shouldn’t, however, be treated as a “free hotel”, but rather a great way to discover Madeira with the locals, get to know another culture and meet new people.
On the other hand, if we value our freedom, or, if we travel in a big group, a better compromise will be:
Airbnb or private villa’s / apartments for rent in Madeira
Most of our foreign wedding guest wasn’t interested in staying at the wedding hotel. Most of them chose Airbnb, in accordance with their budget, preferences and holiday plans. All of them rented entire apartments accommodating entire groups under one roof, and thanks to the access to the kitchen and laundry, they felt much more comfortable and saved a lot.
If you have never used the AirBnb service, I encourage you to register using my referral link:
www.airbnb.com/c/edytac107
If you use this link to sign up, you will get €25 in travel credit. Full terms & conditions can be found [HERE]
Tourist shelters in Madeira & Porto Santo
I have never slept in a tourist shelter in Madeira, but I do know that this is also an option. A tourist shelter in Portuguese is called a”Casa de abrigo”.
[ OFFICIAL WEBSITE FOR TOURIST SHELTERS IN MADEIRA AND PORTO SANTO ]
As you can read on the official website, there are in total seven public tourist shelter houses in Madeira Archipelago – six on Madeira and one on Porto Santo:
- Casa do Lombo do Mouro shelter (or actually: two separate buildings, listed separately on the website) – located between Encumeada & Paul da Serra / route PR17 (Caminho do Pinaculo – Folhadal)
- Casa do Abrigo do Cedro shelter on Montado do Pereiro in Santa Cruz
- Casa de Abrigo das Sorveiras shelter in Monte (Funchal area), between Chão da Lagoa and Poço da Neve
- Rocha do Navio shelter, located on Fajã da Rocha do Navio (“Fajã” is a Portuguese term for is a piece of flat, very fertile land, created by a flowing lava, which is located at the bottom of the cliff, cut off on one side by the cliff, on the other by water. There are a couple of fajã’s on Madeira Island, be sure to visit at least one of them)
- Casa de Abrigo do Pico das Pedras shelter in Santana – the newest addition, added to the list in October last year
- On Porto Santo: Casa Pico Branco Shelter
The most popular and frequently rented out tourist shelters in Madeira are Lombo do Mouro, Abrigo das Sorveiras & Abrigo do Cedro.
On the website, you will find a map, gallery and a reservation form, which isn’t unfortunately very user-friendly for foreign tourists. The website is only available in Portuguese.
The price is fixed – 25 euro per night.
If you have slept in one of those shelters, I am extremely interested in your reviews and your tips. Would you recommend this option to other tourists? Please leave a comment below!
Free camping sites in Madeira
Yes, thre are both commercial, affordable and free, public campsites in Madeira.
I have already mentioned them in one of my previous posts “Backpacking & hitchhiking in Madeira”, be sure to check it!
In order to sleep on one of these free campsites, you need a permission from the Instituto das Florestas e Conservacao da Natureza – IFCN, because the campsites are located within the national parks.
You should apply well in advance, as sometimes it takes time to receive a response. Do not leave it until the last moment.
The short application form “Formulário Campismo” can be found on:
//ifcn.madeira.gov.pt/servicos/servicos-on-line.html