All posts filed under: What to do

Tips about what to do and see in a destination. Travel tours, guides and itineraries.

Levada Rabaçal Madeira

The day I went chasing Rabaçal waterfalls – a Levada walk in Madeira

The day I went chasing Rabaçal waterfalls – a Levada walk in Madeira Last September, Hit the road Madeira launched a new walk to Rabaçal, in the west part of Madeira. Their goal was to show visitors the beautiful waterfalls of Rabaçal, away from the busy, best-known Levada of the 25 fountains. Let me tell you more about Rabaçal Waterfalls Hike… PICK UP was at 8:45. The meeting point was in Funchal old town, near the cable car. There were 4 of us plus the driver Vitor and mountain guide Lisa. First, we stopped at Ponta do Sol to buy lunch in a cosy bakery with affordable prices, but you can also bring a “picnic” lunch if you prefer. The Levada hike was 14 km and lasted about 5 h 30 m. As we were walking in Levada trails, these are often irregular with roots, rocks and slippery puddles. You can also find tree branches right above your head. So, you need to be careful and pay attention to the security instructions. Luckily we had Lisa, who …

Funchal Checklist

Funchal Checklist Are you visiting Funchal and looking for a checklist? I have an ambiguous relationship with checklists when I travel. Sometimes I do love them, others I don’t…See, while this checklist in Funchal is useful to make sure you don’t miss out good attractions, it’s also important to wanderlust and discover your favourite spots. In the meantime, you can check a few of my favourite spots in Funchal and start ticking those boxes! 🙂 √ Stroll along Avenida Arriaga all the way from the Cathedral. At the heart of the city, you’ll find the most elegant cafes, a lovely garden, the tourism post office and the Theatre – get inside (it’s beautiful)!   √ Admire the colourful street art in the painted doors of the pedestrian street Rua Santa Maria. Go early in the morning (fewer crowds) if you want to see the urban art on the painted doors, or later in the evening to have dinner, drink Poncha or listen to some music. √ Admire one of the most beautiful church squares in town – …

Paris for Kids | A Travel Guide (without the obvious, like Euro Disney)

So this Xmas we went to Paris. Why Paris? First of all, it’s a city my sons had never visited before, I’ve studied there for a few months, and I absolutely love it. Second, they’re starting to learn French at school, so an excellent way to get familiar with the language and culture. And finally, because it’s PARIS, the city that makes believe in love, so that’s more than enough reasons for me. Here’s a few tips for romance in Paris for two. (Ok, I also found an affordable direct flight from Funchal and with Xmas coming soon why not “offer something different this year”, so the Eiffel Tower was my gift for the 3 of us.) Altough I don’t like to admit it, I still find it scary to go on holiday alone with my kids. I say to myself “you can do this”, and I try to transmit as much confidence as one possibly can, but sometimes it’s not that simple. As a parent, you know how stressful it can be to travelling …

Holidays in Dubai | 4 days itinerary

4 days of holiday in Dubai I just got back from Dubai. It was a last minute travel, without much planning or preparation. The reason for a trip to Dubai? A direct and cheap flight from Emirates from Lisbon to Dubai, my niece’s residency in Dubai and travel to an unknown destination were more than enough reasons for me to get going. Arriving in Dubai was exciting, seeing family we have not seen for a long time, for me, is always good. We arrived at Dubai Airport at 1 am and as the metro no longer works at that hour we booked a transfer from Dubai Airport to our apartment. We stayed in the Dubai Marina area in this apartment. It has an excellent location and is a spacious apartment with capacity for 8 people. Good value for money. View this post on Instagram Greetings from Dubai. Let’s see what the living the luxury means…💫 A post shared by From Madeira To Mars (@frommadeiratomars) on Nov 26, 2017 at 12:48am PST November is a great …

streetartfunchal

Where to find street art in Funchal?

Street art in Funchal. Street art is one of the things I love the most while travelling in cities like Athens, Copenhagen, Paris, Porto and Lisbon. I love the way street art blends into the buildings of a city and fills each nook and corner with colours and unexpected food for thoughts… View this post on Instagram #paris #latergram #pigalle A post shared by From Madeira To Mars (@frommadeiratomars) on Sep 9, 2015 at 2:44pm PDT Street art in Funchal is another great attraction of the Island. Besides findind street art in the painted doors of Rua de Santa Maria in the old town, there are other excellent pieces scattered around the city. The other day I took my new camera for a walk. Yes, I forgot to mention to you, that I won a new camera in a competition in FNAC MADEIRA, and I couldn’t be happier. Check my Instagram pictures to see the winning shots. View this post on Instagram Pic 3 #maratonafotografica theme #culture Imagine the thrill of performing on a stage in …