Madeira Beyond the Bucket List: 20 Small Joys of Island Life

I don’t know about you, but I’m starting to feel a little tired of the same bucket lists. Not because the places themselves aren’t beautiful or worth visiting. They are! PR1, Pico do Arieiro at sunrise, the 25 Fontes trail, Fanal forest… they’re all wonderful in their own way.

But sometimes I wonder if our obsession with ticking off lists (myself included) makes us forget something equally important: to simply experience a place. Perhaps that’s also why some places have become so crowded. Everyone is chasing the same photo, the same viewpoint, the same itinerary, often without leaving much room for surprise or curiosity.

After living in Madeira for more than forty years, I’ve come to realize that what I love most about this island isn’t a list of attractions. It’s the little things. Taking the old scenic road instead of the highway. Stopping because the light is beautiful. A warm bolo do caco…

So this isn’t another bucket list. It’s an invitation to slow down, notice, and perhaps, somewhere between the famous viewpoints and the hidden roads, to discover your own little joys and the moments that make Madeira special to you.

Here’s how to discover a different side of Madeira, through 20 simple pleasures and everyday moments that go beyond the usual tourist attractions:

1. Watching clouds rolling over the mountains.

2. A bench with a view and nowhere to go.

3. Watching seabirds dance.

4. Slowing down and noticing the details.

5. Finding the sky reflected in the water.

6. Discovering unexpected views.

7. Watching the sunlight fade.

8. Staying after sunset when everyone else has gone.

9. Sitting under the jacarandas of spring.

10. Lying on a swimming platform with the waves gently rocking you

11.Evening walks when the lamps come on.

12. Discovering a place you’ve somehow never been before.

13. The first spoonful of passion fruit pudding.

14. Feeling the soft sand of Porto Santo for the first time that summer.

15. Spending a slow morning on Madeira’s black sand beaches.

16. Roads that become tunnels of green

17. A slow lunch with a mountain view

18. Admiring the patchwork of poios, the centuries-old terraces carved into impossibly steep hillsides.

19. The colours of island life

20. Leaving with memories, not just photographs.

And perhaps that’s why Madeira stays with people long after they’ve left the island, because what you remember most is how the island made you feel.

What Would You Add to the List?

These are some of the small joys that make Madeira special to me, but I’m sure I’ve forgotten many.

⇒Leave a comment below and tell me: what is one simple moment that made you fall in love with Madeira?

I’d love to add your suggestions to the list. 💙