Madeira eSIM
In Madeira you connect to MEO or Vodafone, whichever is performing better where you are standing. The typical speed across the country is 74 Mbps. Your data starts working the moment you land, before you reach the immigration hall.
- Networks
- MEO and Vodafone
- Typical speed in Portugal
- 74 Mbps typical, 20 Mbps at busy times
- 5G
- yes, non standalone
- Throttle
- None on metered plans
- Tethering
- Allowed on every plan
Plans that cover Madeira
| Data | Validity | Price per GB | Price | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 GB | Never expires | $5.89 | $5.89 | |
| 3 GB | Never expires | $2.63 | $7.89 | |
| 5 GBMost travellers | Never expires | $1.98 | $9.89 | |
| 10 GB | Never expires | $1.49 | $14.89 | |
| 20 GB | Never expires | $1.19 | $23.89 | |
| 50 GB | Never expires | $1.16 | $57.89 |
How Portugal compares across Europe
- Regional typical speed
- 71 Mbps
- Upstream networks
- 2, MEO, Vodafone
- 5G
- Yes, non standalone
- Next fastest nearby
- Belgium, 77 Mbps
- Next slowest nearby
- Slovenia, 74 Mbps
- Cities with their own page
- 4: Lisbon, Porto, Madeira, Algarve
Landing at Cristiano Ronaldo International Airport (Madeira Airport) (FNC)
- Airport
- FNC / LPMA
- Distance
- 13 km from the centre of Madeira
- Wifi on arrival
- Free wifi in the terminalANA's own announcement of free unlimited wifi across its network names Madeira. It describes a simple connection system using a very short form, with no software to download.
- Also serves
- Porto Santo Airport (PXO)
Getting into Madeira
- Lobo Marinho ferry between Funchal and Porto Santo, about 120 minutes
- VR1 expressway across the south coast of Madeira (FNC)
Worth knowing about Madeira
- Madeira is an autonomous region and archipelago of Portugal, not a city; Funchal is its capital.
- Madeira Airport's runway extension is built on a platform over the ocean supported by about 180 columns roughly 70 m tall, which won it the 2004 Outstanding Structure Award.
- Wind shear makes it one of the world's most demanding airports; pilots need special training to land there.
- Madeira has had no railway since the Funchal-Monte cog railway closed in 1943; the Lobo Marinho ferry links Funchal to Porto Santo in two hours.
- Funchal council launched a free downtown wifi network called Municipio do Funchal in September 2018, covering the historic districts of Se, Sao Pedro and Santa Maria Maior.
- That network is not anonymous. A user gives an email address and a mobile phone number, then receives the connection code by message. One registration lasts seven days.
- Funchal council and NOS Madeira agreed in February 2022 to put free wifi in the solarium and pool areas of the Barreirinha, Lido, Ponta Gorda and Doca do Cavacas bathing complexes.
- On the SIGA bus network a ticket bought on board can be paid for in cash only. The operator states card payment is not possible for an on board purchase.
- There are two GIRO cards, the GIRO ticket and the GIRO pass, and both use contactless technology. They are loaded at operator counters, Payshop agents and vending machines.
- A pre bought GIRO ticket gives unlimited trips within its fare zones on any SIGA operator, so long as validations fall within 45 minutes for municipal titles or 90 for intermunicipal.
- The SIGA network is run by three concessionaires, Companhia de Autocarros da Madeira, Siga Rodoeste and Horarios do Funchal, and covers both Madeira and Porto Santo with new buses carrying wifi.
- The VR1 expressway is 44 km long with 27 junctions and 30 tunnels, running from Ribeira Brava in the west to Porto do Canical in the east.
- The Cortado Tunnel at 3,168 m is the longest road tunnel in Madeira, followed by Encumeada at 3,100 m and Ponta do Sol at 2,682 m.
- Over 2,170 km of levadas were cut across Madeira as irrigation channels and now form a walking network. The system includes about 40 km of tunnels, some still accessible.
- Madeira lies 805 km southwest of mainland Portugal, 520 km west of Morocco and just under 400 km north of the Canary Islands. Its 2021 population was 251,060.
- The EllaLink transatlantic cable branches to Madeira. Its GeoLab seabed sensing project runs on a 75 km stretch between Funchal and the junction box on the main cable.
- Madeira Airport handled 5,653,000 passengers in 2025, up 12 percent. Its runway grew from 1,600 m at opening in 1964 to 2,781 m by 2000, at 58 m above sea level.