Page Text Content
Canary Islands & Morocco
Funchal, Madeira
Sweeter than wine, Madeira's a fine excuse to binge on beautiful scenery to your heart's content. Funchal is the island's capital, a bewitching collection of cobbled streets, quaint museums and buzzing café and restaurant life. * Get to know Funchal, a portion of Portugal sprinkled with a dash of Garden of Eden and Edwardian Britain. The whole place seems to be smothered in bougainvillea, jasmine and other exotic blooms. Don't miss the covered market, a dizzying montage of exotic fruit stalls and flower-sellers wearing traditional costume. And take a look at the city's Sé cathedral. * If you're really into blooms, meander around Funchal's tranquil Botanical Gardens, admiring their dazzling displays of orchids, cacti and Madeira's iconic dragon trees. * Take a cable car up to the mountain village of Monte and hurtle back down the cobbles towards Funchal in a wicker toboggan. * Gaze in awe at the colossal Cabo Girao, one of the world's largest coastal cliffs. Then take in the simple charms of the quaint fishing village, Camara de Lobos, one of Winston Churchill's favourite retreats. * Visit a wine lodge to learn Madeira's age-old wine making secrets.
* Discover the island's cosmopolitan capital, Las Palmas, where chic boutiques and tempting tapas bars are tucked in among some breathtaking architecture. In the old town, or Veguetta district, you'll come across the Christopher Columbus Museum, which is well worth a visit, too. * Take a trip to the Bandama crater. Standing over 3,000ft high, it's one of the few inhabited volcanic craters in the world. * Feast your eyes on the wind-sculpted sand dunes of Maspalomas. Then pick a patch of sand and soak up the sun. * Bag yourself some wow-factor views by taking a trip to Pico de las Nievas. Sitting at the heart of the island, its rocky slopes give way to lush banana plantations, pine forests and pretty whitewashed villages. * Visit Mundo Aborigen. This open-air museum near Fataga invites you to walk amongst life-sized stone statues of Gran Canaria's original inhabitants, the Guanches. The mystery about where they originated from has never been solved. Were they Vikings? Aztecs? Or were they the sole survivors of Atlantis? Wander around the fascinating exhibits showing these tribal people going about their everyday business and decide for yourself.
Marina di Carrara, Italy See page 61 for details Messina, Sicily See page 46 for details Naples, Italy See page 47 for details
Las Palmas, Gran Canaria
Golden dunes drenched in year-round sunshine. Rugged mountains hiding pretty whitewashed villages. Bays and coves linked together like a magnificent sandy necklace. Nature's been kind to Gran Canaria so little surprise it lures sunworshippers back year after year.
52
|
Save it »
inbro