Europe's cheapest destination for Brits has year-round sunshine and a rainforest

14 February 2024 , 12:19

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You'll want Madeira on your radar in 2024 (Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

A sun soaked Portuguese island is the biggest-inflation busting destination of the past four years.

Funchal is the capital of Madeira and a city surrounded by the lush, mountainous landscape of an island way out in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Morocco. It has long been a beloved alternative to the Canary Islands, sharing as it does a similarly dramatic landscape and warm winter climate.

Unlike many January and February sunshine spots, Funchal has become cheaper to reach in the past four years. Late January flights to the island from the UK dropped in price 20% in the past four years. Those heading to the Madeira city would have paid £259 in January 2020, compared to £207 now.

That represents a massive real-terms price reduction, as inflation in the UK has been 30% since January 2020. The current real flight price is £121 less than if tickets had followed the rate of inflation, which would've brought a return fare to £338.

Cable cars take tourists up to people viewpoints above the city (Getty Images)

The beautiful archipelago boasts impressive mountainous landscapes, charming towns and colourful buildings, heaps of history, beautiful wine routes, botanical gardens and more.

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History buffs will want to leave time to wander through the Old Town of Funchal with its intricate architecture and colourful buildings, while art fans may want to check out the Rua de Santa Maria where some of the doors and walls have been transformed into street art.

The island is full of beautiful fishing villages (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Other highlights include the Madeira Botanical Gardens and its beautiful floral displays, Funchal Cathedral for its history and the Mercado dos Lavradores, an impressive market where you'll find everything from flowers to fresh fruit and veg. Make sure to leave space on the itinerary for a trip on the Funchal Cable Car which connects the city to Monte - the ride offers up some pretty spectacular views.

If you fancy a refreshing tipple, then you're heading to the right place. Madeira has a history in wine dating back 600 years to when it first began exporting the drink to Portugal. Nowadays you can trace the routes with trips to the various vineyards planted in small terraces, with plenty of wine bars and wine ships along the route where you can book tastings and learn all about the history.

Earlier this week analysis of plane ticket prices carried out for the Mirror by comparison site Hopper highlighted the routes where holidaymakers are not getting value for their money, and those where prices are actually inflation busting.

Comparing flights from more than 200 airlines to and from European holiday hubs now and in January 2020 reveals that some routes have rocketed while others have gotten cheaper. This comes against a backdrop of high inflation globally and in the UK, where the cost of goods and services increased by 30.4% in the past four years, according to Hargreaves Lansdown.

Milo Boyd