Madeira island, the up and coming remote work hub in Europe. It’s hard to miss the buzz about the island being the place and centre for remote workers. However, if this somehow has slipped your attention, you are in the right place.

We know it can be difficult to blend into new surroundings and find the right community to make your time fun and not fall into the wheel of loneliness. Especially digital entrepreneurs and remote workers, nailing the skill of getting in to new communities quickly have become a necessity to master these days.

We gathered the top best things to do, ways to blend in, events to attend, and sceneries you must not miss, including Madeira beaches to relax on, in this post, so that you can arrive on the island and live the best nomad lifestyle on the island.

Let’s sum up 10 reasons WHY NOMADS ARE ATTRACTED to Madeira and WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW about remote working on the Island.

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1. The island hosts digital nomad villages

This is a startup project run by the regional government of Madeira.

They have created a community and culture on the island to facilitate remote workers between 1-6 months where they live in concentrated areas close to each other and work in the community coworking spaces.

Amazing recreational and educational events and opportunities for digital nomads are hosted by the community, for the community. 

There are now 3 digital nomad communities most buzzing: Ponta Do Sol, Funchal and Machico.

All have their own charm and type of nomads joining in the events.
Digital nomad villages Ponta Do Sol, Funchal & Machico
Click and see where the digital nomad communities are located

2. The community of Digital Nomads

Upon arrival, you can now join a local community and grow your network and make friends with like-minded people. These communities are growing quickly and have become easy to join upon arrival in Madeira.

You can now keep in touch with the communities through slack channels, WhatsApp groups, and Facebook groups.

When joining these communities you also get invites to events and meetups with fellow digital professionals.

3. The scenery and nature of Madeira Island

It goes without saying that Madeira is known for its extraordinary scenery, nomads on the island are especially fond of the sunsets and rises of Pico do Arieiro.

Besides seeing the start and the end of a day from a hilltop, the countless hikes to be made on the island has attracted nomads to live a slower and more content lifestyle.

It is THE road trip island, just take a car, start driving and explore!

Let your intuition guide you and you will definitely bump Into beautiful viewing points, waterfalls, beaches, caves or forests.

digital nomads madeira

4. The sunny weather

Madeira is in the top sunniest places in Europe.

When the remaining of Europe heads into the fall and winter season, the sun keeps showing up in Madeira and stretches that beach season longer, with between 15-20 degrees Celsius still in December and January in Funchal, the capital of Madeira Island.

NOMAD ISLAND FEST!

Join the Nomad Island Fest: Our 7-day life-changing experience in Madeira from 7 – 13 Dec 2023.

5. The tax benefits for businesses

Madeira is one of the few places that have taken big steps for startups and international businesses in terms of tax reduction.

Having your business registered in Madeira means you become part of the MIBC (Madeira International Business Center) and can benefit from advantages such as:

reduced corporate income tax rate of 5%.

exemption on withholding tax from interest
You benefit from the EU business benefits too as Madeira is part of Portugal and therefore an EU state.

Do you want to have advice on how to incorporate your business here? Connect with Startup Madeira. They will help you with anything you need and find the right service providers for you.

6. Incredible diversity of city and nature

Whilst Madeira island is known for its beautiful nature and enjoyable hikes and relaxing beaches with caves. The city life there is also buzzing. One after other more enjoyable rooftop bars, the endless coffee places and needed it to be mentioned, the bakeries with the local good Madeira cake offers.

7. The attractive cost of living

We all know the living costs, especially accommodation can be a deal-breaker for digital nomads and online entrepreneurs if it’s too high.

Private accommodation according to the Nomad village crew of Madeira island starts at a rate of 550€.

To raise the standard of the housing and get in contact with like-minded people, many choose to live in shared living that has become widely popular amongst nomads on the island.

8. Rooftop offices and other amazing places to work form

The countless bar rooftops serve in fact two purposes: the fun and relaxation after work in the evening and office space during the day.

Here you can enjoy good views, coffee, and great Wifi during the day whilst getting your work done. A few rooftops you MUST visit are TreeHouse, Savoy Next, Savoy Palace, Castanheiro Boutique Hotel, The Vine, Sé Boutique Hotel.

roof top office

9. Spectacular food and extraordinary culture

One of the most used words in Madeira is PONCHA! Poncha is a local Fishermans drink, rum mixed with juice and honey.

It’s delicious, refreshing but watch out, more than one Poncha can make you forget about parts of your night.
Then we have the famous bread of madeira called Bolo de Caco. It is a heavy but delious type of bread, mostly covered with fresh garlic and butter and can’t be missed as a starter before dinner.

For the carnivores, we highly recommend to try out the Espetadas. These are big skewers of meat which are Brough to your table on a special hanging skewer, fresh from the grill.

A traditional way of serving meat in Madeira and definitely very yummy with an authentic taste.

Lisbon Portugal Digital Nomad
Delicious Espetadas. Best served with fried corn, rice and salad.

Last but not least: Lapas. The famous type of clams, shellfish that local people take out of the ocean near the shore.

They way it is prepared with loads of oil, herms, garlic and onions can not be missed when you visit the island.

10. Panorama ocean views

Almost wherever you head on the island you will be served up with an ocean view.

Due to the uneven nature and loads of hilltops and valleys, you can almost guarantee that you end up looking over the ocean whether it’s for work, coffee, dinner, or home it’s hard not to end up with a view of the waterfront on Madeira island.

madeira ocean view

Still, feeling unsure if this will be the business nomads hub that you are looking for?

Join our signature business retreat and meet like-minded people to you, get a first impression of what Madeira island has to offer, and learn new skills useful for your business. Fill in the form today and secure 1 of the few spots available.

Looking for accommodations in a Digital Nomad destination?

With Flatio you can book fully furnished flats from one to a few months hassle-free, worldwide, right away.