# madeira.fun - Complete Guide

> AI-powered tourism assistant for Madeira Island, Portugal

## Overview

madeira.fun is an AI-powered tourism platform that helps visitors plan their trip to Madeira Island. Users can:

- Chat with an AI assistant to get personalized recommendations
- Discover local events, concerts, and festivals
- Find hiking trails and outdoor activities
- Book hiking permits for protected trails
- Explore restaurants and local cuisine
- Plan multi-day itineraries
- Connect with local tour operators and transport services

## Markdown Access for AI Agents

Append `.md` to any content URL to get a clean Markdown version:

| Content Type | HTML URL | Markdown URL |
|---|---|---|
| Events | `/e/{slug}-{shortId}` | `/e/{slug}-{shortId}.md` |
| Activities | `/a/{slug}-{shortId}` | `/a/{slug}-{shortId}.md` |
| Restaurants | `/eats/{slug}-{shortId}` | `/eats/{slug}-{shortId}.md` |

The `.md` endpoints return `Content-Type: text/markdown` with full structured content — no HTML parsing needed. Cached for 5 minutes.

### Example Markdown Response

```
# Summer Festival 2025

## Details
- **Date**: 2025-07-15 to 2025-07-17
- **Time**: 19:00 – 23:00
- **Location**: Praça do Município, Funchal, Madeira
- **Price**: 15 EUR
- **Categories**: Music, Festival

## Description
Annual summer festival featuring local and international artists...

## Links
- **Full page**: https://madeira.fun/e/summer-festival-abc12
- **Google Maps**: https://maps.google.com/...
```

## Madeira Island

Madeira is a Portuguese archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, approximately 520 km from the African coast and 1,000 km from mainland Portugal.

### Geography
- **Main Island**: Madeira (741 km²)
- **Highest Point**: Pico Ruivo (1,862 m)
- **Climate**: Subtropical, mild year-round (15-25°C)
- **Population**: ~250,000

### Major Locations

**Funchal** (Capital)
- Old Town (Zona Velha) with painted doors
- Mercado dos Lavradores (Farmers Market)
- Monte Palace Tropical Garden
- Cable car to Monte

**North Coast**
- São Vicente lava caves
- Porto Moniz natural swimming pools
- Seixal black sand beach

**Central Peaks**
- Pico do Arieiro (1,818 m) - accessible by car
- Pico Ruivo (1,862 m) - highest peak
- Pico das Torres
- Curral das Freiras (Nun's Valley)

**East**
- Ponta de São Lourenço peninsula
- Machico (first settlement)
- Caniçal

**West**
- Câmara de Lobos fishing village
- Cabo Girão skywalk (580 m cliff)
- Calheta golden sand beach
- Paul do Mar surf spot

### Famous Levada Walks

Levadas are irrigation channels with walking paths alongside them. Popular routes:

1. **Levada das 25 Fontes** - Rabaçal area, waterfalls
2. **Levada do Caldeirão Verde** - Lush forest, waterfall
3. **Levada do Rei** - King's Levada, São Jorge
4. **Levada do Alecrim** - Near Rabaçal
5. **Levada do Furado** - Ribeiro Frio to Portela
6. **Vereda do Areeiro** - Peak to peak trail

### Protected Areas

Several trails require hiking permits:
- Pico do Arieiro to Pico Ruivo
- Caldeirão Verde
- Vereda da Ponta de São Lourenço
- Various Laurisilva forest trails

Permits can be booked through madeira.fun or the official ifcn.madeira.gov.pt portal.

## Content Structure & Schema.org Types

### Events (/e/*)
Current and upcoming events.

**Schema.org type**: `Event`
**JSON-LD includes**: `name`, `description`, `startDate`, `endDate`, `duration` (ISO 8601), `location` (Place with PostalAddress), `offers` (single or array of Offer with price/currency), `eventAttendanceMode`, `eventStatus`, `about` (categories as Thing[]), `superEvent` (event group), `image`, `organizer`

**Available fields in Markdown**:
- Event name, description
- Date (start/end), time (start/end), multi-day flag
- Duration in minutes
- Venue name, city
- Pricing: free flag, price amount, currency, pricing tiers (name + price), ticket options (name + price)
- Ticketing: online ticketing flag, max tickets, cash payment enabled
- Categories, subcategories
- Event group name
- Booking URL, contact phone
- Google Maps URL, image URL

### Activities (/a/*)
Things to do: trails, viewpoints, beaches, gardens, etc.

**Schema.org type**: `TouristAttraction`
**JSON-LD includes**: `name`, `description`, `address`, `geo` (GeoCoordinates), `containedInPlace` (Madeira), `image` (array), `isAccessibleForFree`, `offers`, `hasMap`, `touristType`, `keywords`

**Available fields in Markdown**:
- Name, description
- Location, category, subcategory
- Difficulty (easy/moderate/hard/expert)
- Duration, distance
- Cost
- Altitude: min, max, gain, loss (meters)
- Start point, end point
- Passage places (waypoints)
- Managing entity
- Trail features: waterfall, coastal views, levada walk, family-friendly, mountain views, valley views, must-see
- Multiple images (array)
- Google Maps URL, trail start URL, reference URL, map URL
- Coordinates (lat, long)

### Restaurants (/eats/*)
Dining establishments.

**Schema.org type**: `Restaurant`
**JSON-LD includes**: `name`, `description`, `address`, `geo`, `servesCuisine` (array), `priceRange`, `aggregateRating`, `telephone`, `sameAs` (website), `hasMenu` (Menu with URL), `acceptsReservations`, `potentialAction` (ReserveAction), `openingHoursSpecification`, `image`

**Available fields in Markdown**:
- Name, description (notes)
- City, address
- Cuisine types (array), cuisine focus (array)
- Price range (€/€€/€€€/€€€€)
- Rating (out of 5)
- Meals served (breakfast, lunch, dinner, etc.)
- Dietary: vegetarian-friendly, vegan-friendly
- Phone number, website
- Opening hours / schedule (per day)
- Special designations: Editor's Pick, Pick of the Week, Poncha Bar, Exceptional Views, Snacks & Tapas only
- Fork booking URL (reservations)
- Menu link
- Google Maps URL, image URL
- Coordinates (lat, long)

### SEO Guides (/s/*)
In-depth travel guides with structured sections.

**Schema.org type**: `FAQPage` or `WebPage`
**Content sections**: hero, text, tips (list), faq (question/answer pairs), cta

### Event Groups (/group/*)
Collections of related events.

**Schema.org type**: `CollectionPage`

## Data Freshness

| Content | Update Frequency | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Events | Daily | Future events only, past events excluded |
| Activities | Weekly | Trail conditions may vary |
| Restaurants | Weekly | Menus refreshed on change |
| Hiking permits | Every 30 min | Cached from government API |
| SEO guides | Monthly | AI-generated, manually reviewed |

## Useful Information for Visitors

### Getting There
- Cristiano Ronaldo International Airport (FNC)
- Ferry from Porto Santo

### Getting Around
- Rental cars (recommended for flexibility)
- Public buses (Horários do Funchal, SAM, Rodoeste)
- Taxis and ride services
- Organized tours

### Best Times to Visit
- **Spring (March-May)**: Flower Festival, mild weather
- **Summer (June-August)**: Warm, Atlantic Festival
- **Fall (September-November)**: Wine harvest, pleasant temperatures
- **Winter (December-February)**: New Year fireworks, mild climate

### Traditional Food
- Espetada (beef skewers on laurel stick)
- Bolo do Caco (traditional bread)
- Lapas (limpets)
- Poncha (sugarcane rum drink)
- Madeira wine
- Bolo de Mel (honey cake)
- Passion fruit (maracujá)

## Machine-Readable Endpoints

| Endpoint | Format | Description |
|---|---|---|
| `/sitemap.xml` | XML | Full sitemap with all content URLs |
| `/llms.txt` | Markdown | Concise site description for LLMs |
| `/llms-full.txt` | Markdown | Extended version (this file) |
| `/e/{slug}.md` | Markdown | Event details |
| `/a/{slug}.md` | Markdown | Activity details |
| `/eats/{slug}.md` | Markdown | Restaurant details |
| `/robots.txt` | Text | Crawling directives |

## Supported Languages

| Code | Language |
|---|---|
| en | English |
| pt | Portuguese |
| es | Spanish |
| de | German |
| fr | French |
| it | Italian |
| ru | Russian |
| pl | Polish |
| nl | Dutch |
| cs | Czech |
| da | Danish |
| sv | Swedish |
| no | Norwegian |
| fi | Finnish |
| lv | Latvian |
| ro | Romanian |
| hu | Hungarian |
| tr | Turkish |

Language-prefixed URLs are supported: `/{lang}/e/{slug}`, `/{lang}/a/{slug}`, `/{lang}/eats/{slug}`

All pages include `<link rel="alternate" hreflang="...">` tags for all 18 languages.

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For the most current information, visit https://madeira.fun