Transport in Madeira Transport in Madeira The Madeira islands and Funchal have an extensive public transportation system. Travel between the two main islands is by plane or by ferries, the latter also allowing for the transportation of vehicles. Visiting the interior of the islands is now easy, due to major road developments, known as the Vias rápidas, on the islands during Portugal's economic boom. European Union citizens of the Schengen Treaty area can enter the islands freely, while those from other regions need identification. In the past Madeira had a mode of transport that no longer exists called a hammock litter. It was
History of Madeira Plans to Make Madeira an up-to-date Resort". In return for a promise to build a sanatorium and hospitals and treat 40 tuberculosis patients a year free, the Madeira "Aktiengesellschaft", headed by Prince Friedrich Karl Hohenlohe-Öhringen, was in an arrangement with the Portuguese government, that in turn for building these facilities it will take over all business concerns on Madeira. When plans for some of the hospitals were exposed as being designs for hotels and holiday camps, the Madeirans realized that they were being colonized through the back door and promptly withdrew the concession. Just before this the Germans were constructing