Trail reservations and the 4.50 euro fee
Visit Madeira's FAQ says that access to all classified walking trails, the PR routes, requires a prior time reservation through SIMplifica, the digital services portal of the Regional Government of Madeira, for individuals, groups and tourism company participants alike. In 2026 the fee on classified trails is generally 4.50 euros per person, residents of the region are exempt, and the site names PR1 Pico do Areeiro, PR1.2 Vereda do Pico Ruivo, PR6 Levada das 25 Fontes and PR8 Ponta de São Lourenço among those that need booking.
The FAQ says that payment must be made in advance because internet coverage in mountainous areas may be limited, and that entering a classified trail without a reservation is an infraction that can lead to a fine. Each trail is shown as open, restricted or closed on the tourism site and the forests institute's channels. In practice, that means booking and screenshotting your confirmation while you still have a reliable connection, and checking the trail status on the morning of the walk.
Walkers' advice, 112 and the civil protection app
The tourism board's advice to walkers says to tell someone where you are going and when you expect to return, to finish before nightfall, to take a mobile phone if possible and to turn back in heavy rain or strong winds. It carries 112 as the emergency number, a Civil Protection number of +351 291 700 112 and a link to the Prociv Madeira app for iOS and Android. Its useful information page adds that 112 is the European emergency number and must only be used in emergencies, and names the public hospital Hospital Dr. Nélio Mendonça as the place to go in an emergency.
Madeira's walkers' page also notes that some levada walks pass through tunnels, so a torch is useful, and that boots are essential. The UK Foreign Office adds that hiking in Madeira and the Azores can be challenging, with narrow, uneven paths and heights, and advises leaving details of your route with hotel reception and taking a phone.
Portuguese operators' eSIMs
Vodafone Portugal's English eSIM page describes a travel eSIM for Portugal and Europe. At the time of checking, its first listed product cost 20 euros for 15 days, with unlimited data to use in Portugal and 30 GB to use in Europe, and the page lists further options. It says some prices carry a promotion until 31 August 2026, which has passed, so confirm the current price. The page does not say whether the Portugal allowance applies in Madeira, so check before relying on it on the island.
NOS's Portuguese eSIM page says a customer can ask for an eSIM free of charge and use it within minutes, and lists monthly plans such as 100 GB with 3,500 minutes or SMS for 14.99 euros a month, but these are monthly tariffs for customers rather than visitor products. We found no tourist-specific plan on the NOS page we read, and no coverage statement for the island in these pages.
EU visitors: roam like at home
The European Commission says Roam Like At Home is activated automatically whenever you travel in any of the 27 EU countries, plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Ukraine and Moldova, so calls, texts and data abroad are charged as at home. It says that it does not apply to the United Kingdom, though some operators keep the benefit, and tells travellers to check with their operator. It adds that operators should aim to provide the same quality, including 5G, where technically possible.
The Commission's page also says travellers should receive a message reminding them about 112 and alternative ways to reach emergency services. That covers many EU visitors, but plans differ on fair-use limits, so check yours. If you are not covered, a local or travel eSIM is the alternative.
Schengen entry, EES and passport rules
The UK Foreign Office says visitors from the UK can travel to Portugal without a visa for up to 90 days in any 180-day period, that a passport must have been issued less than 10 years before arrival and have at least three months' validity beyond departure, and that border control may ask for an onward ticket and proof of funds. It says the EU's Entry/Exit System is being implemented, so you may be asked to register fingerprints and a photo at a booth on your first entry, at no cost, and to allow extra time at the border.
It says wildfire risk rises from April to October, with 112 for reporting a fire, and that earthquakes are a risk in Portugal. Rules differ by nationality, so check the Portuguese embassy for your own passport.
Emergency number
The UK Foreign Office gives 112 for ambulance, fire and police in Portugal. The Madeira tourism board repeats 112 as the European emergency number and gives the regional Civil Protection line. Our Madeira plan page covers data before you arrive.
Networks our Madeira plans use
These are the operators named on our plans for Madeira, taken from the plan data, so the list follows the catalogue.
- 2degrees5G
- 35G
- A15G
- A1 MK4G
- A1 Srbija4G
- Afghan Wireless Communication Company (AWCC)4G
- Africell5G
- Airtel5G
- AIS5G
- Alands Mobiltelefon4G
- Algerie Telecom Mobile (ATM)4G
- ALOU (CV MOVEL)4G
- Altice Dominicana5G
- AT&T Mexico5G
- Atlantique Telecom Togo4G
- Bakcell5G
- Be Aliv4G
- beeline4G
- Beeline4G
- Belize Telemedia4G
- Bell5G
- BH Mobile4G
- Bouygues Telecom5G
- Cable & Wireless5G
- Cable & Wireless Panama5G
- CelcomDigi5G
- Cellcard4G
- Cellcom Israel5G
- Cellfie Mobile5G
- Celtel Niger (Airtel)4G
- China Mobile5G
- China Telecom4G
- China Unicom5G
- Chunghwa5G
- Claro5G
- Claro Argentina4G
- Claro CR4G
- CLARO GSM4G
- CLARO URUGUAY4G
- CSL5G
- CTM5G
- Digicel4G
- Digicel (BVI) Limited4G
- Digicel Antilles Francaises Guyane (French West In4G
- Digicel Aruba4G
- Digicel Curacao4G
- Digicel Guyana4G
- Digicel Jamaica5G
- DNA4G
- Drei5G
- DST Communications5G
- Du5G
- Econet4G
- EE5G
- Entel Peru5G
- epic5G
- Epic5G
- ERONET4G
- Ethio Telecom5G
- Faroese Telecom5G
- FLOW (LLA)4G
- Free Caraibe4G
- Free Mobile5G
- Gabon Telecom4G
- Geocell Ltd5G
- Gibtelecom5G
- Glo Mobile4G
- Globe Telecom5G
- GrameenPhone4G
- Hi3G5G
- Hot Mobile5G
- Hutchison Telecom4G
- ICE Norge AS5G
- ILIAD5G
- Integra Technologies Group4G
- IPKO5G
- Irancell4G
- JT5G
- KDDI5G
- KPN5G
- KT5G
- KYIVSTAR4G
- Liberty5G
- LIBERTY4G
- lifecell4G
- LTC (Laos Telecommunications)5G
- m:tel4G
- Maxis5G
- MegaFon5G
- MEO5G
- Meteor5G
- MIC 2 (touch)4G
- MobiCom4G
- Mobily5G
- Mobitel5G
- Moldcell4G
- Monaco Telecom5G
- Movistar4G
- MOVISTAR5G
- Movistar Chile4G
- Movistar Mexico4G
- MTEL5G
- MTML4G
- MTN4G
- MTS4G
- my.t cellplus5G
- Ncell4G
- NetCom5G
- NOS5G
- Nova5G
- Nuuday5G
- O25G
- O2 Germany5G
- Omantel5G
- One NZ5G
- Ooredoo5G
- Optimus5G
- Optus5G
- Orange5G
- Orange Bissau4G
- Orange Caraibe4G
- Orange France5G
- Orange Guinee4G
- Orange Liberia4G
- Orange Mali4G
- Orange Moldova4G
- Orange Reunion5G
- P4 Play5G
- Pelephone5G
- Polkomtel5G
- PrimeTel4G
- Proximus5G
- Reliance Jio India Andhra Pradesh4G
- Reliance Jio India Assam4G
- Reliance Jio India Bihar4G
- Reliance Jio India Delhi4G
- Reliance Jio India Gujarat4G
- Reliance Jio India Haryana4G
- Reliance Jio India Himachal Pradesh4G
- Reliance Jio India Karnataka4G
- Reliance Jio India Kerala4G
- Reliance Jio India Kolkata4G
- Reliance Jio India Madhya Pradesh4G
- Reliance Jio India Maharashtra4G
- Reliance Jio India North East4G
- Reliance Jio India Orissa4G
- Reliance Jio India Punjab4G
- Reliance Jio India Rajasthan4G
- Reliance Jio India Tamil Nadu4G
- Reliance Jio India Uttar Pradesh (East)4G
- Reliance Jio India Uttar Pradesh (West)4G
- Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited4G
- Reliance Jio West Bengal4G
- Rogers5G
- Salt5G
- Servei de Telecomunicacions d'Andorra (STA)5G
- SFR5G
- Siminn5G
- Singapore4G
- SingTel5G
- SK Telecom5G
- Smart4G
- SMART5G
- SoftBank5G
- SONATEL4G
- Spacetel - MTN4G
- Spark5G
- stc5G
- STC5G
- Sunrise5G
- Sure4G
- Swazi MTN4G
- T-Mobile USA5G
- Taiwan Mobile5G
- Tango5G
- Tcell4G
- TELCEL4G
- Telcell N.V.4G
- Telcell St Maarten4G
- TELE Greenland4G
- Tele25G
- Tele2 Latvia5G
- Telecel4G
- Telecom Liechtenstein5G
- Telefonica Moviles Espana5G
- Telekom5G
- Telekom.me4G
- Telemach5G
- Telemovil4G
- Telenor5G
- Telenor Norge5G
- Telenor Pakistan4G
- Telia5G
- Telia FI5G
- Telia Finland5G
- Telkomsel5G
- Telus5G
- Tigo4G
- TIGO4G
- TIGO GUATEMALA5G
- TIGO Paraguay4G
- Tikiphone (Vini)5G
- TIM5G
- TIM Brasil5G
- True Move H5G
- Turk Telekom5G
- Ucell5G
- Umniah4G
- Unitel4G
- US Cellular5G
- UTS NV.4G
- Velcom4G
- Verizon5G
- Viettel5G
- VINAPHONE4G
- Viva Armenia5G
- Vivo5G
- Vodacom4G
- Vodafone5G
- VODAFONE5G
- Vodafone Ghana4G
- Wind Tre5G
- Yettel5G
- ZAIN5G
- Zain IRAQ4G
- Zain JO5G