Madeira.Vacations

The best of Madeira, place by place

Sixty-odd places we've been to ourselves, grouped by the kind of day they suit. Every one tells you how long to allow, what it costs, where to park and when the light is right — so nothing is left to guesswork. Start with the theme that sounds like your kind of morning.

Viewpoints & Peaks

Ridge lines above the cloud, glass skywalks and the miradouros worth the drive.

Sunrise above a sea of clouds from the summit of Pico do Arieiro
Mountains1–2 hours, or 6–7 with the Ruivo hikeFree

Pico do Arieiro

Madeira's third-highest peak, and the only one you can drive to.

Stone path leading along a ridge to the summit of Pico Ruivo
Mountains2 hours from Achada do Teixeira; 4+ from Arieiro

Pico Ruivo

The island's highest point at 1,862 m, and only reachable on foot.

Glass-floored skywalk platform on the cliff edge at Cabo Girão
South Coast30 minutesFree

Cabo Girão Skywalk

A glass floor 580 m above the Atlantic, ten minutes from Câmara de Lobos.

View down into the deep green valley of Curral das Freiras from Eira do Serrado
Mountains45 minutesFree

Eira do Serrado

A balcony looking 800 m straight down into the Curral das Freiras valley.

Metal viewing platform projecting over the sea on Madeira's north coast
North Coast15 minutesFree

Miradouro do Guindaste

A cantilevered platform hanging over the north coast near Faial.

Railed viewpoint balcony on a knife-edge ridge in Madeira's central mountains
Mountains40 minutes return from Arieiro

Ninho da Manta

The buzzard's nest — fifteen minutes along the trail from Pico do Arieiro.

White lighthouse on a green clifftop at Ponta do Pargo
West1 hour on siteFree

Ponta do Pargo

The island's westernmost lighthouse, on a 300 m cliff, with almost nobody there.

Open moorland plateau of Paúl da Serra under a wide sky
West1 hour to cross, longer with stopsFree

Paúl da Serra

Madeira's only high plateau — moorland, wind turbines and free-roaming cows.

View of Madeira's central mountains from the Bica da Cana viewpoint
West45 minutesFree

Bica da Cana

A picnic-table viewpoint at 1,620 m looking back at the central peaks.

Tall waterfall falling down a sea cliff into the Atlantic near Seixal
North Coast20 minutesFree

Véu da Noiva

The bridal veil waterfall, falling straight into the sea near Seixal.

Christ the King statue standing on a headland above the sea at Garajau
South Coast30 minutes, longer with the beachFree

Cristo Rei, Garajau

An open-armed Christ statue on the headland east of Funchal, from 1927.

Levadas & Trails

Irrigation channels through laurel forest, and the harder mountain routes beside them.

Waterfalls pouring into a green pool at the 25 Fontes on Madeira
West4–5 hours

Levada das 25 Fontes

The island's most famous walk: laurel forest, a levada and a spring-fed lagoon.

Tall thin waterfall dropping into a green valley at Risco, Madeira
West1 hour from the forestry house

Levada do Risco

A 40-minute round trip to a 100 m waterfall — the easiest big payoff in Rabaçal.

Waterfall falling into a mossy green rock bowl at Caldeirão Verde
North Coast5 hours

Caldeirão Verde

Levada do Caldeirão Verde: tunnels, ferns and a waterfall in a hidden bowl.

Narrow basalt gorge and levada channel at Caldeirão do Inferno
North Coast7–8 hours

Caldeirão do Inferno

The wilder extension beyond Caldeirão Verde, through carved rock corridors.

Stone stairway cut into a knife-edge mountain ridge on the PR1 trail
Mountains6–8 hours including transport

Vereda do Arieiro (PR1)

Arieiro to Ruivo along the roof of the island — the island's hardest classic.

Forestry house and wooded valley at Rabaçal in western Madeira
WestHalf a day minimum

Rabaçal

The trailhead valley for the west's best walking, below Paúl da Serra.

Viewpoint over a forested valley towards Madeira's central peaks at Balcões
North Coast1 hourFree

Levada dos Balcões

Thirty flat minutes through laurel forest to a balcony over the Ribeira da Metade.

Mossy laurel forest and stream at Ribeiro Frio
North Coast1 hour, or 4–5 with the Portela walkFree

Ribeiro Frio

A forest village at 860 m: trout farm, tree ferns and two great trailheads.

Ancient gnarled laurel trees in fog on the Fanal plateau
West1 hourFree

Fanal

Ancient til trees in fog on the western plateau — the island's strangest landscape.

Narrow levada channel running through dense green laurel forest
North Coast3 hours

Levada do Rei

A quiet forest levada from São Jorge, ending at a spring in a green cul-de-sac.

Paved mountain path leading from Achada do Teixeira towards Pico Ruivo
Mountains2–3 hours

Achada do Teixeira

The gentle back door to Pico Ruivo, above Santana at 1,590 m.

Beaches & Natural Pools

Black sand, lava pools and the sheltered spots that actually work for swimming.

Black sand beach at Seixal backed by green cliffs
North Coast2–3 hoursFree

Seixal

Black volcanic sand with a waterfall behind it, plus natural pools next door.

Golden sand beach and calm sheltered water at Calheta
WestHalf a dayFree

Praia da Calheta

Imported golden sand behind two breakwaters — the calmest swimming on the island.

Golden sand beach in the sheltered bay at Machico
East2–3 hoursFree

Praia de Machico

The island's other golden beach, in a sheltered bay ten minutes from the airport.

Pebble and dark sand coves along the Praia Formosa shoreline in Funchal
Funchal2 hoursFree

Praia Formosa

Funchal's own beach: pebbles, black sand and a long seafront promenade.

Rock pools and sun terraces at Doca do Cavacas in Funchal
Funchal2–3 hours

Doca do Cavacas

A small lava-rock pool complex on the western edge of Funchal.

Saltwater sea pool built into rocks on Madeira's north coast
North Coast2–3 hoursFree

Ponta Delgada Sea Pool

A big saltwater pool on the north coast, with barely a tourist in sight.

Small cove of black volcanic sand at Prainha near Caniçal
East2 hoursFree

Prainha

Madeira's only natural black-sand beach, tucked below Caniçal.

Funchal

Old town, market, cable car, Monte and the gardens above the city.

Narrow lane of painted doorways on Rua de Santa Maria in Funchal's old town
Funchal2–3 hoursFree

Zona Velha (Old Town)

Rua de Santa Maria and its painted doors — Funchal's best evening.

Fruit and flower stalls in the galleries of Funchal's Mercado dos Lavradores
Funchal1 hour

Mercado dos Lavradores

The workers' market: flowers, tropical fruit and the scabbard fish counter.

Stone facade and bell tower of Funchal's Sé Cathedral
Funchal30 minutesFree

Sé Cathedral

A late-15th-century cathedral with a Mudéjar cedar ceiling.

Cable car cabin rising above Funchal's rooftops towards Monte
FunchalHalf a day with Monte

Funchal Cable Car

Fifteen minutes from the old town to Monte, 560 m above the sea.

Wicker toboggan being steered downhill by two carreiros in Monte
Funchal1 hour including the queue

Monte Toboggan Run

Wicker sledges steered downhill by two men in straw hats. Since 1850.

Old wooden casks of Madeira wine in the Blandy's lodge in Funchal
Funchal1.5 hours

Blandy's Wine Lodge

Madeira wine, aged in the roof, tasted in a 17th-century convent.

Seafront promenade running along the rocky coast at Funchal's Lido
Funchal1–2 hoursFree

Lido Promenade

A seafront walkway from the hotel zone west towards Câmara de Lobos.

Trophy displays inside the CR7 museum on the Funchal waterfront
Funchal1 hour

Museu CR7

Cristiano Ronaldo's trophy collection, in the city where he grew up.

Yachts moored in Funchal marina with the city rising behind
Funchal1 hour, or half a day with a boat tripFree

Funchal Marina & Waterfront

Where the boats leave from, and where the city meets the sea.

Gilded and tiled interior of the Igreja do Colégio in Funchal
Funchal30 minutesFree

Igreja do Colégio

A plain Jesuit facade hiding one of the most decorated interiors on the island.

Villages & Towns

Fishing harbours, thatched houses and the places people actually live.

Brightly painted fishing boats in the harbour at Câmara de Lobos
South Coast2–3 hoursFree

Câmara de Lobos

A working fishing harbour, painted boats, and the birthplace of poncha.

Traditional triangular thatched houses with red doors at Santana
North Coast2 hours, or a full day with the walksFree

Santana

The triangular thatched houses, and the gateway to the north's best walks.

Village of Curral das Freiras deep in a valley ringed by high peaks
MountainsHalf a day with Eira do SerradoFree

Curral das Freiras

The nuns' valley: a village at the bottom of an 800 m bowl of rock.

Whitewashed church and houses in the town of São Vicente
North Coast2 hoursFree

São Vicente

A tidy north-coast town with lava caves and a chapel built into a rock.

Machico bay and town seen from the hillside above
EastHalf a dayFree

Machico

Madeira's first settlement, and its most convenient beach town.

Seafront promenade and church tower at Ribeira Brava
South Coast2 hoursFree

Ribeira Brava

A pebble-beach town at the mouth of a big valley, halfway along the south coast.

Whitewashed houses above a rocky shoreline at Jardim do Mar
West2 hoursFree

Jardim do Mar

A car-free village on a rock shelf, known to surfers worldwide.

Fishing boats and harbour buildings at Caniçal on Madeira's east coast
East2 hoursFree

Caniçal

A former whaling port turned fishing town at the island's eastern end.

Palm-lined seafront promenade at Santa Cruz, Madeira
EastHalf a dayFree

Santa Cruz

A seafront town beside the airport with a lido, a beach and a water park.

Pebble beach and cliffs at Ponta do Sol on Madeira's south coast
South Coast2–3 hoursFree

Ponta do Sol

The sunniest spot on the island, with a pebble beach and a good sunset.

Village square and church at Camacha in the hills above Funchal
East1–2 hoursFree

Camacha

Wickerwork, folk dancing and the place Madeira's football was first played.

Village of Porto da Cruz below the flat-topped Penha de Águia rock
North Coast2–3 hoursFree

Porto da Cruz

A north-coast village under Eagle Rock, with a working sugar-cane mill.

Nature & Wildlife

Laurisilva, lava caves, sea stacks and the islands offshore.

Moss-covered laurel trees and ferns in Madeira's laurisilva forest
North CoastHalf a day on any of the forest walksFree

Laurisilva of Madeira

A UNESCO World Heritage laurel forest that predates the last ice age.

Lit lava tube passage inside the São Vicente caves
North Coast1.5 hours

Grutas de São Vicente

Lava tubes from an eruption 890,000 years ago, walkable on a guided tour.

Basalt sea stacks off the shore at Ribeira da Janela
North Coast45 minutesFree

Ribeira da Janela

Three sea stacks off a black shingle river mouth, near Porto Moniz.

Whale skeleton and exhibits inside the Museu da Baleia in Caniçal
East1.5 hours

Museu da Baleia

An honest account of Madeira's whaling years, and of the whales now protected.

The uninhabited Desertas islands seen across the sea from Madeira
EastFull day

Desertas Islands

Three uninhabited islands on the horizon, and a nature reserve since 1990.

Porto Santo

Nine kilometres of golden sand, a ferry ride from Funchal.

Long stretch of golden sand and turquoise water on Porto Santo
Porto SantoFull day, better as an overnightFree

Porto Santo Beach

Nine kilometres of golden sand, two and a half hours away by ferry.

View over Porto Santo's beach and hills from the Pico do Facho summit
Porto Santo1 hourFree

Pico do Facho

Porto Santo's highest point, with the whole island laid out below.

Wind-eroded striped sandstone cliffs at Fonte da Areia on Porto Santo
Porto Santo45 minutesFree

Fonte da Areia

Wind-carved sandstone cliffs on Porto Santo's wild north shore.

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New places we've walked and rated, seasonal timings, and the guides we've just rewritten. A few times a year, never more.