Madeira surprised me in so many ways.
The island is an autonomous region of Portugal, located next to Azores in the North Atlantic Ocean more than 1000km from the mainland Portugal. Everything is different than there because of this: the traditions, the food, the nature, the behaviour—it's a country on its own.
There are thousands of things to see and do in Madeira but don't worry, this guide will help you to get the most out of your stay!
Getting around Madeira
Activities & must-see things
Food, food, food
Best hikes & Levada walks
All of below pictures are taken by me during my trip in August.
1. Getting around
Madeira is not flat, at all. There are hills, cliffs and mountains all around and that makes it not so easy to get around by public transport. You will get to most places by bus but you will lose a huge amount of time.
Renting a car is highly recommended to get the most out of your stay in Madeira, also lots of interesting spots are only reachable by car. I rented a Seat Ibiza in August and it costed me around 15€ per day, pretty sweet huh!
But please, for your own sake, don't rent a mini car such as Fiat 500 or Opel Adam. The roads are constantly changing from uphill to downhill, and 10-20% incline is not an exception. There is even one road, Rua da Barreira with a brutal incline of 45%! Even my Seat Ibiza had trouble at some roads to climb in first or second gear at high RPM. I heard many people complaining about the climbs in their cute Fiat 500s—this princess car is not for Madeira, sorry. Don't save yourself this 5€ per day and rent a car with a bigger engine.
As an experienced driver myself and loving to drive in mountain roads, I would say that driving in Madeira is comfortable. Less experienced drivers might need some time to adjust to the mountain roads, the steep climbs (especially while driving a manual car) and the local drivers who are driving like nuts through the thousands of tiny corners with not so much space.
I enjoyed driving in Madeira and I am sure you'll do as well. You'll drive through more tunnels than you did in your whole life and after every corner and every tunnel new scenic landscapes are waiting for you!
2. Activities & must-see things
There are lots of things to do in Madeira but they are all spreaded over the entire island and also the reason why you desperately need a car. Let me give you an overview of the highlights!
Swim at Seixal Beach
Beach people will be disappointed when they come to Madeira as you can count the sand beaches on one hand. Rocky beaches can be found all over the island, but the ocean is perfectly swimmable. Don't expect the warmest water though, about 23-25°C in the hottest month August.
There are many beautiful spots to swim but Seixal Beach is just breaththaking. You'll swim next to gigantic green cliffs with waterfalls in them, thinking that you are on a paradise island somewhere far away in Thailand!
Porto Moniz - Lava natural pools
These lava pools are well-known among locals and tourists. Also here I have to disappoint you because the water, even though the name might suggest otherwise, are not warm—it is constantly feeded by the Atlantic Ocean's waves. All tour buses have a stop here so expect a typical mass tourist location, I am not the biggest fan of that so it was a short stop for me.
Two pools can be found here. On the westside is a good spot to sunbath and take a dip but it is overcrowded and you need to pay to get in. On the eastside are 80% less people and the pools are way more interesting with a very rocky setting and more natural feeling. Ánd it is free!
Seixal natural pools
Is Porto Moniz too touristic for you? I have a local hidden gem for you right here. Not far from Seixal beach you'll find these gorgeous natural pools with hardly anyone there. Swim through an incredible arch to the border where the ocean starts. Be careful though as there is a corner where the water is extremely vibrant and waves are splashing more than 10 meters high, pretty dangerous.
Baía de Câmara de Lobos
This fishermen village is a romantic and picturesque place, not far from Funchal. During the day you can find all the fishing boats bobbing in the bay as they all go fish during nighttime. Don't calculate too much time for this destination, all you can find here are a few souvenir shops and restaurants.
Ilheus da Janela
Peculiar and huge rock formations can be found at this beach which you need to enter by going through a small tunnel. How cool is that?! Chances are big that you'll be alone here, this is a true local hidden gem as well!
Mercado dos Lavradores
You'll find this farmers' market in the historic old town of Funchal at a very beautiful location. Stop at one of the many fruit stands and before you know, you have tasted some of the delicious passion fruits, dragon fruit and mango. Make sure to actually buy one to kind of tip them!
Carreiros do Monte
A very unique and old tradition in Funchal is to go down from Monte to Funchal with the toboggan sledges which are driven by 2 men "Carreiros". I would suggest to take the cable car from Funchal to Monte and then go back with these men!
Rua de Santa Maria
Located not so far from the farmer's market is Rua de Santa Maria. This is a very cute street with most of the houses' doors painted by local painters. This is also a good place to buy souvenirs!
3. Food, food, food
Trying local food is one of my favorite activities when going on vacation. I usually select dishes I would love to try and make a list of places where they serve it deliciously.
Lucky you, because I have shared this list on Google Maps with 34 restaurants/bars to visit. Bom appetite!
This blog post contains 18 dishes in Madeira that one needs to try, very useful!
Let's have a look at some of those dishes I ate and where.
Bife de Atum
(Tuna steak)
Delicious, huge piece of a very popular fish in Madeira at Maré Alta restaurant in Ponta De Sol. -Link-
Lapas
(Limpets)
This tasted a bit like mussels, but the structure was more tough. Try it as a starter for just a few euros at Preia-Mar restaurant in Madalena Do Mar. -Link-
Espetada
(Meat on skewers)
You can find this heaven on a stick in almost every restaurant in Madeira, but none of them was as delicious and juicy as in Muralha Terrace in Ribeira Brava. -Link-
Polvo
(Octopus)
Fishermen at Câmara De Lobos go hunt for octopus during the night. Restaurants in Madeira know great how to cook tasty octopus. My best was at Many restaurant in São Vicente. -Link-
4. Best hikes & Levada walks
If you didn't hike, you didn't visit Madeira. Simple as that.
There are so many accessible and safe trails, mostly located in the middle of the island near the mountain peaks. I created an overview of 6 beautiful hikes and levada walk and explain per trail what to expect and what to take.
A levada is an irrigation channel in Madeira, built to transport large amounts of water from the wet northwest to the dry southeast. There are more than 2.170km of levadas on this island of 56km long. Impressive right?
Let's start hiking!
PR1: Pico do Arieiro to Pico Ruivo
Pico do Arieiro is the third highest mountain peak of 1818m, Pico Ruivo is the highest with 1862m—just slightly higher than Arieiro. PR1 is a magnificent hike, connecting these 2 peaks.
I have partially done this hike twice during my stay in Madeira, both times at sunrise. Once you have been here, you’ll understand why.
Miradouro do Juncal is officially not on the PR1 but is just next to the parking and offers a great panorama view at sunrise. If you are lucky, you’ll be able to witness the sunrise above the clouds, an unreal feeling! The hike to Pico Ruivo is pretty exhausting and long, and you’ll need to go all the way back to the parking as there is no shuttle back from Ruivo to Areeiro. There are some organizations who provide transport between but are pretty pricy. I’ve read many times that the first few kilometers of the hike are the most impressive so that is what I did to walk back to the parking after. Definitely make your way to miradouro do Ninho da Manta and if possible just a kilometer further, the views are stunning!!
Parking
Free parking next to start of trail with sufficient capacity.
Best time
This hike can be comfortably done throughout the whole day.
What to take
Comfortable walking shoes, sufficient water/food, sunscreen
Distance
17.4km round-trip
Time
7 hours (or less if you don't walk the full trail)
Difficulty
Moderate. High elevation changes with lots of stairs. There are a few points where it can be pretty scary for people with fear of heights. But at dangerous points, there are railings as anywhere on Madeira during hiking.
Lowest vs. highest altitude
1542m - 1862m
Practicalities
Toilet and cafe with food, drinks and souvenirs at start. You will walk in the sun almost the whole time, stay hydrated!
PR1.2: Vereda do Pico Ruivo
This is a pretty short hike with gorgeous views the whole trail. I calculated to arrive at Pico Ruivo about an hour before sunset time and it was an absolute magical scenery. I was with a dozen of people waiting for that special moment of the day—the sunset over the clouds and the sky painting could easily be a Van Gogh's work.
The only “downside” is that you’ll need to do the hike back to the parking partially with a headlamp but it’s fairly easy and not dangerous at all. That downside feeling quickly changes to WOW when you put off your headlamp and look up in the sky to witness more stars than you’ll ever see at once and a big fat galaxy!
Parking
Free parking next to start of trail with sufficient capacity.
Best time
This hike can be comfortably done throughout the whole day.
What to take
Comfortable walking shoes, sufficient water/food, sunscreen. (headlamp if you go at sunset)
Distance
5.6km round-trip
Time
3 hours
Difficulty
Moderate. High elevation changes at a relatively short trail.
Lowest vs. highest altitude
1535m - 1862m
Practicalities
Toilet and cafe with food and drinks halfway to Pico Ruivo. You will constantly walk in the sun, stay hydrated!
PR8: Vereda da Ponta de São Lourenço
Dry and less green landscapes can be found at the most eastern peninsula of the island, but they too are beautiful. You’ll hike to the furthest hill you can see from the parking, where you have a gorgeous view on the remaining few hills not connected, an archipelago with the oldest light tower of Madeira!
The end of the hike officially is near the cafe, but don’t spare yourself from the best view on the archipelago. Go up! You’ll see a sign on the way that it is not recommended to go further, as it is the end of PR8 trail. But once this must have been a part of this trail, because there are stairs built the whole way and railings at the top. It is perfectly safe to go there but most people decide to turn back when they see the sign. What a pity for them!
Parking
Free parking next to start of trail with sufficient capacity.
Best time
Avoid noon, early afternoon. The sun will kill you otherwise in warmer months!
What to take
Comfortable walking shoes, sufficient water/food, sunscreen, swimming gear (there is a possibility to swim near the cafe at the end of the trail)
Distance
8km round-trip
Time
3 hours
Difficulty
Easy/Moderate. Quite some stairs at certain points.
Lowest vs. highest altitude
5m - 126m
Practicalities
Van that sells food and drinks at start of trail. Cafe with food, drinks and toilet at the end of trail. You will constantly walk in the sun, stay hydrated!
PR6: Levada das 25 Fontes / PR6.1 : Levada do Risco waterfall
This trail is the most popular Levada trail, and you’ll quickly see why. The 25 Fontes is an incredible pool with dripping walls feeding it water. (fill your water bottles here with fresh mountain water!) Risco is a huge waterfall of 100m, one of the highest in Madeira. Make sure to look around here and spot the other smaller waterfalls!
At a certain point there is a split in the trail where you have to choose between Levada das 25 Fontes and Risco waterfall. I arrived around 5PM and took the longer walk to 25 Fontes first as Risco has some paths where it is difficult to cross hikers who are returning—in the morning I would suggest to do Risco first because of that.
Parking
Free parking, 2 km from start of trail. Sufficient capacity. There is a paying shuttle bus that takes you from parking to start of trail from 10-18h. Also possible to walk, takes you about 20 minutes going there but the walk back to the parking is only uphill and takes you 30 minutes or more.
Best time
Early morning or evening. Most people are coming during shuttle bus hours.
What to take
Comfortable walking shoes, sufficient water/food.
Distance
9.2km round-trip
Time
3 hours
Difficulty
Moderate. Ups and downs along the whole trail.
Lowest vs. highest altitude
900m - 1290m
Practicalities
Toilet and cafe with food and drinks where the shuttle bus drops you off / where the official PR6 trail starts. Majority of trail is covered by trees except for the walk from parking to the actual start.
PR9: Levada do Caldeirão Verde
This trail is not so most popular, but it exceeded my expectations by far and turns out to be my favorite hike in Madeira! PR9 was actually a more beautiful levada walk than the PR6, but shhht—let's keep that as a secret between us.
The first few kilometers are not the most exciting ones, but hang in there because it keeps on getting more beautiful every step! This trail just felt so raw and natural. It was like walking in the amazon in Brazil.
Parking
Free parking next to start of trail with sufficient capacity.
Best time
Morning as many parts are narrow and difficult to cross with a returning hiker or overtake slower people.
What to take
Comfortable walking shoes (waterproof preferably), torch/headlamp, sufficient water/food.
Distance
17.4 km round-trip to Caldeirão do Inferno / 13km round-trip to Caldeirão Verde.
Time
6 hours round-trip to Caldeirão do Inferno / 4 hours round-trip to Caldeirão Verde. (strongly depends on your walking pace and how busy it is. I was walking alone at a high pace and started in the morning, it took me 4.5 hours in total)
Difficulty
Moderate. Paths are very narrow at certain points (with railing) and can be frightening for people with fear of heights. The tunnels can be claustrophobic for some people as well, at certain points you need to crunch to walk through them. Many stairs from Caldeirão Verde to Inferno, catch your breath on time!
Lowest vs. highest altitude
890m - 980m
Practicalities
Toilet, food and drinks at start. Majority of trail is covered by trees.
PR11: Vereda dos Balcões
The easiest hike has to be this one and has a magnificent view on Pico Arieiro and surrounding mountains. To get to the almost 360 degrees platform, you’ll walk in the forest next to the levadas. It's a good place to see flying creatures in Madeira, make sure to have your eyes and ears open!
Parking
Very limited free parking, about 20 cars only. Most people just park along the road.
Best time
Morning or evening. Noon and afternoon very busy, platform is pretty small.
What to take
Comfortable walking shoes, sufficient water/food.
Distance
3km round-trip
Time
1.5 hours in total. Can easily be done under 1 hour if you walk at a normal pace.
Difficulty
Easy. This walk is very flat and the easiest on the island.
Lowest vs. highest altitude
630m - 630m
Practicalities
Cafe with food, drinks and souvenirs halfway to Vereda Dos Balcoes. Majority of trail is covered by trees, platform is not.
Finally, you have reached the end.
You have a pretty good idea now about what to expect in Madeira right?
If you liked the content, please drop a comment. I would love to hear from you!
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