25 Things to Do on Madeira Island

A daily rota of airplanes swerve and duck onto Portugal’s shortest runway, where mountains melt into a chiseled coastline of beaches and terracotta cities. 

This compact landscape is your first clue that there is a huge variety of things to do on Madeira Island, whether you want to go hiking, whale watching, swimming, or dancing.

The tropical island of Madeira, which belongs to Portugal but is located just off the west coast of Morocco, is quickly gaining popularity as a holiday destination.

Drive into the mountains to hike mountains, levadas, and waterfalls. When you’re ready to relax the traditional way, the island also has volcanic rock pools, beaches, and traditional fishing villages with poncha bars and delicious seafood restaurants.

For the very best things to do in Madeira Island, keep reading…

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How To Get Around Madeira

Measuring 34 miles (57 kilometers) from one tip to the other, driving a loop of Madeira Island is achievable in just one day. The only thing is, its public transport system is not exactly advanced.

The capital city, Funchal, has the most elaborate bus transport system in Madeira. It has connections to the main towns on the south coast, as well as Porto Moniz on the north coast, and a few other lucky destinations like the Valley of the Nuns and Santana.

That’s why renting a car or scooter is the best way to get around Madeira. A small car with a good amount of power is preferable because the roads in Madeira are notoriously steep and narrow, even near the coast.

Small group tours are also easily available from the capital city of Funchal. Funchal itself is a walkable city, making it the best base if you don’t want to rent a car or scooter.

Uniquely, drop-off and pick-up services are available to book for many of Madeira Island’s most popular hiking trails. These are arranged by tour agencies on the island and allow you to hike from one point to another without having to trudge back to your start point.

When To Visit Madeira

The best time to visit Madeira is between April and November when the weather is warm and sunny. This is also the best time to go whale watching in Madeira because resident and migratory species are present in the ocean.

The busiest time to visit Madeira is in the height of summer. The crowds begin to thin out in September, October, and November, making those months particularly attractive for tourists who prefer not to battle for the best view.

Where To Stay In Madeira

Funchal is the best place to stay in Madeira for the typical tourist because it is well-connected to tours, and bus routes and is mostly walkable. However, if you can rent a car or scooter and prefer a quieter destination, some of the best places to stay include Ponta do Sol, Porto da Cruz, Machico, and Porto Moniz.

• Funchal is the best place to stay if you want to be surrounded by plenty of things to do on a daily basis. It is a walkable city with good public transport routes and good access to tours and whale-watching activities. Around half of Madeira’s population live in Funchal, so it is packed with places to eat, stay, and enjoy your holiday.
• Ponta do Sol has a reputation as the sunniest point on the island of Madeira. The peaceful, seaside town is surrounded by banana trees and has a pebble beach. Ideally, you need your own form of transport to stay in Ponta do Sol and access other parts of the island.
• Santa Cruz: Santa Cruz is a popular base for families. Quieter than the city of Funchal, it is also well-connected to the city and the airport. It has plenty of swimming spots and an aqua park, as well as good access to the main highway.
• Machico is a small city east of the airport with a direct bus route to Funchal. It has immediate access to several trails. However, you will need to hire a car to travel across the island.
• Porto da Cruz is a small village on the far east coast of Madeira and one of the best places to stay if you value having direct access to hikes, a beach, and easy driving routes into the mountains.
• Jardim do Mar is a popular place to stay on the southwest coast of Madeira. It has car-free inner streets, good coffee shops, and a beautiful selection of holiday properties. It’s also popular with surfers.
• Porto Moniz: The north coast doesn’t get as much sun as the sunny south side of the island. However, Porto Moniz is still one of the best places to stay in Madeira. It has two volcanic swimming pools. Many describe the area around Porto Moniz as ‘the real Madeira’.

Things to Do on Madeira Island

1. Go Whale And Dolphin Watching In Funchal

If you didn’t know that one of the best things to do on Madeira island is whale watching, you sure do now. Madeira’s waters are inhabited by over 20 species of resident and migratory whales and dolphins, including pilot whales, bottlenose dolphins, spotted dolphins, and Bryde’s whales.

Many of the boat tours which depart from Funchal harbor offer a ‘free trip guarantee’, which means that if you don’t spot any sea life on your first trip, you can get a second tour for half price. That shows just how easy it is to spot your first whale or dolphin in Madeira.

2. Hike The Pico do Arieiro To Pico Ruivo Trail (PR1)

Summiting the highest mountain in Madeira is easy, thanks to the Pico do Arieiro to Pico Ruivo (PR1) trail. Its narrow ‘stairway to heaven’, which looks more precarious than it really is, helped this trail rise to fame. 

Taking three to four hours to complete, the PR1 trail climbs from Pico do Arieiro to Pico Ruivo, the highest mountain in Madeira. The trail is certainly memorable, with views of chiseled mountain ranges, shifting clouds, and steep edges. 

Seven kilometers of hiking later, you should have a photo library packed with pictures of Madeira’s central mountain range.

How to hike the PR1: Book a self-guided tour, which includes drop-off at Pico do Arieiro and pick-up at Achada do Teixeira at the end of the hike. Self-driving means you must hike the route out and back, a far more challenging 11-kilometer hike.

3. Swim In The Porto Moniz Natural Swimming Pools

On the north side of the island, the Porto Moniz natural pools offer the chance for a beautiful lazy day. The natural pools, formed by distant lava flows, have a stunning backdrop over the Atlantic Ocean, the traditional town of Porto Moniz, and terraced hills. Wander into the town afterward for poncha or coffee.

4. Have Espetada For Dinner

Walk down any main street in the city of Funchal and it won’t be long until you happen across a restaurant table with tender beef skewers strung from a metal rod. 

Espetada is a Madeiran dinner specialty which features cubed grilled beef seasoned with garlic, salt, and bay leaves. Hung on a metal skewer, it also makes for a great holiday photo.

5. Hike Ponta de São Lourenço (PR8) At Sunrise

On the far remote east coast, Ponta de São Lourenço is a testament to the many microclimates of Madeira. Compared to the rest of Madeira, this windswept peninsula looks markedly different. It has sheer cliffs, creeper vegetation, and ground which is largely made up of bare rocks and sand. 

Beat the crowds with a sunrise hike on the seven-kilometer Vereda da Ponta de São Lourenço (PR8) trail.

How to get there: Self-drive or book a self-guided or guided tour.

5. Explore The Valley Of The Nuns

The story behind the Valley of the Nuns (Curral das Freiras) is just as good as the views. The small parish was formed when a group of nuns from the Convent of Santa Clara fled to the mountains during French privateer attacks in Funchal in 1566.

The parish has a handful of small museums, restaurants, and walks. Walk downhill from the Eira do Serrado viewpoint and then take a bus back to the top of the mountain for some of the best views of the valley.

6. Go Sightseeing In Funchal Old Town

The cobblestone Funchal Old Town is packed with things to see, including buildings from the 15th century, museums, and churches. There are also plenty of bars and restaurants where you can stop for a quick espresso or gelato.

• The sacred Art Museum of Funchal is an art museum that features Flemish master’s work in a former 16th-century bishop’s palace.
• Museu Photographia Vicentes is a former photographers’ studio with images from 20th-century Madeira.
• Sé Cathedral is a 16th-century cathedral with an ornate ceiling, Gothic panels, and a tall clock tower.
• Casa-Museu Frederico de Freitas is a 17th-century mansion with a collection of antiques and trinkets.
• Casa da Luz is Funchal’s former power station. Nowadays, it acts as a museum of electricity on the island..

7. Visit Cabo Girão, The Highest Cape In Europe

Madeira has the highest cape in Europe. It’s called Cabo Girão. Measuring 580 meters, it sits above the fishing village of Câmara de Lobos and has views over traditional Madeiran houses, steep cliffs, and plant cultivations.

The €2 entry fee gives you access to a see-through glass skywalk, which is suspended over the cliff ledge. There’s also a cable car, which descends from just below the cape to the coast, one of Madeira’s most iconic attractions.

8. Go Canyoning Or Coasteering

Madeira is a wise choice if you’re an avid adventurer. Enroll on one of Madeira’s canyoning tours, which will whisk you into the mountains for a day of exploring the island’s most beautiful canyons and waterfalls. If you’d prefer to stick to the coast, coasteering activities are also popular on the island.

9. Visit The Traditional Houses In Santana

Dating back hundreds of years, traditional Madeiran houses still live on in a museum in Santana. The triangular-shaped houses were built using resources provided by the island such as wood. 

Builders added sloped thatched roofs made from wheat and rye and painted the exterior bright blue, red, and white. The attic was used to store farm tools and the ground floor was just big enough for a kitchen and a bedroom.

At Núcleo de Casas Típicas, you can check out these traditional Madeiran houses and learn more about their history. These iconic Madeira buildings definitely count as one of the best things to do in Madeira Island.

10. Watch Sunset At Pico do Arieiro

Surrounded by drifting clouds and mountains that look like they’ve been scribbled with a paintbrush, Pico do Arieiro is an impressive sight at any time of the day. At sunset, however, it takes on a whole new level of otherworldliness.

One of the best sunset points on the island, Pico do Arieiro at sunset is by far one of the best things to do on Madeira island. Often, the sun sets behind a blanket of clouds. On very clear nights, however, you can expect to see as far as the ocean.

Many tourists visit the third tallest mountain in Madeira for sunset. Alternatively, you can self-drive yourself to the mountain and pack a picnic (being sure not to leave anything behind).

11. Hike Levada das 25 Fontes

Tick off your first Levada trail with one of the island’s most legendary waterfall routes. Designed to channel water safely down the mountains, Madeira’s levadas also form an extensive network of island trails.

Levada das 25 Fontes (PR 6) is a 4.3-kilometer trail which stops by a glistening pool fed by 25 small trickling cascades. It’s believed to be one of the bluest waterfalls on the island.

12. Explore The Monte Palace Tropical Garden

Tucked into the hillside above Funchal with views over the bay, the Monte Palace tropical garden is one of Funchal’s primary attractions. As well as having 100,000 plant species from across the globe, it features an 18th-century estate with gardens and lakes. Occupied by koi fish and peacocks, the site is one of the most Instagrammable spots on the island.

Outside of the Monte Palace tropical garden, you can also get involved in one of Madeira’s most epic activities. Carreiros do Monte carries out the 19th-century tradition of downhill toboggan ride, which was used to transport residents from Monte to Funchal. 

Riding one of the wicker sleds downhill, pulled along by two men in straw hats, is an activity you’re sure to remember.

13. Hike One Of The Island’s Levada Trails

The island’s levada trails are practically a rite of passage. You may have already wandered along the Levada das 25 Fontes (PR 6), but the island has more than 1,000 miles of Levada trails for you to get stuck into.

Some of the most popular Levada trails include:

• Levada do Caldeirão Verde (PR9)
• Levada do Furado (PR10)
• Levada dos Cedros (PR14)
• Levada Ponta do Pargo

14. Try The Madeiran Wine At Blandy’s Wine Lodge

Located in the center of Funchal, Blandy’s Wine Lodge is one of the best places to get acquainted with Madeira wines. Guided tours and tastings will show you around the lodge’s traditional canteiro aging rooms.

As a family-owned wine business that has been passed down seven generations, the wine lodge is a household name in Madeira. The wines are made using the traditional canteiro method, which uses oak casks and the tropical Madeiran climate.

15. Visit Fanal Forest

Final Forest, tucked between the mountains of Seixal and Ribeira da Janela, is one of the island’s most unique landscapes. Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it is home to trees, which have been on the island longer than humans.

The forest, named Laurissilva forest, has several hiking trails that take in the misty, green landscape and bowed trees. This includes the Vereda do Fanal (PR13) trail and Levada dos Cedros (PR14) trail. 

16. Relax On Seixal Beach

How many beaches can claim black sand, a waterfall, and views of terraced hills? Relaxing at Seixal Beach is easily one of the best things to do on Madeira Island.

Located on the hilly north coast, the black sand beach is safe for swimming due to a lengthy pier that separates the bay from the Atlantic Ocean. It also has its very own waterfall when the recent rainfall is great enough, making it a great place to pose for a photograph.

17. Go Snorkeling Or Diving At Garajau Nature Reserve

If you want to admire Madeira’s sea life from below the surface, head to the seven-kilometer Garajau Nature Reserve on the south coast. Species like the giant manta ray, barracuda, and groupers visit this snorkeling and diving site. No need for a boat…

18. Spend The Day In Câmara de Lobos

Câmara de Lobos is a fishing village with some of the island’s best views – and that’s not to mention its island-renowned seafood. 

Situated 10 kilometres west of Funchal, the village’s main occupation is fishing, which has resulted in a number of some of the best seafood restaurants on the island as well as an adorable fishing harbour packed with bobbing boats.

Taking a day trip to Câmara de Lobos is also your ticket to great views of Cabo Girão, the highest cape in Europe, and a couple of small but beautiful churches, a winery and a printing and press museum. Stroll east along the coastal path and you’ll also reach a waterfront public swimming pool with views of some of the island’s typical jagged volcanic rocks.

19. Visit A Poncha Bar

A visit to Madeira wouldn’t be complete without at least one evening in a poncha bar, whether or not you drink alcohol. 

Poncha is the traditional spirit in Madeira. Served in an old-fashioned glass, it is made from sugar cane brandy, honey, sugar, and orange juice.

Try Rei da Poncha in Funchal, where long queues often form for the quality local poncha.

Taberna de Poncha on the road from Ribeira Brava to São Vicente is also a popular tradition. The floor is strewn with peanut shells and the walls are plastered with colorful business cards and posters of all shapes and sizes.

20. Visit Miradouro do Véu da Noiva

Buy a postcard to send home and there’s a high chance that it might feature the waterfall from the Miradouro do Véu da Noiva viewpoint in north Madeira. 

The waterfall, known as Bride’s Veil, pours directly from a tall green cliff into the Atlantic Ocean. The waterfall is one of Madeira’s most iconic images and one of the best Instagrammable spots on the island.

The viewpoint is only a four-minute drive from Seixal, making it an easy stop home from the Seixal black-sand beach. 

21. Go Sailing Or Yachting

Looking to upgrade your Madeira break with a little luxury? Arrange a day charter of a sailing boat or yacht to unwind at sea and get a new perspective of the island’s many capes, beaches, and harbors.

You could sail to the Desertas Islands, a small and uninhabited archipelago that attracts eight species of seabird and a seal colony. Keep watch for pilot whales and bottlenose dolphins on the crossing. 

By sailing or yachting, you can find a new view of some of the island’s most popular landscapes, including Ponta de São Lourenço and Cabo Girão.

22.  Spend The Day In Ponta do Sol

Meaning ‘tip of the sun’, Ponta do Sol is one of the sunniest towns in Madeira. Surrounded by terraced slopes packed with banana trees and sugar cane plantations, it is one of the best things to do on Madeira island if you fancy a day in the sun.

On the cliffside at the east of the town, Restaurant Sol Poente has a terrace with one of the best views. Visit the pebble beach for a swim and then wander onto a levada walk or take cover under a parasol in one of the town’s many coffee shops and poncha bars.

23. Take A Trip To Porto Santo

Madeira is just a ferry ride away from Porto Santo, one of the most popular holiday destinations for Madeira locals.

The island of Porto Santa is worlds apart from Madeira. It has one long, nine-kilometre stretch of sand and just a few dome-shaped hills with views.

The island is only 11 kilometers long and 6 kilometers wide, so spend the day on the golden shore and retire to a restaurant for bolo do caco and poncha. If you want to stay overnight, the island has a good handful of hotels and guesthouses.

How to get to Porto Santo: The Porto Santo Line ferry operates daily between Funchal and Porto Santo, taking 2.5 hours.

24. Try Some More Typical Madeiran Dishes

Every day, you have three or more chances to try the delicious Madeiran island cuisine. 

The island is teeming with fresh tropical fruit which comes in and out of season, from bananas and avocado to mangos, guavas, and passionfruit.

There are plenty of typical Madeiran dishes that you can sink your teeth into:

• Bolo do caco is a delicious Madeiran flatbread smeared with garlic butter. Served as a side dish, it looks more like a cake than it looks like bread, as it is baked on a flat basalt stone slab called a cacao and has a very thick base.
• Scabbard fillet is a typical Madeiran dinner featuring grilled black scabbard fish from the Atlantic Ocean. The fish fillets are baked or fried with banana and egg, making them sweet.
• Pastel de nata is a typical Portuguese dessert and no stranger to the bakeries of Madeira island. The egg custard tart is encased by a soft, flaky pastry that melts in your mouth. It’s a must-try while in Madeira.
• Lapas (grilled limpets) are very popular with Madeiran locals. There’s even a limpets festival in the fishermen’s village of Paul do Mar every year to celebrate this typical Madeiran seafood. In Madeira, the limpets are grilled in their shells with garlic and butter.

25. Ride One Of The Island’s Cable Cars

Madeira’s cable cars are some of Madeira’s most iconic activities. 

The Funchal Cable Car stretches from the promenade to a 3,200-metre hilltop higher into the city’s slopes, soaring past terracotta roofs. 

However, it’s not the island’s only cable car:

• Botanical Gardens: The Botanical Gardens cable car connects Monte to the Madeira Botanical Gardens, taking in views of the green hillside and the distant city.
• Cabo Girão: The Cabo Girão cable car takes a steep descent from the highest cape in Europe to the base of the cliff, providing intimate views of the volcanic cliff face and the beach below.
• Rocha do Navio: This cable car near Santana soars over several waterfalls.

A Few Travel Tips for Madeira

• Carry cash. While it’s mostly possible to pay by card in the main cities, many smaller villages or small businesses only accept payment by cash.
• Wear sunscreen. Madeira has high UV levels, especially during the summer. In the mountains, you may feel chilly due to the elevation. However, you will still need to protect your skin from sun exposure.
• Learn basic Portuguese phrases. Outside of Funchal, most Madeirans speak very little English unless they work in the tourism industry. Knowing a few basic Portuguese phrases can go a long way. ‘Por favor’ means please. ‘Obrigado/obrigada’ means thank you. 
• Be ready for changing weather conditions. As a tropical island with many different microclimates, the weather is constantly shifting in Madeira. If it’s raining in one valley, it could be sunny in the next. In the mountains especially, the weather can switch from sun and few clouds to light gales and rain. Whether you’re hiking or taking a day trip, pack warm clothes and waterproof wear to plan for all weather conditions and keep yourself safe.