Things to Do in Madeira: 22 Best Picks for 2026

Madeira is small, about 57km long, but it fits in ridge walks above the clouds, ancient laurel forest, lava-rock sea pools and a capital full of gardens and wine lodges. Here are the best things to do across the island in 2026, with prices, booking rules and links to our detailed guides.

Quick answer: walk a levada such as 25 Fontes, watch sunrise at Pico do Arieiro and hike the PR1 to Pico Ruivo (€10.50), swim in the Porto Moniz lava pools (about €3), stand on the Cabo Girão skywalk (€5), ride the Monte toboggan in Funchal, go dolphin watching and take the ferry to Porto Santo. Official trails need a SIMplifica booking, usually €4.50.

Funchal

More in our guide to things to do in Funchal.

1. The Monte cable car and toboggan

The cable car climbs from the Old Town seafront to Monte in about 15 minutes (€16 one way, €22 return, half price for ages 7 to 14). Ride back down in a wicker toboggan steered by two carreiros: about 2km in 10 minutes, €30 for one, €40 for two or €60 for three, cash only, Monday to Saturday. It ends at Livramento, so take a taxi on. See the Monte toboggan guide.

2. Monte Palace and the Botanical Garden

Beside the toboggan start, Monte Palace Tropical Garden has exotic plants, koi ponds and tile panels on steep terraces: €18, free for children up to 14 with an adult. A second cable car (about €11 one way) continues to the Botanical Garden and its patterned flower beds. Entry there was €10 in 2025, so check the current price.

3. The Old Town and the Mercado dos Lavradores

The Mercado dos Lavradores is free, open Monday to Friday 7am to 7pm and Saturday 7am to 2pm. Go in the morning for the fish hall, and ask the price per kilo before you accept a fruit tasting. Then walk Rua de Santa Maria in the Old Town, with its 200 or so painted doors, and stay for dinner.

The mountains and levadas

Madeira’s levadas are old irrigation channels with almost level paths beside them, and every trail below needs a booked slot. More routes in our levada walks guide.

4. Sunrise at Pico do Arieiro and the PR1 to Pico Ruivo

Sunrise over the clouds from Pico do Arieiro (1,818m), 40 minutes from Funchal, is worth the early start. The PR1 ridge trail then runs about 7km, one way only, to Pico Ruivo (1,862m), with steep steps and tunnels: allow 3 to 4 hours plus an hour down to Achada do Teixeira, and pre-book a pickup there. Reopened in May 2026 and open daily since late June, it costs €10.50. See our PR1 guide.

5. Curral das Freiras

The “Nuns’ Valley” village sits deep in a bowl of peaks, 30 minutes inland from Funchal. Look down on it from the Eira do Serrado viewpoint (about 1,095m), then drive down for chestnut cake, soup or liqueur; the chestnut festival is held around the start of November. City buses run from Funchal. See Curral das Freiras.

6. Levada das 25 Fontes and Risco

Madeira’s most popular walk starts at Rabaçal, about an hour from Funchal. PR6 runs 8.6km return through laurel forest to a pool fed by dozens of springs, and PR6.1 adds the 100m Risco waterfall; they count as two trails, so you pay €9, the one-day rate. A council minibus (about €3 to €5 one way, cash) saves the steep 2km access road. Park before 9am. See 25 Fontes.

7. Levada do Caldeirão Verde

From Queimadas Forest Park above Santana, PR9 follows a levada through laurel forest and four tunnels to a 100m waterfall: 13km return, 4 to 5 hours, so bring a headtorch. It reopened on 29 May 2026, but the Caldeirão do Inferno extension is still closed. Arrive early for parking, or try the quieter Levada do Rei. See Caldeirão Verde.

8. Vereda dos Balcões

The easiest official trail: a flat 1.5km each way from Ribeiro Frio to a viewpoint over the central valleys, about 90 minutes return. It suits children, and bus 801 from Funchal stops at Ribeiro Frio in 40 to 45 minutes. Please don’t feed the tame chaffinches. See Vereda dos Balcões.

9. The Fanal forest

Old, twisted til trees stand on a misty plateau in the northwest, part of the UNESCO-listed laurel forest. It’s about 1 hour 15 minutes from Funchal, with no bus, and an hour’s wander is enough; fog makes the best photos. A daily visitor cap and a possible entry fee are planned, so watch for new signs. See Fanal.

The north coast

10. Porto Moniz natural pools

Seawater fills black lava-rock basins at the northwest tip, an hour to an hour and a half from Funchal. The main complex costs about €3 in 2026, with changing rooms and lifeguards from 1 May to 15 October, and the wilder pools near the aquarium are free. Bring water shoes, and expect closures in big swells. See Porto Moniz.

11. Seixal and the Véu da Noiva waterfall

Fifteen minutes east of Porto Moniz, Seixal has a rare natural beach of black sand under green cliffs, with lifeguards from June to September. The Clube Naval rock pools beside it are free, and the Poças das Lesmas pools charge about €2.50. Stop at the free Véu da Noiva viewpoint to see a waterfall pour down the cliff. See Seixal.

12. Santana and São Vicente

Santana, 45 minutes to an hour from Funchal, is known for its triangular thatched houses, free to visit next to the town hall. Further west, São Vicente has a tiny chapel built into a basalt rock in 1692, but its volcanic caves have been closed since 2020, with no reopening date. See Santana and the São Vicente caves.

The south and west coast

13. Cabo Girão skywalk

Twenty minutes west of Funchal, a glass skywalk juts out about 580m above the sea from one of Europe’s highest sea cliffs. Entry has been €5 since January 2026, free for children up to 12. Arrive before the mid-morning coaches. See Cabo Girão.

14. Câmara de Lobos

A working fishing town 15 minutes west of Funchal, with painted boats on the pebble beach and the bay Churchill painted. Poncha (rum, honey and lemon) is said to have started here, so have one in a harbour bar, then espada (black scabbardfish) for dinner. Westbound buses take 15 to 25 minutes. See Câmara de Lobos.

15. Calheta and Ponta do Sol

Calheta, 35 to 40 minutes west of Funchal, has a sheltered beach of imported golden sand by the marina and the MUDAS art museum on the cliff (closed Sundays, Mondays and holidays). Ponta do Sol, 25 minutes from Funchal, is a small seafront village with a pier and a clifftop spot for sunset. See Calheta and Ponta do Sol.

The east

16. Ponta de São Lourenço

Madeira’s dry eastern tip is a thin peninsula of red and black cliffs. PR8 is about 8km return with 500m of climbing and no shade, so allow 2.5 to 4 hours and start early, as the car park has only about 60 spaces. Repairs began on 30 September 2026 and will last at least nine months, with signed detours but the trail open. See Ponta de São Lourenço.

17. Machico and Prainha

Machico, 10 minutes from the airport, has a sheltered bay of imported golden sand, a historic church and small forts, and makes an easy swim after PR8. Near Caniçal, Prainha is a rare natural beach of dark sand. See Machico and the best beaches in Madeira.

The sea

18. Whale and dolphin watching

Deep water starts just offshore, so boats from Funchal and Calheta reach dolphins within minutes, all year. Expect about €40 for a three-hour catamaran trip to about €67 for a two-hour RIB. Book early in your stay, as rough seas cancel trips, and pick a licensed operator that offers a retry. See dolphin watching in Portugal.

19. A day on Porto Santo

The neighbouring island has the 9km golden beach Madeira lacks. The Lobo Marinho ferry from Funchal takes about two and a half hours (slower in autumn 2026 after a mechanical fault), with day returns from about €59 plus a fuel surcharge. Flights take 25 minutes, and June to September is beach season. See Porto Santo.

Food and wine

20. Taste Madeira wine

Madeira’s fortified wine runs from dry Sercial to sweet Malmsey. At Blandy’s in Funchal, a 30-minute lodge tour with two wines is about €17 in 2026 and a 90-minute vintage tasting about €59; book ahead on cruise-ship days. From late August to mid-September, the Wine Festival adds grape-treading in Estreito de Câmara de Lobos. See the Madeira wine guide.

21. Eat like a local

Order espetada (beef on bay-wood skewers), bolo do caco with garlic butter, scabbardfish with banana and grilled lapas (limpets), and take home a bolo de mel (honey cake). Try trout at Ribeiro Frio and the July tuna festival in Caniçal. See what to eat in Madeira.

Festivals

22. The Flower Festival and New Year’s Eve

The Flower Festival brings flower carpets, a market and two parades to Funchal: in 2027 it runs from 29 April to 30 May, with parades on 2 and 16 May, and only grandstand seats are paid. Christmas lights go up on 1 December, and the New Year’s Eve fireworks over the bay are among the world’s biggest, so book bay-view hotels months ahead.

Trail fees and booking

Since January 2026, every official PR trail needs a 30-minute start slot, booked and paid on the regional government’s SIMplifica portal.

• Fees: €4.50 per trail, or €10.50 for the full PR1. Two or more trails in a day cost €9, with 3-day (€22.50) and 7-day (€52.50) rates; each trail still needs a slot, and PR1 is excluded.
• Free: children aged 12 or under and Madeira residents, who still need a booking.
• With a guide: tour companies with an IFCN agreement pay €3 (€7 for PR1) and book for you.
• Rules: about 15 minutes’ leeway either side of your slot, and refunds only if the trail is officially closed. Walkers without a booking were fined €50 each in spring 2026. Book before you set off, as signal is patchy.

Getting around: car, tours or buses

• Hire car: the most freedom. Expressway tunnels put most of the coast within about an hour of Funchal, but mountain roads are steep and twisty, so pick a decent engine, ideally an automatic. See car rental in Portugal.
• Tours: island tours, sunrise trips and guided walks include transport, which solves the one-way PR1. See the best tours in Madeira.
• Buses: the SIGA network is cheap but slow to the north and west, and every route was renumbered on 9 March 2026. The Aerobus from the airport costs €6.70.

More in getting around Madeira.

When to go

Any month works: Funchal is around 19 to 20°C by day in winter and 25 to 26°C in summer. April to June and September to October suit hiking best, and the sea is warmest in late summer. The mountains and north are cooler and wetter, so keep spare days for the high walks. See the best time to visit Madeira and Madeira in winter.

FAQ

How many days do you need in Madeira?

Five to seven days covers Funchal, a sunrise hike, a few levadas and both coasts; three days covers the highlights. See 3 days in Madeira and the Madeira itinerary.

Do you have to pay to walk in Madeira?

On official PR trails, yes: €4.50 per trail or €10.50 for the full PR1, booked on SIMplifica. Children aged 12 or under go free but still need a booking.

Do you need a car in Madeira?

Not if you stay in Funchal and use tours for the mountains. For several hikes, or the far west and north, a car saves a lot of time.

What can you do in Madeira when it rains?

Try a wine lodge, the market or the Madeira Aquarium at Porto Moniz, or check whether the other side of the island is drier. The São Vicente caves are still closed.

Is Madeira good if you don’t hike?

Yes. Cable cars, gardens, lava pools, boat trips, wine and Porto Santo’s beach fill a week, and flat paths like Balcões give a taste of the forest. See Madeira with kids.

More: the Madeira travel guide, where to stay in Madeira, Madeira on a budget and the best time to visit Madeira.

Prices and details change, so please double-check before you travel. Spotted something out of date? Tell us in the groups.