7-Day Madeira Itinerary: How to See Madeira in One Week

There are places on my endless bucket list that I’ve always wanted to visit and in order to do that I jumped into the world of seasonal work and planned it all way in advance. Then there are those places which are in my mind, but I actually end up visiting rather spontaneously. However, some destinations I simply fall in love with just by seeing a photo of them. The latter is how we ended up in Madeira, Portugal, which is actually located closer to mainland Africa than it is to Lisbon.

After seeing more photos of the island, I knew it would be an amazing trip, as it reminded me so much of Hawaii. Little did I know that Madeira would become an extra special place for me! 

If you’d like to know how you can spend 7 days in Madeira and why the island holds a special place in my heart, then keep on reading.

The Ultimate 7-Day Madeira Itinerary

Day 1 – Explore Funchal, the Capital City of Madeira

Landing at one of the world’s most challenging airports…

We arrived late in the evening to Madeira Airport or, as it’s now officially known since 2016, Cristiano Ronaldo Madeira International Airport. The airport was considered one of the world’s most challenging airports due to its very short runway of only 1600m. Madeira is not a flat island, so the runway had to use a tiny piece of land on the outskirts of Funchal, with the planes flying dangerously close to the cliffs on approach! However, about 20 years after its opening, expansion of the runway started to take place and the runway got extended by about 1 km. It was built on a giant concrete slab over the sea due to no actual land to expand into. Pilots still suffer with strong winds, making landing a bit more difficult, but I guess nowhere near as terrifying as it must’ve been before the extension.

Once you set foot on the island, I recommend getting either a local bus or the Aero-bus to Funchal. The bus only cost about €8 for a return ticket as Funchal is located about 25km from the airport and a taxi could cost around €30. It’s actually a very nice drive to the city with beautiful landscapes and countless tunnels. 

But be prepared: once you get off the bus you will definitely have some hills to walk up to reach your destination. We learned that the hard way on the first night! One direction in Madeira is always going to be uphill, so make sure to pack some comfortable shoes.

How to Spend a Day in Funchal, Madeira?

On your first full day of the 7 days in Madeira, I recommend exploring Funchal. 

Start your day by visiting the beautiful gardens of Monte Palace Madeira. The admission fee for the garden is around €12.50 per person. You can spend hours exploring the different types of gardens, African sculptures and the mineral museum. The easiest and most fun way to get there is by cable car. You have to find the Madeira Cable Car Station located in the Old Town which will drop you at the entrance of Monte Palace. One-way costs €11 (€16 for return). The ride takes around 15 minutes and provides you with magnificent views of Funchal and the surrounding mountains.

You can definitely visit gardens on your own, but if you want to learn more about the interesting history of the Monte Palace and Botanical Gardens, check out this guided tour. 

Top Tip: If you’d like to descend from the gardens in a unique way, do NOT buy a return ticket for the cable car! Instead, find the group of men dressed in white with straw hats and black rubber boots and ask for a Toboggan Ride. It’s not cheap (€30 for two) but it’s a unique experience and absolutely worth the speedy 2 km ride down the seriously steep hills and crazy bends. Just a heads up, it doesn’t actually take you all the way to the city centre so you’ll have to walk the rest of the way.

After your crazy morning ride head into the centre of Funchal to find the famous Farmer’s Market (Mercado dos Lavradores). You can try at least 5 different types of passionfruit, admire the beautiful flowers and just enjoy the atmosphere.

You can then explore the Old Town of the city. Visit The Church of Our Lady of Monte and the Cathedral of Funchal (Se). Find crazy colourful doors along Rua de Santa Maria and walk around the beautiful waterfront of Funchal.

Another fun activity would be to take one of the Tukxi tours around the city.  On these tours you can get both unique experiences and information about the history of the city.

Click here to learn some cool facts about Madeira that we bet you didn’t know about.

Day 2 – Hiking in the Valley of Nuns

How to get to the Valley of Nuns by public transport?

The first day trip you can easily do without a car is to the Eira Do Serrado Viewpoint, located at 1095m. 

Bus 81, departing from the centre of Funchal, will take you all the way up to the viewpoint for a price of around €6 return. It takes a good 45 minutes for the bus to reach the viewpoint. You have to walk a little further after getting off the bus to get to the amazing panoramic viewing area. I suggest spending about 15-20 minutes admiring the view. 

Top Tip – Watch how fast the clouds can change the view giving the valley a different look in seconds.

Be Prepared – The roads are relatively narrow and very windy with sheer drops on the sides which would make most drivers slow down. Well, take it from me, the bus driver who does this journey on a daily basis will take the turns at a pretty high speed. So, if you’d like to experience a bit of an adrenaline rush then make sure you visit the viewpoint via bus! That first day out of the city we definitely realised that crazy rides can lead to even crazier views in Madeira. (P.S. If you don’t believe me check out my Instagram stories from Madeira.)

The Valley of Nuns Trail and Curral das Freiras Village

From the viewpoint you will see the village of Curral das Freiras (Nuns Valley). You can actually walk down to it via a trail if you’d like to get some steps in and would like to really get a feel for how huge these mountain ranges are as you descend. You can take the same bus (Bus 81) back to Funchal from the village too so no need to climb back up. However, you can definitely do the trip the other way around and climb up the valley if you dare.

Once in the village, there isn’t much to do there other than to visit a few local shops and bars and try out their signature chestnut soup which the village is famous for. You can definitely explore the area within a half hour before you hop back onto your bus and take the most amazing, albeit scary, ride back to Funchal.

If you’d to get more information about the Valley, I recommend you take one of the professional tours. (For example, this one includes hotel pickup and drop-off from any hotel in Funchal).

Day 3 (Road-trip) – Levada Walk​

Driving on the Island of Madeira – Is it scary?

For the rest of the week, we agreed that the best way to truly explore the island would be to hire a car and drive around. When we read about what it’s like to drive in Madeira, lots of people suggested that it’s not always easy and can be quite scary at times. I can definitely confirm that after driving around the whole island. Especially when you are used to driving on the left in England. However, it is truly the best way you can fully explore this beautiful place!

To rent a car on Madeira you can use this company.

Whilst the south of the island is very well connected by the main highway and hundreds of tunnels, if you decide to drive around the entire island – like we did – well, then be ready to ‘climb’ some steep and windy hills. If you happen to get stuck behind a slow moving vehicle – like we did – then don’t get frustrated! Enjoy the many amazing views of the island, but also make sure you don’t get too distracted by the jaw-dropping waterfalls and vistas you will see on your way, as one wrong turn and nothing will stop you from rolling into the deep. (Hands up if you’re now singing the famous Adele song)!

Risco Waterfall and 25 Fontes Falls Trail

Right, after my lengthy warning about driving, let’s get going shall we? 

Your main destination for the day is the Valley of Rabaçal, located to the northwest of Funchal. Here you can walk alongside the ‘levadas’ and chase some waterfalls. It’s located high up on a flat plateau, so after slowly driving upwards for over an hour you can park at the car park just off the ER110. From there you can take a minor road leading you down to Rabaçal shelter house. From the house you can then carry on towards either the 100m high Cascata Do Risco (Risco Waterfall) or 25 Fontes Falls. It doesn’t really matter which way around you do the walk, but we decided to visit Risco Falls before we backtracked and, at the fork, headed towards 25 Fontes Falls.

Did you know? – You’re probably itching to know what these ‘levadas’ are, am I right? They are basically man-made channels of water, created out of necessity in the 16th Century, to transport water from the west and northwest of the island to the south, where the climate is much drier.

Good to Know Before You Go​

Be aware that this particular levada walk is very popular, so expect to meet with plenty of tour groups. My advice is to get there early to avoid the worst crowds. At Risco Falls we were relatively lucky as it wasn’t too crowded. We could really enjoy the show of different water streams merging into one and coming down the mountain. By the time we got to 25 Fontes Falls, however, the crowd was definitely bigger (as it is a popular lunch spot!) but we could still get a few decent pictures.

As it was September the falls weren’t as strong as I saw in some pictures taken at different times of the year, but it was still magical. (Well, if you can ignore the other 60-70 people around you)! Both waterfalls are definitely worth a visit and the whole trip took us about 4 hours. The trail is relatively narrow in places and believe me, you don’t want to be stuck behind a group of 40 slow moving tourists! On our way back to the car we passed at least 3 massive groups and had to pick up a faster pace to get ahead of them.

We definitely recommend you visit these waterfalls on your own. However, if you don’t want to rent a car and/ or would like to know more interesting facts about nature on Madeira, make sure that you take a tour with an experienced mountain guide.

Angels Waterfall and Cabo Girão

After ticking two waterfalls off your list, I suggest finding another one. Thanks to social media, I spotted this cool waterfall cascading into the middle of the road before it flows into the ocean. Obviously, I just wanted to see it! It’s not too difficult to find but unless you know where it is you could easily miss it. The falls is called Cascata dos Anjos (Angels Waterfall) and it cascades straight onto the old ER101 regional road in Ponta do Sol. 

Depending on which direction you come from, at the 4-arm roundabout make sure you head towards the ER101 road and don’t be confused if it says ‘local access only’. You can definitely drive the entire length of the road alongside the VE3 tunnel and will get to the same destination eventually (but in a more entertaining way). Even though the falls weren’t as powerful as I saw on other photos it was still a cool drive and a crazy way to get a free car wash don’t you agree?

If there’s still some light left in the day stop at Cabo Girão viewpoint. Cabo Girão Cliff is one of the highest in Europe with a vertical drop of almost 600m. So, it’s no wonder a glass skywalk has been built to test tourists’ fear of heights. We arrived later that afternoon so luckily it wasn’t busy at all, which maybe made the glass walk even scarier which I loved! There is no admission fee so during the day it is very crowded, therefore, make sure you time your visit well.

Day 4 (Road-trip) – Driving Around Madeira

The East of Madeira​

Ponta de São Lourenço​

On Day 4 I suggest driving around the entire circumference of the island and stop at some amazing places along the way.

Start driving towards the east of the island bright and early because your first stop will be Ponta de São Lourenço. It’s the eastern-most point of the island and includes a couple of hours trekking. A car park is located just at the start of the trail so it’s easy to access if you arrive by car. The trail itself is relatively easy but absolutely beautiful.

The 4 km trail will lead you to the Farol da Ponta de São Lourenço where you can get some dramatic views of Madeira and the ocean. (After enjoying the view don’t forget that you also have to walk the 4 km back to the car park!)

As you can see on the photo above, the area was very dry at the time we visited. I think some of the locals had said that that summer had been particularly hot. So, it’s no wonder this naturally drier area of the island looked like a desert! But it made the differences in climate within the island even more noticeable.

The East side of Madeira is very historical and traditional so if you have a few extra days to spare, check out this full-day guided tour.

The North of Madeira​

Santana​

After your morning trekking, head towards Santana to see Teleférico da Rocha do Navio (cover photo). This gorgeous cable car is located on the northeast coast of the island. It was built in 1997 to help local farmers in accessing their land. Rocha do Navio (‘ship rock’) comes from a Dutch shipwreck that was found in the 19th Century. Unfortunately, we didn’t have time to actually go down and explore the area which I regret. So, if you’re there make sure you give yourself enough time and do it!

After a short but sweet stop at Santana head towards Porto Moniz, a little town located at the northwestern tip of Madeira. The drive is actually pretty amazing in itself, and the drive through Sao Vicente definitely reminded me of Hawaii because it was so lush with random waterfalls cascading everywhere. 

Seixal​

It would be a mistake not to stop in Seixal and check out the natural black sand beach of Seixal Beach with its backdrop of lush green cliffs and countless waterfalls cascading into the sea. To make the place even more interesting, right next to the beach there are some volcanic natural pools (Poças das Lesmas) which are worth checking out. 

Top Tip – Have a late lunch here as the view is just way too beautiful to leave behind so quickly. We ate at the only bar by the beach which had some really good food for relatively cheap prices so go ahead and treat yourselves!

Porto Moniz​

After leaving behind that beautiful scenery head towards Porto Moniz. The main reason to visit this place is to see the amazing natural pools formed by volcanic lava and naturally filled by the sea every high tide. Once you arrive and park your car, you will realise that Porto Moniz actually has two sets of pools.

The ones overlooking the Ilheu Mole island are completely natural, where you can enjoy the ‘untouched’ version of the pools and can take a swim for free. You can also head towards the western pools which have been converted into Lido pools (Piscinas Naturais do Porto Moniz). Here, you have to pay a small amount to get in.

Top Tip – The second one is definitely much safer, especially if you are with kids. However, I personally enjoyed the pools to the east in their more natural setting. 

The West of Madeira​

On your way back you can stop at Ponta do Pargo Lighthouse, the westernmost point of Madeira. The lighthouse was built in 1922 and stands 300m above sea level providing yet another amazing view of the west coast. 

Day 5 – Hike from Pico do Arieiro to Pico Ruivo in Madeira

A Special Day Above the Clouds​

I was so looking forward to finally seeing and climbing the highest peak in Madeira which was the main reason we actually booked our flight tickets to this island. Little did I know that there would be even more surprises waiting for me at this location. We got up around 5 AM, because the drive from our hotel took a good 45 minutes to Pico do Arieiro, where we wanted to see the sunrise before we started the 12 km long trail to Pico Ruivo.

We had to drive at a fast pace because we already saw that the sun was about to come up! Luckily, the roads were pretty good all the way because Pico do Arieiro is actually the site of a NATO radar installation. Once we parked, we ran towards the viewpoint and that first look at the place took my breath away.

We literally stood above the clouds and could still see the moon descending whilst also watching as the sun rose from below the clouds. It was truly magical. I turned around to find my boyfriend on one knee opening a little box and asking ‘The Question’! So that morning, whilst witnessing the most amazing sunrise, above the clouds at 1,818m, I said YES!

About the Pico do Arieiro to Pico Ruivo Trail​

Here is some useful information about the Pico do Arieiro to Pico Ruivo trail which will hopefully help you prepare:

The Trail

Pico Ruivo – standing 1,862m above sea level- is the highest peak in Madeira. Therefore, it provides a panoramic view over the entire island once you reach the summit. However, the route from Pico do Arieiro consists of steep ridges, slopes and steps, so you have to have at least a basic level of fitness. It also passes through tunnels, so either bring a torch or get your flashlight ready on your phone!  steep 

Make sure you don’t start the hike too late as the round trip takes around 5-6 hours. I recommend checking when the sun goes down at the time of visiting. The path gets busier later so for the best experience head up to watch the sunrise then start your walk straight away. Based on our photo taking time, we reached the summit within 3 hours. Of course, we stopped a lot for pictures and small breaks. The path is well signposted so don’t worry about getting lost. Just stick to the designated path and ‘follow’ the people on it.

Top Tip – If you don’t have a car and would like to take a guided tour, we recommend you take one of the tours that starts early.

What to Wear and Facilities

I was wearing shorts from the start but on the top I was wearing a few layers: a t-shirt, a lightweight shirt and a gilet, because it was rather chilly in the morning at that height. Both the weather and me warmed up pretty quickly so layers are always a good idea. Of course, your outfit could depend on the time of year you’re planning on hiking the trail, but I recommend wearing proper shoes! 

There is a rather expensive restaurant at Pico do Arieiro with toilet facilities, however these aren’t open early in the morning. Of course, there are no toilets along the way, but trust me that there are great opportunities if nature comes calling! There won’t be any chance to get water and food either so come prepared.

Day 6 – Day Trip to Christo Rei in Madeira

On your last full day you can visit the small village of Garajau where you can find the Cristo Rei viewpoint and Garajau Beach. Luckily, you can easily reach it by public transport. 

You can admire the view and the windy road at the top and then go down to the beach to have a nice, chilled day after a week of constant hiking. You can either drive or walk down or hop onto a cable car (costs €2.50 round trip) which is probably the best way. The beach is located in the Partial Natural Reserve of Garajau and it’s great for scuba diving. It’s a rocky beach so it’s not the most comfortable to lie on. However, it’s still a nice way to end your 7-day long trip in Madeira.

Final Thoughts on Madeira

The week we spent in Madeira was definitely filled with breath-taking scenery, numerous hiking and trekking adventures, countless waterfalls, cable car rides, crazy drives and tunnels, natural pools and lighthouse views. I guess these reasons on their own would be enough to fall in love with the place. However, the fact that I got engaged at the top of this island, above the clouds, inevitably made Madeira even more special to me.

As always, here is a map of our trip showing the places we managed to visit in a week. Have you been to Madeira before? How much of the island did you manage to explore? Let me know in the comments section below.