Madeira Island Travel Guide — Top 15 Places to Visit | Explore Madeira Now

Dis­cov­er the breath­tak­ing land­scapes and rich cul­tur­al her­itage of Madeira, an island locat­ed south­west of Por­tu­gal. Nes­tled in the Atlantic Ocean, Madeira offers a unique blend of nat­ur­al beau­ty and urban charm. Whether you’re an adven­ture seek­er or a cul­ture lover, this island has some­thing for every­one.

Plan your trip to Madeira and dis­cov­er the won­ders of this beau­ti­ful island. We are pas­sion­ate locals who want to share our favorite loca­tions with you. Let’s start plan­ning your adven­ture today!

1. Explore Funchal, the Vibrant Capital City

Immerse your­self in Fun­chal, the cap­i­tal city known for its cul­tur­al her­itage, deli­cious cui­sine, and vibrant nightlife. Dis­cov­er charm­ing streets, squares, land­marks, muse­ums, church­es, and mar­kets. Take a leisure­ly stroll along the water­front. Fun­chal tru­ly offers some­thing for every­one.

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2. Embark on Levada Hiking Adventures

Madeira is home to over 804 km (500 miles) of lev­adas, fea­tur­ing stun­ning scenery and land­scapes. These lev­adas, along with veredas (paths), serve as hik­ing routes. Expe­ri­ence water­falls, cliffs, jun­gles, and incred­i­ble view­points. Choose from vary­ing lev­els of dif­fi­cul­ty. Check out WalkMe, an updat­ed guide, for the safest options.

- Lev­a­da do Caldeirão Verde: An easy 11.8km (7.3 miles) round-trip hike with diverse scenery and a lagoon and water­fall.

- Vere­da da Pon­ta de São Lourenço: A 7.2km (4.4 miles) round-trip hike to the island’s dry, rocky east­ern­most point, with an oppor­tu­ni­ty for a refresh­ing dip in the ocean.

- Pico do Areeiro and Pico Rui­vo: A chal­leng­ing hike to sum­mit these peaks, includ­ing routes above the cloud­line. The PR1 hike between Pico do Arieiro and Pico Rui­vo is par­tic­u­lar­ly pop­u­lar.

3. Discover the Black Sand Beach of Seixal

Vis­it Seix­al Beach on Madeira’s north coast, known for its dis­tinc­tive black sand and stun­ning sur­round­ings. Enjoy swim­ming, sun­bathing, and surf­ing. Explore charm­ing cafes and restau­rants while tak­ing in the breath­tak­ing views of high green cliffs and water­falls.

4. Experience the Magic of Fanal Forest

Step into the enchant­i­ng Fanal for­est, a small ancient patch of lau­risil­va for­est with unique flo­ra and fau­na. This seclud­ed for­est, nes­tled in a val­ley sur­round­ed by tow­er­ing cliffs, is a favorite des­ti­na­tion for hik­ers and nature enthu­si­asts. Don’t miss the mes­mer­iz­ing atmos­phere when fog rolls in.

5. Take a Cable Car Ride

Mar­vel at Madeira’s impres­sive cliffs from the top, and then take a cable car down to water lev­el for a walk at the bot­tom. Enjoy the best views and water­falls at Rocha do Navio in San­tana or expe­ri­ence the steep­est cable car in Europe at Tele­feri­co das Achadas da Cruz near Por­to Moniz.

6. Swim in Natural Pools

While Madeira has tra­di­tion­al beach­es, you can also enjoy unique swim­ming expe­ri­ences in nat­ur­al pools cre­at­ed by lava rocks. Don’t miss the free pools in Por­to Moniz and Seix­al, where you can admire the lush moun­tains in the back­ground.

7. Witness Whales and Dolphins on a Boat Tour

Book a thrilling whale watch­ing and dol­phin boat tour from Fun­chal. Madeira is famous for its pop­u­la­tion of these mag­nif­i­cent crea­tures, which can be spot­ted year-round. The best time to go is from May to Sep­tem­ber. Choose from speed­boats, pirate boats, or small cata­ma­rans for an unfor­get­table expe­ri­ence.

8. Santana: Dive into Madeira’s Traditional Heritage

Dis­cov­er San­tana, a small town locat­ed on the north­east­ern coast of Madeira island, known for its unique charm. Be cap­ti­vat­ed by the tra­di­tion­al tri­an­gu­lar-shaped hous­es, called “pal­heiros,” made of stone and thatched with straw or heather. Orig­i­nal­ly used by farm­ers for stor­age, many of these hous­es have been trans­formed into cozy guest hous­es or charm­ing restau­rants. If you want to expe­ri­ence the authen­tic essence of Madeira, a vis­it to San­tana is a must.

9. Ponta do Rosto: Marvel at the Breathtaking Views

Get ready for stun­ning panoram­ic views of Pon­ta de São Lourenço and the north­ern coast over Por­to da Cruz from the view­point of Pon­ta do Ros­to.

10. Visit Monte Palace in Funchal: A Paradise for Art and Nature Lovers

Explore the Monte Palace Madeira Muse­um, host­ing an extra­or­di­nary col­lec­tion of sculp­tures and min­er­als. Wan­der through the enchant­i­ng walk­ways adorned with Por­tuguese tile pan­els dat­ing from the 16th to the 20th cen­tu­ry.

Spread across more than 70,000 square meters, Monte Palace boasts an exten­sive col­lec­tion of trop­i­cal plants from around the world. Admire ducks and swans from Tas­ma­nia, Aus­tralia, New Zealand, Ice­land, and Scan­di­navia in the cen­tral lake.

How to get there: Take the tele­feri­co from Fun­chal old town to the Monte Palace entrance, or opt for the bus or pri­vate car. There is con­ve­nient free park­ing right in front of the entrance.

11. Explore Jardim Botanico in Funchal: A Botanical Haven with Spectacular Views

Dis­cov­er the delights of Jardim Botan­i­co, which show­cas­es over 2,000 plants and flow­ers from Madeira and around the world. Set on a steep but expan­sive slope over­look­ing Fun­chal, these gar­dens offer breath­tak­ing views of the city.

12. Hike the Vereda dos Balcões: Easy Trek with Majestic Mountain Views

Expe­ri­ence the beau­ty of Madeira’s peaks on the PR 11 — Vere­da dos Bal­cões trail, an easy 1.5km hike (one way). Reach the Bal­cões view­point and be reward­ed with awe-inspir­ing views of the Ribeira da Metade val­ley.

13. Visit the viewpoint of Ponta do Garajau and Cristo Rei: Sunset Magic by the Cliffs

Indulge in the beau­ty of Pon­ta do Gara­jau, a cap­ti­vat­ing sun­set view­point just a few kilo­me­ters east of Fun­chal. Descend a stair­case that leads straight to the ocean and bask in the scenic won­der. At the clif­f’s sum­mit stands the majes­tic Cristo Rei, an art deco stat­ue built in 1927.

While you’re here, don’t miss the oppor­tu­ni­ty to vis­it the near­by Gara­jau Beach, which is inte­grat­ed into a marine reserve. This pris­tine par­adise is a haven for scu­ba div­ing enthu­si­asts, thanks to its ide­al nat­ur­al con­di­tions. Access­ing the beach is made easy with a scenic cable car ride. Once there, you’ll find var­i­ous ameni­ties to enhance your beach expe­ri­ence, includ­ing fan­tas­tic restau­rants with panoram­ic views of the Atlantic.

14. Witness Rock Formations at Praia da Ribeira da Janela: Nature’s Artistry

Mar­vel at the pic­turesque beach of Pra­ia da Ribeira da Janela, renowned for its stun­ning rock for­ma­tions: Ilheus da Rib and Ilheus da Janela.

15. Dare to Paraglide: Soar Over Madeira’s Magnificent Coastline

If you’re an adren­a­line junkie, don’t miss the thrilling expe­ri­ence of paraglid­ing over Madeira’s coasts. Numer­ous small com­pa­nies offer exhil­a­rat­ing paraglid­ing adven­tures. We high­ly rec­om­mend Madeira Paraglid­ing com­pa­ny for a sat­is­fy­ing expe­ri­ence.

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16. Camacha: A Charming Blend of Tradition and Nature

Step into the cap­ti­vat­ing parish of Camacha, locat­ed approx­i­mate­ly 700 meters above sea lev­el in the munic­i­pal­i­ty of San­ta Cruz. This qui­et and pic­turesque vil­lage proud­ly pre­serves ancient cus­toms and tra­di­tions. Known for its wick­er­work indus­try, Camacha is famous for export­ing beau­ti­ful hand­craft­ed wick­er pieces world­wide. Expe­ri­ence the vibrant folk­lore, with its live­ly songs, dances, and cap­ti­vat­ing tra­di­tion­al cos­tumes.

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In addi­tion to its cul­tur­al rich­ness, Camacha offers enchant­i­ng nature expe­ri­ences. Tra­verse the Lev­a­da da Ser­ra do Faial, a charm­ing trail that allows you to immerse your­self in the local flo­ra and fau­na.

And don’t leave with­out try­ing Pon­cha, the famous Madeiran drink made from sug­ar cane rum, bee hon­ey, and lemon juice. It’s a must-try dur­ing your vis­it! In fact, we believe the best Pon­cha can be found at O Casimiro and Ade­ga do Pomar in Camacha. Keep an eye out for our upcom­ing arti­cle on local drinks and food for more rec­om­men­da­tions.

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Are you look­ing for a way to keep your Madeira mem­o­ries with you for­ev­er?
Vis­it our Gold­bek Tat­too Stu­dio to get a tat­too that cap­tures the spir­it of Madeira. We’ve even includ­ed a link to an arti­cle about the most pop­u­lar Madeira tat­toos. Don’t miss out, book your appoint­ment in advance!

We hope this arti­cle will enhance your Madeira expe­ri­ence. We can’t wait to see you soon!

Best regards!