Madeira, planned properly.

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Madeira is a mountain in the Atlantic with a city on its southern shoulder. Funchal climbs from the marina in terraces of white and terracotta, and within half an hour of it the road is at 1,000 m, in cloud, above a forest that has been growing since before the Mediterranean dried out, and is on the UNESCO World Heritage list.

Compare what is actually bookable here: 505 tours, 263 places to stay and 27 multi-day trips, each with its rating, its review count and its starting price. Nothing appears because an operator paid for it.

Beside them sit the places that sell nothing: 743 restaurants, 52 viewpoints, 37 monuments, 30 museums and 10 beaches and sea pools, each with a page of its own. The calculators answer the questions that come first, and every section here hands over to the page that goes further.

From Funchal

All of this is a morning away

• 
  Off Funchal

  Whales, an hour from the marina

• 
  Monte

  Up the hill by cable car

• 
  Funchal bay

  The catamaran at sunset

• 
  Pico do Arieiro

  The ridge walk to Pico Ruivo

• 
  The west

  Waterfalls on the north road

• 
  Seixal

  Black sand under the cliffs

• 
  Porto Moniz

  Swimming in the lava pools

• 
  Fanal

  Trees that hold the cloud

The city itself, and what to see first

Funchal is walkable in the way a steep city is walkable: down easily, up slowly. The cathedral, the market and the old town sit within a few hundred metres of the seafront, and everything else climbs away from them.

The monuments are the fixed points of that walk. The Sé was inaugurated in 1514 and costs nothing to enter; the two forts above the harbour are shut; and the Monte cable car, 3,200 m long and about fifteen minutes each way, is the one ride that doubles as a view.

Directory

37 monuments on Madeira

Every fort, church, statue and quinta in the city, with what it costs to go in, when it opens and how highly visitors rate it.

• Estátua de Cristiano Ronaldo4.3 · 0.7 km
• Zona Histórica do Funchal4.6 · 1.2 km
• Forte de São Tiago4.2 · 1.7 km

See all 37 monuments

Estátua de Cristiano RonaldoZona Histórica do FunchalForte de São TiagoPraça do Município

Madeira's museums are small and mostly indoors within a few streets of the cathedral: sacred art, the story of sugar, the natural history of the island, and the one built around a footballer.

They earn their place in the plan on a wet afternoon. Rain here comes in spells rather than days, and October to March carry most of it, with about 91 mm in October and 95 mm in December.

Each museum has its own page with hours, ticket and rating, so an afternoon can be built around what is actually open.

Directory

30 museums on Madeira

What each museum holds, what it charges and when it is open, from the sacred art collection to the single-room ones.

• Museu CR74.3 · 0.7 km
• Madeira Story Centre4.1 · 1.4 km
• 3D Fun art museum4.6 · 0.5 km

See all 30 museums

Museu CR7Madeira Story Centre3D Fun art museumQuinta das Cruzes Museum

On an island this steep the view is the attraction, and most of them are free. The miradouros are laid out along the roads above the city and around the coast, each with a parapet and, often, a café.

Two stand apart. Cabo Girão puts a glass floor 580 m above the sea, for €5, and Eira do Serrado looks straight down into the crater village of Curral das Freiras, 21 minutes from Funchal by road.

Directory

54 viewpoints on Madeira

The viewpoints of the island, where they look and how to reach them, from the glass floor at Cabo Girão to the ones nobody queues for.

• Pico dos Barcelos viewpoint4.7 · 2.3 km
• Madeira Story Centre4.1 · 1.4 km
• Jardim Panorâmico4.5 · 2.5 km

See all 54 viewpoints

Pico dos Barcelos viewpointMadeira Story CentreJardim PanorâmicoMiradouro do Pináculo

Eating, and where the good tables are

The island's own dishes are short and specific: espetada on a bay-laurel stick, black scabbardfish with banana, limpets, bolo do caco with garlic butter, and poncha to finish.

Prices are plain. A cheap meal runs about €10 and a mid-range one about €15, while the four Michelin restaurants sit far above that. The old town keeps the densest run of tables, and the best-rated kitchens are scattered from the Lido to São Pedro.

Directory

744 restaurants on Madeira

Every restaurant in the checked database, with its price band, its rating and what guests order most.

• Restaurante Alta Vista4.8 · 3.1 km
• Abrigo do Pastor restaurant4.6 · 6.2 km
• Pestana Carlton Madeira4.5 · 0.9 km

See all 744 restaurants

Restaurante Alta VistaAbrigo do Pastor restaurantPestana Carlton MadeiraAlforno Madeira

Funchal has no long sand beach. It has sea pools cut into the rock, a pebble beach below the old town and a volcanic shore that drops away fast, which is why the bathing complexes charge €6 and fill up in August.

Sand is a drive away, at Machico and Calheta, where it was imported and is kept behind breakwaters. The sea itself runs from 17.6 °C in March to 22.9 °C in September, so the swimming season is longer than the calendar suggests.

Directory

11 beaches and sea pools on Madeira

The beaches, lidos and natural pools, what each charges and how the water is on the day.

• Praia Formosa4.4 · 3.4 km
• Doca do Cavacas Natural Pools4.4 · 3.4 km
• Ponta Gorda Lido4.4 · 2.8 km

See all 11 beaches and sea pools

Praia FormosaDoca do Cavacas Natural PoolsPonta Gorda LidoPraia do Gorgulho - Gavinas

When to come

Madeira's year is flat by European standards: 20 °C in the daytime in January, 26.8 °C in August, and the sea never colder than 17.6 °C. What moves is the rain and the crowd.

The dry half runs from May to September, with July and August almost without rain. The wet half brings the north coast to life and the prices down, and the two busiest nights of the year, the flower festival in spring and the fireworks on 31 December, sit either side of it.

What is on, month by month

Pick a month to see its temperatures and what runs in it.

Click a month to see what you can do then

JanJFebFMarMAprAMayMJunJJulJAugASepSOctONovNDecDDaylight, hours

10

11

12

13

14

14

14

13

12

11

10

10

Carnival

Flowers

Fireworks

Jazz

Wine

Nature

New Year

Whales

Levadas

January

10.2hours of daylight

High 20.0°C (68°F)
Low 14.3°C (58°F)

On this month

• New Yearpart of the month · December into January
• Whalesall year, calmest in summer
• Levadasall year; the high trails close in storms

Not this month

• Carnival
• Flowers
• Fireworks
• Jazz
• Wine
• Nature

Funchal weather, month by month →

One day out of the city

Madeira is small and slow: 57 km end to end, but the roads climb and tunnel, so distance means less than the clock. Santana is 44 minutes away, Porto Moniz 56, and the north coast feels like another island.

The tunnels changed this. A drive that took half a day before the VE1 and VR1 now takes an hour, which is why so much of the island is a morning rather than an expedition.

How far each day trip really is

Routed driving time from Funchal, there and back. Tap a place to see its tours.

One wayThere and back

Câmara de Lobos

14 min28 min9 km17 km

Curral das Freiras

21 min42 min15 km29 km

Machico

23 min46 min22 km44 km

Ponta do Sol

26 min52 min24 km47 km

Pico do Arieiro

30 min1 h 0018 km36 km

São Vicente

36 min1 h 1232 km64 km

Calheta

39 min1 h 1835 km69 km

Santana

44 min1 h 2838 km77 km

Seixal

47 min1 h 3441 km81 km

Porto Moniz

56 min1 h 5248 km97 km

020 min40 min1 h 001 h 201 h 402 h 00

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One-way driving time on the main road, without stops.

There and back, before a single stop. A day with more than three hours of driving in it is a driving day.

The day most people book

The east tour and the west tour are the two shapes of a Madeira day out. West takes in the terraces above Câmara de Lobos, the skywalk, the laurel forest at Fanal and the pools at Porto Moniz; east takes the thatched houses at Santana and the ridge at Pico do Arieiro.

Either way the driving is done for you on roads that are narrow, steep and often in cloud, and the stops are timed to reach the viewpoints before the afternoon closes in.

Dolphins meet the catamarans within an hour of the marina.

Funchal: Dolphin and Whale Watching Catamaran Cruisefrom €35 · ★ 4.6 · 6,772 reviewsCheck availability ›

What it costs

The fixed costs on Madeira are small. A city bus ride is €2.05 on board (Horários do Funchal's 2026 tariff), the Monte cable car €22 return, the Botanical Garden €10, the Cabo Girão skywalk €5 and a sea-pool complex €6.

What moves the budget is what you book and whether you drive. A small hire car runs €20 to €40 a day before fuel at €1.98 a litre, and the tours below start where the catalogue starts.

What each kind of tour costs

The checked catalogue by kind. Tap a kind to see every listing in it.

Middle half of pricesMedianMost booked

Guided levada walks

Most bookedFunchal: Pico do Arieiro Sunrise Hiking Transfer★ 4.8 · 4,687 reviewsFree cancellationHotel pickupfrom €47Check availability ›Hover to see more

€48Most booked €47

Whale watching

Most bookedFrom Funchal: Ecological Catamaran Dolphin Whale Watching★ 4.6 · 10,022 reviewsFree cancellationfrom €35Check availability ›

€50Most booked €35

Tuk-tuk tours

Most bookedFunchal: Guided Tuk Tuk Tour to Toboggan Rides & Old Town★ 4.9 · 968 reviewsFree cancellationHotel pickupfrom €32Check availability ›

€50Most booked €32

Island day tours

Most bookedFunchal: Enchanted Terraces, Porto do Moniz & Fanal 4WD Tour★ 4.8 · 5,647 reviewsFree cancellationHotel pickupfrom €69Check availability ›

€55Most booked €69

Canyoning

Most bookedFrom Funchal: Intermediate (Level 2) Canyoning Adventure★ 4.9 · 1,339 reviewsFree cancellationfrom €90Check availability ›

€70Most booked €90

Jeep tours

Most bookedFunchal: Enchanted Terraces, Porto do Moniz & Fanal 4WD Tour★ 4.8 · 5,647 reviewsFree cancellationHotel pickupfrom €69Check availability ›→ €201

€70Most booked €69

Boat trips

Most bookedMadeira: Flag Ship Tour aboard Santa Maria de Colombo★ 4.6 · 2,066 reviewsFree cancellationfrom €45Check availability ›→ €240

€72Most booked €45

€0€25€50€75€100€125€150

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Prices are the operators' lowest bookable fare, so every bar is a floor rather than a quote.

Set the island's official prices beside its tours and the scale is short. Almost everything a visitor pays at a desk sits between €2 and €25, and the guided days sit above that.

The pattern holds across the island: nature is free and getting to it is not, which is what the hire car question comes down to.

From a bus ride to a day on the north coast

Official prices and the most-booked tour of each kind, on one scale. Each step to the right multiplies the price.

Official price, set in eurosMost-booked tour of its kind, from price

City bus, one ride

€22 €

Cabo Girão skywalk

€55 €

Botanical Garden

€1010 €

Monte Palace garden

€1818 €

Monte cable car, return

€2222 €

Whale watching

Most bookedFrom Funchal: Ecological Catamaran Dolphin Whale Watching★ 4.6 · 10,022 reviewsFree cancellationfrom €35Check availability ›Hover to see more

€35

Guided levada walks

Most bookedFunchal: Pico do Arieiro Sunrise Hiking Transfer★ 4.8 · 4,687 reviewsFree cancellationHotel pickupfrom €47Check availability ›

€47

Island day tours

Most bookedFunchal: Enchanted Terraces, Porto do Moniz & Fanal 4WD Tour★ 4.8 · 5,647 reviewsFree cancellationHotel pickupfrom €69Check availability ›

€69

€5€10€25€50

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Official prices from the operators' own tariff pages; tour prices from the checked catalogue.

Arriving

Madeira's airport sits 16 km east of Funchal, with its runway on pillars over the sea. Everything arrives there, and the ride into the city takes about half an hour.

The Aerobus runs the seafront hotels for €6.70 a head between 08:30 and 22:00, a taxi is €25 to €35 by day and up to €40 after midnight, and a private transfer is booked for the party rather than the seat.

Aerobus or taxi from the airport

What each costs per person, by the size of the group.

1 person2 people3 people4 people

Aerobus

€6 each

Taxi, shared

€15 each

For a group of four the taxi is about €16 cheaper a head, and it puts you at the door.

A taxi rank works at any hour. What it does not do is wait for a delayed flight, take a family with cases in one car, or know the hotel at the top of a lane that a bus cannot climb.

That is what the private transfers below are for: a fixed price for the whole party, a driver who tracks the flight, and a door rather than a stop.

Where to sleep

Funchal's beds divide by slope. The Lido strip west of the centre holds about half the hotels and the sea pools; the Sé and the old town put you within walking distance of the market, the cable car and most tour pickups; São Pedro and Santa Luzia climb behind them and cost less.

The catalogue holds 263 checked places, from a hostel bed at about €23 a night to the suites above the bay.

Half the city's hotels stand along this stretch, west of the centre.

Funchal: Old Town Walking Tourfrom €16 · ★ 4.7 · 3,853 reviewsCheck availability ›

Filter the catalogue by area, by kind of place and by what guests scored it, and the map moves with it.

More than a day

Some trips are booked as one thing: a week of walking with the nights arranged, a hiking route from coast to ridge, or a cruise that calls at Porto Santo and sails on.

The 27 multi-day trips in the catalogue run from four days to a fortnight, and the price covers the hotels, the transfers and the guide.

Book in this order

Dates first, because the flower festival and the New Year are the two weeks when Funchal fills. Then the bed, since the Lido and the old town empty at different speeds.

Then the transfer, which is the one thing that goes wrong at midnight. Then the tours: 91 percent of the checked catalogue can be cancelled free of charge, so an early booking costs nothing and holds the morning you want.

Common questions

How many days does Madeira need?

Four full days cover Funchal, one levada walk, the west and the east of the island. Seven let you add the north coast, Porto Santo or a second walk without moving hotel, and most visitors stay in Funchal the whole time.

What does a trip to Madeira cost?

The fixed costs are small: €2.05 a bus ride, €6 for a sea pool, €22 for the cable car return. The variable ones are the bed and the car: a mid-range room runs about €227 a night in the October sample, and a small hire car €20 to €40 a day before fuel.

When is the best time to go?

May to September for dry weather and the warmest sea, 22.9 °C in September. October to March take most of the rain, about 91 mm in October and 95 mm in December, and the island is greener and cheaper for it.

Do you need a car?

Not in Funchal, where the buses and the tour pickups cover the city. For the north and the mountains a car pays for itself from about three days out, and the tour is cheaper for one or two people; the calculator on this site settles it for your dates.

Is a levada walk hard?

It depends which one. PR6.1 to the Risco is rated easy and takes about two hours; PR9 to the Caldeirão Verde is 8.7 km each way with four tunnels and takes about six and a half hours. The official grade and time sit on each trail's page, and the IFCN trail register says which are open.

How do you get from the airport to Funchal?

The Aerobus runs to the seafront hotels for €6.70 a head between 08:30 and 22:00, about 50 minutes. A taxi is €25 to €35 by day, more after midnight, and a private transfer is fixed for the whole party and waits for a late flight.

Last checked on 2026-09-23·Reading time 7 minutes