Madeira itineraries from Funchal

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Travellers planning Madeira usually start with a number of days and ask what fits. The answer depends less on the island's size than on a few fixed points: the city is on foot, the peaks need a clear morning, the west needs a car or a tour, and Porto Santo needs nights, not hours.

From a base in Funchal, the lengths build on each other. Half a day covers one part of the city. One day covers the city. Two and three days add the mountains and the sea. Five days add a day in each direction. A week adds the north and a gentle day. Ten days add Porto Santo, and longer stays add every classic trail at an easy pace. Two rules shape every length: PR1 across the peaks takes about 3 hours one way and needs a transfer at both ends, and the city buses cost €1.45 a trip on a GIRO card.

Short stays: half a day to three days

The common mistake on a short stay is to leave the city for the island on the first day. In a short stay, the city comes first.

With half a day, choose one plan: the market, the old town and the cathedral on foot; Monte by cable car and toboggan; or a boat trip of about three hours. With one day, do the city: the market in the morning, Monte at midday, the Sé in the afternoon, the bay in the evening.

With two days, add one day out, chosen by the weather: the peaks on a clear day, the west, or the south coast. With three days, add both a mountain day, on PR1 or an easy levada, and a coast and sea day at Câmara de Lobos and Cabo Girão.

Medium stays: five and seven days

People with a week often think they must change hotels to see the island. From Funchal, they need not.

With five days, the plan becomes one city day and a day in each direction: the peaks, the west with Rabaçal, Porto Moniz and Fanal, the east with the Ponta de São Lourenço and Machico, and a coast and sea day. Most of the island is within an hour of Funchal by road.

With seven days, add the north, PR9 to the Caldeirão Verde from Queimadas or Santana and its thatched houses, and a gentle day with an easy levada and the Botanical Garden. The weekly trail rate helps: two or more classified trails in 7 days cost €52.50, not including PR1, which is €10.50.

Long stays: ten days and more

The mistake with more time is to slow down so much that the main sights slip. Do the week first, then add.

With ten days, follow the week, then cross to Porto Santo for two nights on the Lobo Marinho ferry, from €33.90, about 2 hours 15 minutes each way, for its 9 km beach. Use the tenth day for what the week left out: Curral das Freiras, the Levada do Furado from Ribeiro Frio to Portela, or the wine lodges.

With more than ten days, the plan becomes a rhythm: two or three active days a week, with slow days in the city and on the coast. Two weeks cover every classic trail, and the costs cap with time: Funchal's tourist tax stops after 7 nights, at €14 a stay.

The fixed points of any plan

People often build a plan and then discover a closed market or a one-way trail. A few facts shape every itinerary.

On Sundays and public holidays, the Mercado dos Lavradores is closed and the cathedral closed to visits; on Saturdays, the market closes at 14:00. The Funchal-Monte cable car runs daily from 09:00, with the last boarding at 17:45.

PR1, the walk across the peaks, takes about 3 hours one way and ends away from its start, so it needs a transfer at both ends. PR9 takes about 6 hours 30 minutes there and back, a whole day with the drive. PR8 has no shade, so it is a morning or evening walk. No regular bus goes to Rabaçal or Fanal. Porto Santo is about 2 hours 15 minutes each way by ferry.

Build the days around these, and the rest falls into place. The city's own sights are the most flexible part of any plan: the old town, the seafront and Monte are open every day, so they fill the gaps left by the weather or by a closed market.

The Funchal-Monte cable car runs daily from 09:00 with last boarding at 17:45.

Ordering the days by the weather

The mistake is to fix the order before the trip. The mountains decide it.

The peaks and the north side are the wet part of the island: the Queimadas station averaged 2,314.6 mm of rain a year over 1941-1970, and Fanal is often in fog. Funchal, on the south coast, gets a fraction of that, and the east around Machico about 710 mm a year.

So, for any length above two days, keep the first day in the city, put the mountain day on the clearest morning, and keep the coast, the east and the city for the cloudy days. Check the IPMA forecast each evening, and book the classified trails on SIMplifica once the day is set: the fee is refunded only if the trail is officially closed, not if it rains.

The Queimadas station averaged over 2,300 mm of rain annually between 1941 and 1970.

Choosing the length

The mistake is to choose the length by the flight price alone. Choose it by what you want to see.

For a city break, one or two days are enough. For the city and the famous walk across the peaks, three. To see the whole island once, five to seven. To add Porto Santo and the longer levadas, ten. To walk everything and rest between, two weeks or more.

The season matters too. For hiking, April to June and September are the best months; for the sea, June to October; for winter sun, November to April. A festival can set the dates as well as the length: Carnival in February, the Flower Festival in May, the fireworks on the Saturdays of June, the jazz in early July, the Wine Festival from late August and New Year's Eve each reward a stay built around them. The best time to visit Madeira guide covers each month, and the festivals calendar the events worth building a stay around.

Getting around, whatever the length

People often assume a Madeira trip needs a car from start to finish. Most days do not.

The city is on foot, by bus and by cable car: city buses cost €1.45 on a pre-paid GIRO card or €2.05 on board. Interurban lines reach Santana, Ribeiro Frio, Baía d'Abra and Curral das Freiras. Tours and transfers cover the peaks, the west and the one-way walks. A hire car earns its keep on the west and north days, and can be collected in the city for just those days.

Stay in the centre of Funchal for any length, around the Sé, in São Pedro or in the old town, and every plan starts at the door. The guide to getting around covers every way of moving, the IFCN's trail list shows which trails are open, and the IPMA has the forecast.

Common questions

How many days do I need in Madeira?

Three for the city, the peaks and the sea; five to seven for the whole island from Funchal; ten or more to add Porto Santo and the longer walks.

Can I see Madeira from one hotel?

Yes. From Funchal, most of the island is within an hour by road, and every corner within about 76 minutes.

What should I do on the first day?

The city: the market, the old town, Monte and the cathedral, on foot and by cable car.

When should I do the mountain walk?

On the clearest morning of the stay; check the IPMA forecast the evening before.