Ten days in Madeira

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Travellers with ten days in Madeira have time for what shorter trips skip: the neighbouring island of Porto Santo, the valley of Curral das Freiras, the long Levada do Furado, and days without a plan. The base can stay in Funchal for most of it.

The shape is simple. Days one to seven follow the week from Funchal: the city, the peaks, the west, the north, the east, a gentle levada and the coast. Days eight and nine cross to Porto Santo by ferry for two nights and its long beach. Day ten, back in Funchal, is for Curral das Freiras, the Levada do Furado or the wine lodges, whichever the week left out. The ferry to Porto Santo takes about 2 hours 15 minutes each way and does not sail every day, so fix those two nights first.

Days one to seven: the week from Funchal

The common mistake with ten days is to slow down so much that the main sights slip. Do the week first.

Follow the seven-day plan: day one in Funchal, with the market, the old town, Monte by cable car and the toboggan; day two on PR1 from Pico do Areeiro to Pico Ruivo; day three in the west, with Rabaçal, Porto Moniz and Fanal; day four in the north, on PR9 to the Caldeirão Verde or in Santana; day five in the east, on PR8 and in Machico; day six on an easy levada and in the Botanical Garden; day seven on the coast at Câmara de Lobos and Cabo Girão, and at sea.

The seven-day plan gives each day with its walks, drives and costs. With ten days, there is room to move any of them for the weather without losing it.

Days eight and nine: Porto Santo

Visitors often try Porto Santo as a day trip and spend most of it on the ferry. Stay two nights.

The Lobo Marinho ferry from Funchal to Porto Santo starts at €33.90 and takes about 2 hours 15 minutes each way; on most days it leaves Funchal at 08:00 and returns in the evening, so a day trip is possible, but two nights give a full day in between, for the 9 km beach and the town, with the crossing on the mornings either side. The ferry stops for annual maintenance in January, so plan around it in winter.

Porto Santo's beach runs for 9 km, and its sand has a local reputation in sand therapy for bone and muscle conditions. The island is the archipelago's beach, in contrast to Madeira's pebble coves and sea pools.

Back on Madeira, the second night's ferry puts you in Funchal for day ten. The guide to Porto Santo from Funchal covers the crossing.

Day ten, choice one: Curral das Freiras

The mistake is to see Curral das Freiras only from a tour bus window. It is worth a morning on its own.

Curral das Freiras is a village in a deep valley in the centre of the island, named for the Santa Clara nuns who hid there from pirates in 1566; it cannot be seen from the sea. Route 181 of Horários do Funchal runs there from the city, and the road passes the Eira do Serrado viewpoint.

It is about 21 minutes from Funchal by road, so it fits a half day, and it combines well with a gentle afternoon in the city. Route 181 is an interurban service, so its fare is higher than the city's €1.45 on a GIRO card; check the timetable for the return before you set off.

The Nuns' Valley guide covers the village and the viewpoint.

Day ten, choice two: the Levada do Furado

People with ten days often want one long walk that a week had no room for. The Levada do Furado is the one.

PR10, the Levada do Furado, runs from the ER103 at Ribeiro Frio to the ER102 at Portela: 11 km, moderate, about 5 hours, dropping from 880 m to 645 m, through the Laurisilva, on one of the island's oldest levadas; the state acquired it by a contract of 1822 to water the fields of Porto da Cruz.

It is one way, so plan the return from Portela, or book a guided walk that includes it. Ribeiro Frio is about 25 minutes from Funchal and on bus line 103, and the start has a trout farm running since 1960.

It needs a dry day: the north side and the forest take far more rain than Funchal.

The Levada do Furado is an 11 km one-way route from Ribeiro Frio to Portela, established by an 1822 contract to water fields in Porto da Cruz.

Day ten, choice three: the wine lodges and the city

The mistake is to leave the island without tasting its wine at the source. Give it a slow day.

Funchal's wine lodges run tours all year. At Blandy's Wine Lodge, in the Madeira wine trade since 1811, the Lodge Tour costs €17 for about 30 minutes, the Premium Tour €23 for 45 minutes with the museum and three wines, and the Vintage Premium €59 with five wines, including a Frasqueira; children from 6 to 17 pay €8.40.

The styles follow the grape on the label: Sercial is dry or extra dry, Verdelho medium dry, Boal medium sweet and Malvasia sweet. A Frasqueira is a single vintage of one grape, aged at least 20 years in cask.

Combine the lodge with the city's museums in São Pedro, the Quinta das Cruzes and the Natural History Museum, and a last dinner in the old town. The Madeira wine guide explains the styles.

Blandy's Wine Lodge has been part of the Madeira wine trade since 1811 and offers tours ranging from €17 for 30 minutes to €59 for a vintage premium experience.

The trail fees over ten days

Walkers on a ten-day trip often pay for each trail separately. The combined rates cut the cost.

Each classified trail costs €4.50 for visitors over 12, and PR1 in full €10.50. For two or more trails, the IFCN has combined rates: €9.00 for one day, €22.50 for three days and €52.50 for seven days. They do not include PR1, which is booked separately.

The SIMplifica portal applies the cheapest option at checkout when you book several trails. The rates are not a free pass: each trail still needs its own booking for a date and a time slot. The fee is refunded only if the trail is officially closed on the booked date, so book near the day.

The Levada dos Tornos, an unclassified walk, costs nothing and needs no booking at all.

Ordering the ten days

The mistake is to fix ten days in advance. With ten, you can afford to follow the weather.

Keep day one in Funchal and Porto Santo on fixed ferry dates, and let the rest move. The mountains and the north are the wet side: the Queimadas station averaged 2,314.6 mm of rain a year over 1941-1970, and Fanal is often in fog. Put PR1, PR9 and the Furado on the clear days, and the east, the coast, the lodges and Curral das Freiras on the cloudy ones. Check the IPMA forecast each evening.

A car is most useful for the west and the north; the rest work with tours, transfers, buses and the ferry. Accommodation adds the municipal tourist tax of €2 per guest per night for visitors over 12, for at most 7 consecutive nights. For longer stays, see more than ten days. The IFCN's FAQ on trail fees and the IPMA help plan it.

Common questions

Is Porto Santo worth a day trip?

Two nights are better: the ferry takes about 2 hours 15 minutes each way, and it does not sail every day, so a day trip depends on the timetable.

What can I add to a week with ten days?

Porto Santo, Curral das Freiras, the Levada do Furado from Ribeiro Frio to Portela, and the wine lodges.

Do I pay the tourist tax for all ten nights?

In Funchal it is charged for at most 7 consecutive nights, at €2 per guest per night for visitors over 12.

Is there a cheaper rate for many trails?

Yes: €22.50 for two or more trails in 3 days and €52.50 in 7 days, not including PR1.