Three days in Funchal

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Travellers with three days in Funchal usually have the same problem: too many choices for too few days. Three days are enough for the city, one day in the mountains and one day by the sea, if each day has one centre.

Day one is the city: the market, the old town, Monte and the cathedral. Day two goes up: the walk across the peaks from Pico do Areeiro to Pico Ruivo, or a levada through the laurel forest. Day three stays low: the south coast at Câmara de Lobos and Cabo Girão, a boat trip, or the sea pools and a swim. All three days start and end in Funchal, so there is no hotel change and no packing in between.

Day one: the city on foot and by cable car

The common mistake is to save the city for the last day and run out of time. Do it first, while you find your bearings.

Begin at the Mercado dos Lavradores in the morning; it opens at 07:00 on weekdays, closes at 14:00 on Saturdays and all day on Sundays. Walk into the old town along Rua de Santa Maria and its painted doors, then take the cable car from the old town to Monte, €16 one way or €22 return.

In Monte, the church holds the tomb of Emperor Karl I of Austria, and the Monte Palace Tropical Garden, €18 for an adult, covers 70,000 m². Take the toboggan down to Livramento, about 2 km in 10 minutes, from €30 for one, and a taxi or bus to the centre.

In the afternoon, see the Sé, inaugurated in 1514 and free to enter, the town square and Avenida Arriaga. Eat in the old town, among its 96 restaurants.

The Mercado dos Lavradores opens at 07:00 on weekdays, and the nearby Rua de Santa Maria features about 200 artistically painted doors.

Day two: the peaks or a levada

Visitors often assume the mountain day means a hard hike. There is a choice for every level.

For the classic, walk PR1 from Pico do Areeiro, at 1,818 m, to Pico Ruivo, at 1,862 m, 6.1 km in about 3 hours, rated moderate. It is one way beyond Pedra Rija and ends at Achada do Teixeira or Ilha, so book a transfer at both ends, and the €10.50 ticket on SIMplifica. A sunrise start gives the view above the clouds.

For an easy day in the forest, walk PR11, the Vereda dos Balcões at Ribeiro Frio, 1.5 km each way, about 1 hour 30 minutes, rated easy, €4.50; Ribeiro Frio is about 25 minutes from Funchal and on bus line 103. For a waterfall, PR6.1 to the Risco at Rabaçal is 1.5 km each way, about 2 hours, easy.

For no booking at all, the Levada dos Tornos from Palheiro to Monte, 4 km in 3 to 4 hours with lunch, starts 8 minutes above the city.

The PR1 trail connects Pico do Areeiro at 1,818 m to Pico Ruivo at 1,862 m, a 6.1 km moderate hike taking about 3 hours.

Day three: the coast and the sea

People often end a trip with a long drive. End it close to Funchal, with the sea.

Câmara de Lobos, the fishing town, is about 14 minutes by road, and Cabo Girão, with its skywalk at 580 m above the sea, €5 for visitors over 12, about 17 minutes. Together they make a morning. In the afternoon, take a boat trip from Funchal to look for dolphins and whales, about three hours, or swim at the Lido, €6 an entry from June to September, or at the old town's sea pools.

East of Funchal, the Garajau Partial Nature Reserve, 376 ha of sea down to the 50 m depth line, was Portugal's first exclusively marine reserve, classified in 1986; kayak and snorkel trips go there from Funchal.

The last evening fits a sunset sail, about three hours on the bay.

For non-walkers

The mistake is to think the mountains are only for hikers. They are also a view, and a drive.

For visitors who do not walk, day two can go to the same places by road or with a tour. Pico do Areeiro, the start of PR1, is a viewpoint at 1,818 m about 30 minutes from Funchal, and the walk from there to the Pedra Rija viewpoint and back, 1.2 km each way on a €4.50 ticket, is the short version of the famous ridge. An east-side tour covers Pico do Areeiro, Santana, with its thatched houses, and the Laurisilva in one day.

The west is the other road day: Porto Moniz and its sea pools, 56 minutes away, Seixal and the Fanal forest, on a 4WD or other day tour.

The city day and the coast day need no walking beyond the streets.

Swapping for the weather

The mistake is to fix the mountain day months ahead. Fix it the evening before.

The mountains and the north side take far more rain than Funchal: the Queimadas station averaged 2,314.6 mm a year over 1941-1970, and fog is frequent at Fanal. Funchal, on the south coast, has dry summers, 1.7 mm of rain in July and 1.3 mm in August, and rain in spells in winter.

Check the IPMA forecast for the mountains each evening, and put day two on the clearest day. If it rains in the mountains on the chosen day, the city day and the coast day work in almost any weather on the south coast.

Book the classified trails on SIMplifica only once the day is set: the fee is refunded only if the trail is officially closed, not if it rains.

Evenings and food

People often eat at the hotel on the nights they are tired. The old town and the seafront are worth the short trip.

Three evenings allow three sides of Funchal: the old town's restaurants on Rua de Santa Maria, the seafront near the marina, and a sunset on the bay by boat. The dishes to try are espetada, beef on a laurel skewer, bolo do caco, the garlic-butter flatbread, and black scabbardfish with banana, with a glass of Madeira wine.

For the wine itself, the lodges in the centre run tours all year: at Blandy's, the Lodge Tour costs €17 and the Premium Tour €23, with three wines.

If the stay falls on a festival, give it an evening: the fireworks on the Saturdays of June, the jazz in early July, the Wine Festival from late August, or the New Year fireworks.

Where to stay and how to move

The mistake is to rent a car for all three days. Only the west needs one.

Stay in the centre, around the Sé, in São Pedro or in the old town: the city day is on foot, the mountain day starts with a transfer from the hotel, and the coast day is 14 to 17 minutes by bus, taxi or car. City buses cost €1.45 on a pre-paid GIRO card or €2.05 on board.

A hire car is worth one day at most, for the west or for an early start in the mountains; street parking in the centre costs €0.54 to €1.83 an hour. Accommodation adds the municipal tourist tax of €2 per guest per night for visitors over 12, for at most 7 nights.

For a longer stay, see five days in Funchal. The IFCN's trail list shows which trails are open, and the IPMA has the forecast.

Common questions

Is three days enough for Madeira?

Enough for Funchal, one day in the mountains and one by the sea. The west and the north need more days.

What is the best mountain day?

On a clear day, PR1 from Pico do Areeiro to Pico Ruivo; for an easy walk, PR11 to the Balcões viewpoint at Ribeiro Frio.

What if it rains?

Swap the days: the city and the south coast work in most weather, and the mountains wait for the clearest day.

Do I need a car?

No; tours, transfers and buses cover all three days. A car is useful for a day in the west.