Seven days in Madeira from Funchal

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Travellers with a week in Madeira often ask whether to split it between two hotels. From Funchal, there is no need: every corner of the island is within about 76 minutes by road, and a week gives a day in each direction, a gentle day and a day at sea.

The week runs like this. Day one in Funchal. Day two on the peaks. Day three in the west. Day four in the north, around Santana and the Caldeirão Verde. Day five in the east, on the Ponta de São Lourenço. Day six, a gentle levada close to the city and a garden. Day seven on the south coast and the sea. Over a week, the trail fees have a weekly rate: two or more classified trails in 7 days cost €52.50, bought once on the SIMplifica portal.

Days one and two: the city and the peaks

The common mistake is to plan the mountains for the first morning, after a late arrival. Start in the city.

Day one covers Funchal: the Mercado dos Lavradores in the morning, closed on Sundays; the old town and the painted doors of Rua de Santa Maria; the cable car to Monte, €16 one way or €22 return; the church, the Monte Palace Tropical Garden, €18, and the toboggan down to Livramento, from €30; then the Sé and the centre.

Day two climbs to the peaks for PR1, from Pico do Areeiro, at 1,818 m, to Pico Ruivo, at 1,862 m: 6.1 km in about 3 hours, one way beyond Pedra Rija, ending at Achada do Teixeira or Ilha. The full ticket costs €10.50 on SIMplifica. Put it on the clearest morning of the week; the PR1 guide has the details.

The Monte Palace Tropical Garden covers 70,000 m² and costs €18 for an adult entry.

Day three: the west

Visitors often squeeze the west into half a day. Give it a full one.

Drive or take a tour west to Rabaçal, on the Paul da Serra plateau, about 44 minutes from Funchal, for PR6.1 to the Risco waterfall, 1.5 km each way, or PR6 to the 25 Fontes, 4.3 km each way. Continue to Porto Moniz, about 56 minutes from Funchal, for its volcanic sea pools, and return through the Fanal forest, in the Laurisilva, about 76 minutes from Funchal, where fog is frequent.

Fanal also has PR14, the Levada dos Cedros, 7.2 km one way in about 3 hours, for a walker who wants more forest.

No regular bus goes to Rabaçal or Fanal, so this is the day for a car or a tour. It is also the longest drive of the week, so start early and keep the evening quiet.

Porto Moniz is known for its volcanic sea pools, located about 56 minutes from Funchal on a drive that often includes stops at Rabaçal and Fanal.

Day four: the north and Santana

The mistake is to judge the north side by the weather in Funchal. It is greener because it is wetter.

Walk PR9, the Levada do Caldeirão Verde, from the Queimadas forest park above Santana: 8.7 km each way, about 6 hours 30 minutes there and back, rated moderate, through the Laurisilva and four tunnels, to a waterfall of about 100 m. Queimadas is about 51 minutes from Funchal by road, and parking there costs €2 an hour; by bus, lines 56 and 103 go to Santana, then a taxi to Queimadas.

For a shorter north day, visit Santana itself, about 44 minutes from Funchal, where the typical houses are triangular, thatched and painted blue, red and white; the Núcleo de Casas Típicas is the group you can visit.

Take a torch for the tunnels and a waterproof for the north side.

Day five: the east

People often think the east is only a drive past the airport. It has the island's open coast.

Walk PR8 on the Ponta de São Lourenço, from Baía d'Abra to Casa do Sardinha, about 4 km each way in about 2 hours 30 minutes, with views of the north and south coasts at once and no shade; go early or late in summer. Bus 113 runs from Funchal, and by road it is about 34 minutes.

Afterwards, Machico, about 23 minutes from Funchal, is where Zarco and Tristão Vaz Teixeira landed in 1419, and three of its beaches carry a Blue Flag in 2026: Banda d'Além, Prainha and Ribeira do Natal. It makes the afternoon a swim, and the town, the island's first capital, a short walk before the drive back.

The east is the dry end of the island, a good choice for a day when the mountains are in cloud.

Day six: a gentle levada and a garden

The mistake is to walk hard every day and be exhausted by the end. Keep one gentle day.

Take an easy levada near the city. PR11, the Vereda dos Balcões at Ribeiro Frio, about 25 minutes from Funchal and on bus line 103, is 1.5 km each way, about 1 hour 30 minutes, rated easy, to the Balcões viewpoint; Ribeiro Frio also has a trout farm, running since 1960. Or walk the Levada dos Tornos from Palheiro to Monte, 4 km in 3 to 4 hours with lunch, with no fee and no booking.

In the afternoon, take the cable car from Monte to the Madeira Botanical Garden, €11 one way, and the garden itself, €10 for visitors over 12. It is the week's calm day, and a good one for a rest if the weather is poor.

Day seven: the coast and the sea, and the weekly rate

People often end a week with one last long drive. End it by the sea, close to the airport.

Câmara de Lobos is about 14 minutes from Funchal, and Cabo Girão's skywalk, at 580 m above the sea, €5 for visitors over 12, about 17. In the afternoon, a boat trip to look for dolphins and whales, about three hours, or a kayak and snorkel trip to the Garajau marine reserve. The airport is about 20 minutes from Funchal.

The week's trail fees add up, and the IFCN's weekly rate helps: two or more classified trails in 7 days cost €52.50, and in 3 days €22.50, though these combined rates do not include PR1, which costs €10.50 on its own. The SIMplifica portal applies the cheapest option at checkout; each trail still needs its own booking for a date and slot.

Ordering the week, cars and costs

The mistake is to fix the week before seeing the weather. Order it as you go.

The mountains and the north side are wet and often cloudy: the Queimadas station averaged 2,314.6 mm of rain a year over 1941-1970, against about 710 mm in Machico on the dry east coast. Keep day one in the city, put the peaks on the clearest morning, the north and the west on good days, and the east, the gentle day and the coast on cloudy ones. Check the IPMA forecast each evening.

A car is most useful on days three and four; the rest work with tours, transfers and buses. Fuel has a weekly regional maximum, €1.984 a litre for 95 petrol in late September 2026. Accommodation adds the municipal tourist tax of €2 per guest per night for visitors over 12, for at most 7 nights.

For more days, see ten days. The IFCN's FAQ on trail fees and the IPMA help plan the week.

Common questions

Can I see Madeira in a week from one hotel?

Yes. From Funchal, every corner of the island is within about 76 minutes by road, and each day can go in a different direction.

Is there a weekly trail pass?

There is a combined rate: €52.50 for two or more classified trails in 7 days, not including PR1, which costs €10.50.

Which days need a car?

The west and the north, where the starts at Rabaçal, Fanal and Queimadas have little or no bus service.

What if it rains in the mountains?

Swap the day for the east, the south coast or the gentle day, and walk the peaks on the next clear morning.