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Which levada walk suits your day?
Four questions. The answer turns on the time you have, children, a car and what you want to walk to.
Answer all four and the tool names the walk that fits.
The Levada dos Tornos to Monte8 minutes from Funchal, no fee
The stretch from Palheiro to Monte is 4 km, given 3 to 4 hours with a lunch stop, and it ends at the top of the cable car, so you walk one way and ride down to the seafront. It is not a classified trail: no booking and no fee.
- Take a city bus towards Curral dos Romeiros for the Levada dos Tornos stop near Palheiro.
- The cable car down costs €16 one way.
PR11, the Vereda dos BalcõesEasy and nearly level
At Ribeiro Frio, about 25 minutes from Funchal: 1.5 km to the Balcões viewpoint, 3 km there and back, about 1 hour 30 minutes, between 870 m and 880 m, so there is practically no climb.
- Book on the SIMplifica portal: €4.50 over 12; children 12 and under are free but need a booking.
- Without a car, line 103 to Santana runs via Ribeiro Frio.
PR6.1, the Levada do RiscoEasy, and it ends at a waterfall
At Rabaçal, about 44 minutes from Funchal: 1.5 km each way, about 2 hours, rated easy, ending at the Risco waterfall, about 100 m high. The way back climbs gently to 1,288 m at the start.
- From the car park on the ER105, a shuttle or the road down reaches the Rabaçal house.
- No regular bus goes to Rabaçal: without a car, a guided walk is the practical choice.
Small Group Walks Rabaçal 25 Fontes
★ 4.8 · 867 reviewsRabaçal: the Risco and the 25 FontesTwo waterfalls from one start
PR6.1 to the Risco, about 2 hours, and PR6 to the 25 Fontes, 4.3 km each way, about 3 hours, start from the same place at Rabaçal. Both together fill most of a day, with the drive of about 44 minutes each way; PR6.1 is easy for children.
- Each classified trail costs €4.50 for visitors over 12, booked on SIMplifica.
- No regular bus goes to Rabaçal: without a car, book a guided walk.
Madeira: Enjoy a Guided Levada Walk in the Rabaçal Valley
★ 4.8 · 2,534 reviewsPR9 to the Caldeirão VerdeFour tunnels and a 100 m waterfall
From Queimadas, about 51 minutes from Funchal: 8.7 km each way, about 6 hours 30 minutes there and back, through four tunnels to a fall of about 100 m into a lagoon. Take a torch; from October to January the path is wet, muddy and slippery.
- Without a car: line 56 or 103 to Santana, then a taxi to Queimadas, or a transfer from Funchal.
- Book the trail on SIMplifica: €4.50 over 12.
Madeira: PR 9 - Levada do Caldeirão Verde Hike Transfer
★ 4.8 · 802 reviewsPR10, the Levada do FuradoA full day in the forest, one way
From Ribeiro Frio to Portela, 11 km, about 5 hours, one way, on one of the island's oldest levadas, through the laurel forest. Plan the return from Portela before you start.
- Line 103 reaches Ribeiro Frio; the return from Portela needs a bus, a taxi or a walk that includes it.
Ribeiro Frio / Portela - Levada Walk
★ 4.5 · 21 reviewsDistances, times and fees are the IFCN's and the trail pages'; tour lengths and ratings are the partners' own, read on 22 September 2026. Check the IFCN notices on the day: trails close for works and weather.
Most visitors have time for one levada, maybe two, and the lists of the best levada hikes madeira guides publish all disagree. The disagreement is not about quality. The walks suit different days: one is 8 minutes from Funchal and needs no booking, another is five hours one way through the forest, another ends at a waterfall on a plateau an hour's drive away.
So the useful question is not which levada is best, but which is best for the day you have. How much time, with whom, with or without a car, and in what weather?
Levada walks with pickup in Funchal, for a day without a car.
Most reviewedMadeira: Enjoy a Guided Levada Walk in the Rabaçal Valley
The waterfall walks at Rabaçal with a guide
One wayRibeiro Frio / Portela - Levada Walk
The Levada do Furado one way, with the return arranged
If you have half a day
The mistake with half a day is to spend most of it in the car. The best levada walks madeira offers for a morning or an afternoon are the ones close to Funchal.
First choice: the Levada dos Tornos, 5.2 km from the centre by road, about 8 minutes. The stretch from Palheiro to Monte is 4 km, given 3 to 4 hours with a lunch stop, and ends at the top of the cable car, so you walk one way and ride down to the seafront, €16 one way. It is not a classified trail: no booking and no fee.
Second choice: PR11, the Vereda dos Balcões at Ribeiro Frio, about 25 minutes by road. It is 1.5 km to the Balcões viewpoint, 3 km there and back, about 1 hour 30 minutes, rated easy, with the fee of €4.50 for visitors over 12.
Both leave time for something else. The Tornos puts you in Monte, with its church and gardens; Ribeiro Frio has the trout farm by the start of the trail.
Where the levada walks start
From the nearest start to Funchal to the furthest.
- Funchal city centre the base32.6500° N, 16.9167° W · Open in Google Maps
- Levada dos Tornos above Monte Levada dos Tornos, about 8 minutes32.6827° N, 16.9128° W · Open in Google Maps
- Ribeiro Frio (PR10 and PR11) PR11 and PR10, about 25 minutes32.7396° N, 16.8869° W · Open in Google Maps
- Half a day
- Levada dos Tornos, or PR11 Balcões
- With children
- PR11 Balcões or PR6.1 Risco, both easy
- Without a car
- Tornos, or Ribeiro Frio on line 103
- A waterfall
- PR6.1 Risco, or PR9 Caldeirão Verde
- A full day
- PR9, or PR10 one way to Portela
With children, or for a first levada
Families often pick a famous walk and turn back halfway. The easy trails are short, level and well defined, and there are two of them.
PR11, the Vereda dos Balcões, runs 1.5 km each way between 870 m and 880 m, so there is practically no climb, and it ends at a viewpoint. PR6.1, the Levada do Risco at Rabaçal, is 1.5 km each way, about 2 hours, rated easy, and ends at the Risco waterfall, about 100 m high; the way back climbs gently, from about 1,000 m to 1,288 m at the start.
Children 12 and under pay nothing on either, but they need a booking on the SIMplifica portal like everyone else.
Between the two, the choice is the drive. Ribeiro Frio is about 25 minutes from Funchal, Rabaçal about 44, plus the shuttle or the walk down the road to the trailhead. For a first levada, PR11 is the gentler day; for a waterfall, PR6.1 is worth the extra distance.
The easy levada walks
- PR11 Vereda dos Balcões
- 1.5 km each way, 1:30, easy, 870-880 m
- PR6.1 Levada do Risco
- 1.5 km each way, about 2 hours, easy
- Fee
- €4.50 over 12; 12 and under free with a booking
Without a car
People without a car often book a tour for a walk they could reach by bus. Two levadas are on the bus network.
The Levada dos Tornos is the simplest: Horários do Funchal runs a route named Curral dos Romeiros, above Monte, and a stop called Levada dos Tornos lies near Palheiro. Walk to Monte and take the cable car down.
Ribeiro Frio is on line 103, Funchal to Santana, which runs via Ribeiro Frio, for PR11 and the start of PR10. City fares are €2.05 on board or €1.45 on a pre-paid GIRO card; intermunicipal lines cost more, €2.65 on board.
PR9 is possible with a bus and a taxi: line 56 or 103 to Santana, 75 to 90 minutes, then a taxi to Queimadas, reported at about €12. No regular bus goes to Rabaçal or Fanal, so for PR6, PR6.1 and PR14 a transfer or a guided walk is the practical choice.
With a bus, read the timetable for the last departure back before you set off.
Madeira: PR 9 - Levada do Caldeirão Verde Hike Transfer
★ 4.8 · 802 reviewsA transfer from Funchal to Queimadas and back, for PR9 on your own.
For a waterfall, or for a full day
The mistake is to expect a waterfall on any levada. Two areas have the famous ones, and they make different days.
For a shorter waterfall day, go to Rabaçal: PR6.1 to the Risco, about 2 hours, and PR6 to the 25 Fontes, 4.3 km each way, about 3 hours, from the same start. Both together fill most of a day, with the drive of about 44 minutes each way.
For one long waterfall walk, go to Queimadas: PR9 to the Caldeirão Verde, 8.7 km each way, about 6 hours 30 minutes there and back, with four tunnels and a fall of about 100 m into a lagoon. Take a torch.
For a full day in the forest without a waterfall, PR10, the Levada do Furado, runs 11 km from Ribeiro Frio to Portela, about 5 hours, one way, on one of the island's oldest levadas. Plan the return from Portela before you start, or book a walk that includes it.
PR14, the Levada dos Cedros at Fanal, is the western option: 7.2 km, about 3 hours, one way to Curral Falso, in well-preserved laurel forest, about 76 minutes from Funchal.
The PR9 trail to Caldeirão Verde features four tunnels and a hundred-metre fall into a lagoon.By weather and season
The mistake is to choose by the sky over Funchal. The north side and the plateau have their own weather.
The station at Queimadas, at the start of PR9, averaged 2,314.6 mm of rain a year over 1941-1970, with 391.0 mm in November and 47.1 mm in July. In summer the north-side walks, PR9 and PR10, are at their driest; from October to January, they are wet, muddy and slippery.
Fanal is often in fog because of its altitude, in any month. The Tornos, low above Funchal, and PR11 at Ribeiro Frio, short and nearly level, are the choices when the forecast is doubtful: an easy turn back, and a short way home.
Whatever you choose, check the IFCN's notices on the day. Classified trails close for works and for weather, and the fee is refunded only when the trail was officially closed on the booked date. The IFCN's list of classified trails shows which are open, and its FAQ on trail fees has the booking rules.
For every walk in detail, with the forest and the history, see the levada walks guide.
Fanal / Assobiadores - Levada Walk
★ 4.7 · 99 reviewsA guided levada walk between Assobiadores and Fanal, with pickup in Funchal.
Common questions
Which levada is best for half a day?
The Levada dos Tornos from Palheiro to Monte, 8 minutes from Funchal and free, or PR11 to the Balcões viewpoint, 1:30 there and back.
Which levada is best with children?
PR11 Balcões or PR6.1 to the Risco waterfall, both 1.5 km each way and rated easy. Children 12 and under are free but need a booking.
Which levada can I reach by bus?
The Levada dos Tornos, and Ribeiro Frio on line 103. Rabaçal and Fanal have no regular bus.
Which levada has the best waterfall?
The Risco on PR6.1 is the easiest to reach on foot; the Caldeirão Verde on PR9, about 100 m, is a full day.