Things to do in Madeira, from Funchal

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Travellers planning a first trip usually ask for the list of things to do in Madeira and find it long and scattered across an island they have not yet seen. From a base in Funchal, it sorts itself quickly. The city has the market, the old town with its painted doors, the cathedral of 1514, the cable car up to Monte and a dozen museums, all on foot or a short ride. The island around it is within an hour by road for almost everything: the lava pools of Porto Moniz, the peaks at Pico do Areeiro, the laurel forest listed by UNESCO, the cliffs of Cabo Girão and the eastern tip at Ponta de São Lourenço.

Walking is the other reason to come. The levadas, the water channels that cross the island, carry paths to waterfalls and through the forest, and the classified trails cost €4.50 each, booked ahead. The sea is the other half: bathing complexes and pools in Funchal, a few sand beaches, dolphin trips, and Porto Santo's 9 km of sand across the water.

A few famous sights are closed in 2026, among them the São Vicente caves and the Anjos waterfall, so a good plan starts with what is open. Each subject has its own guide.

The island in five experiences

The common mistake is to plan the island as a list of sights. It is better planned as a few kinds of day.

The best things to do in Madeira fall into five kinds. A walk on a levada, the water channels built to carry water through the forest, such as the 1.5 km path to the Risco waterfall at Rabaçal. A morning on the peaks, at Pico do Areeiro, 1,818 m, 30 minutes from Funchal. A day on the coast, from the lava pools of Porto Moniz to the skywalk at Cabo Girão, 580 m above the sea. A day in Funchal, with the market, the old town and the cable car to Monte. And a day on the water, on a boat out of the harbour or on the ferry to Porto Santo.

A week fits three or four of those, with a day kept free for the weather, since the peaks and the north need a clear sky.

The Laurisilva, the laurel forest that covers about a fifth of the island, runs through many of those days. It is listed by UNESCO as the largest surviving area of a forest that once covered much of southern Europe, and PR9, PR10, PR11 and PR13 all pass through it. The UNESCO listing explains why.

Region by region

People often try to see everything from one side of the island. The regions are close, but each deserves its own day.

The best places to visit in Madeira sort by direction from Funchal. West along the south coast: Câmara de Lobos, a fishing town 14 minutes away; Cabo Girão, 17; Ponta do Sol and its 1849 pier; and Calheta, 39 minutes out, with a sand beach and a contemporary art museum. The north-west: the Porto Moniz lava pools, 56 minutes; Seixal's black sand beach, 47; and the Fanal forest on the plateau, 76.

The north coast: São Vicente, 36 minutes over the mountains, with its surf beach, and Santana, 44 minutes, with its triangular thatched houses and a theme park. The mountains: Pico do Areeiro and the Nuns Valley, 21 minutes away, seen from the Eira do Serrado viewpoint at 1,095 m.

The east: Garajau and its Cristo Rei, 12 minutes, above a marine reserve of 376 ha where the water is clear enough to see life at more than 20 m; Machico, 23 minutes, where Zarco landed in 1419, with a sheltered sand beach; and the Ponta de São Lourenço, 34 minutes, the bare eastern tip, where the Ponta do Rosto viewpoint shows both coasts at once. The day trips guide covers each.

In Funchal itself

Visitors often rush out to the island and give Funchal an evening. The city deserves at least a full day.

The top things to do in Madeira's capital start at the Mercado dos Lavradores, the market of 1940 with its tiled halls, open from 07:00 on weekdays and to 14:00 on Saturdays. Next to it, the Zona Velha, the old town, has about 200 painted doors along Rua de Santa Maria and 96 restaurants within 450 m. A few streets west, the Sé, the cathedral of 1514, has a ceiling of island cedar, and it is free to enter.

From the old town, the cable car climbs 3,200 m to Monte in about 15 minutes, €16 one way or €22 return; at the top are the Monte Palace Tropical Garden, €18, the church with the tomb of Emperor Karl I, and the toboggans that run 2 km down to Livramento. A second cable car crosses to the Botanical Garden, €10.

For a rainy day, the museums: Flemish art at the Sacred Art Museum and the Quinta das Cruzes, both €10, and the CR7 museum by the marina, €5. The Madeira Story Centre in the old town, open every day from 09:00 to 19:00, tells the island's history with interactive exhibits. The museums guide and the cable car guide have the details.

Walking

People often think of walking in Madeira as serious hiking. Most of the classic walks are levada paths, long but nearly level.

The most rewarding things to do on Madeira for walkers are its classified trails, the PR routes. PR6.1 to the Risco waterfall is 1.5 km each way and rated easy; PR6 to the 25 Fontes, 4.3 km each way. PR9 at Queimadas runs 8.7 km each way through the laurel forest to the Caldeirão Verde. PR8 on the Ponta de São Lourenço is about 4 km each way, with the sea on both sides. And PR1, from Pico do Areeiro to Pico Ruivo, crosses the peaks one way only, for €10.50.

Every classified trail costs €4.50 for visitors over 12, booked in advance on the SIMplifica portal for a date and a time slot; two or more in 7 days cost €52.50 together. The Levada dos Tornos above Funchal, from Palheiro to Monte, is not classified and has no fee.

Check the IFCN's notices before any walk: PR1 closed on several days in September 2026 for works. The hiking guide and the IFCN's fee page cover the rules.

A top ten

The mistake with a list is to try to finish it. Choose from it by the weather and your pace.

The top 10 things to do in Madeira, from a Funchal base, are these.

One: ride the cable car from the old town to Monte, and come down by toboggan. Two: walk Rua de Santa Maria for its painted doors and eat in the old town. Three: see the market on a weekday morning. Four: watch the sunrise from Pico do Areeiro, 30 minutes from the city. Five: walk the levada to the Risco waterfall at Rabaçal. Six: swim in the lava pools of Porto Moniz. Seven: stand on the glass at Cabo Girão, 580 m above the sea. Eight: walk into the fog among the old til trees at Fanal. Nine: walk the Ponta de São Lourenço, the bare eastern tip. Ten: taste Madeira wine in a lodge in the centre of Funchal.

That covers the city, the peaks, the forest, the coast and the wine. Add Porto Santo, Monte Palace or a boat trip as the days allow.

Walking Rua de Santa Maria offers views of the old town's distinctive painted doors.

With only a few days

People with three days often try to fit all ten. Five are enough for a first visit.

The top 5 things to do in Madeira Island, Portugal, for a short stay: the cable car to Monte and the gardens, a morning at Pico do Areeiro, a levada walk such as the Risco or the Balcões, a day on the west coast to Porto Moniz, and an evening in the old town.

Those five need no car for three of them: the cable car starts in the old town, the Balcões path at Ribeiro Frio is on the 103 bus route, and the old town is on foot. For Pico do Areeiro and Porto Moniz, a tour or a transfer takes the driving off your hands.

Put the peaks on the clearest morning, and swap the west coast for the city if the north turns wet. The itineraries set out three, five and seven days in detail.

Photographs

Visitors often arrive at the famous spots at midday and leave with flat pictures. Light and weather make them.

The Madeira best pictures come from a handful of places at the right hour. Fanal, where fog is frequent, for the old til trees appearing out of the cloud. Pico do Areeiro and Bica da Cana, at 1,818 m and 1,580 m, for the sunrise above the clouds. Ponta do Pargo, at the western tip, for the sunset over the open Atlantic. Cabo Girão, for the glass floor and the terraces far below. And in Funchal, the painted doors of Rua de Santa Maria in daylight, and the bay from the cable car.

For the waterfalls, go after rain, when they run fullest. And do not follow the pictures of the Cascata dos Anjos onto the old road at Ponta do Sol: access there is prohibited because of landslides.

The viewpoints guide has the drive times and the heights.

Fanal is known for its frequent fog and ancient til trees that appear out of the clouds.

The sea

People often write Madeira off for the sea because of its pebble shore. The water is the other half of the island.

Among the things to see in Madeira Portugal from the water are the dolphins and whales off the south coast, on boat trips of about three hours from the harbour, and the Desertas Islands, a nature reserve and a refuge of the Mediterranean monk seal, on full-day trips from Funchal.

For swimming, Funchal has five Blue Flag bathing areas in 2026: its complexes cost €6, and Praia Formosa, 2 km of sand and pebble, is free. The lava pools of Porto Moniz cost €3; the sand beaches are at Machico, Calheta, Seixal and Prainha. The sea is warmest in September, at about 22.9 °C.

Across the water, Porto Santo has 9 km of golden sand, about 2h15 by ferry, with a day cruise from €72.02; on most days the ship leaves Funchal at 08:00 and returns in the evening, but there are no sailings from 14 to 22 October 2026. The Madeira beaches guide and the 2026 Blue Flag list cover the beaches.

Funchal has five Blue Flag bathing areas which cost €6 to enter in 2026.

Festivals

Visitors often choose their dates without knowing a festival is on. The calendar can make or break a week.

Carnival fills February with night parades through Funchal. The Flower Festival covers the city in flowers from late April through May. The Atlantic Festival's fireworks contest lights the bay on the first Saturdays of June, and the Funchal Jazz Festival fills two parks in early July, with free nights in the Municipal Garden. The Wine Festival runs from late August into September, with the harvest in the vineyards of Estreito de Câmara de Lobos. The Nature Festival takes the island outdoors in early October. And the Christmas and New Year season ends the year with the fireworks over the bay.

In 2027, Carnival runs from 3 to 14 February and the Atlantic Festival from 4 to 27 June; the 2026 Nature Festival ran from 6 to 11 October, and the Christmas season runs from 1 December 2026 to 10 January 2027. Book rooms early for Carnival, the Flower Festival and New Year's Eve. The festivals guide has the dates for 2026 and 2027.

Food and wine

People often eat only near their hotel. Funchal's food is best found in its market, its old town and its lodges.

Madeira wine is the island's own: fortified, aged, and tasted in the lodges of central Funchal, a walk from each other. A dry Madeira before a meal and a sweet one after it cover most of what a first visit needs; a tasting of three or five small samples is a real amount of alcohol, at 17% to 22%. The market shows the island's fruit, vegetables and fish in its tiled halls, and the old town's lanes hold 96 restaurants within 450 m of Rua de Santa Maria.

Câmara de Lobos, 14 minutes west, is tied to poncha, the island's traditional drink, and its bay holds a black scabbardfish festival in August. The Wine Festival, from late August, adds tastings in the city and the harvest in Estreito de Câmara de Lobos.

The wine guide explains the styles and the labels, and the food pages cover the dishes and where to eat.

What is closed in 2026

The common mistake is to trust an old list. Several famous sights are shut, and one is dangerous.

The São Vicente caves and their Volcanism Centre are closed over a risk of collapse, with no reopening date as of 22 September 2026. The Cascata dos Anjos at Ponta do Sol, the waterfall that falls onto the old road, is closed by the authorities because of landslides; do not walk past the barriers. The Rocha do Navio cable car in Santana is closed for maintenance indefinitely.

In Funchal, the Forte de São Tiago is listed as temporarily closed, and the Fortaleza do Pico was listed as closed on 18 September 2026. The Guindaste viewpoint on the north coast was closed for works in the first half of 2026.

The trails close too, sometimes for a few days: PR1 closed on several days in September 2026 for a new boardwalk. Check the IFCN's notices and each site's status on the day, and use the open alternatives: the Porto Moniz pools for the volcanic coast, the Véu da Noiva for a waterfall by the road, and the Garganta Funda, about 140 m high, 600 m from the car near Ponta do Pargo.

Prices, days and rules

People often lose a day to a closing day or a missing booking. A few rules cover most of it.

Book the classified trails ahead: €4.50 each, over 12, on SIMplifica, and the Cabo Girão skywalk, €5, on the same portal. Funchal's tourist tax is €2 a night for visitors over 12, for at most seven nights.

Know the closing days. Most museums close on Sundays, and several on Mondays; the market closes on Sundays and at 14:00 on Saturdays; the cathedral is closed to visits on Sundays and holidays; the Madeira Theme Park closes on Mondays. The cable car to Monte runs every day except Christmas Day, from 08:45 to 17:45.

Get around by city bus for €1.45 a trip on a GIRO card, or €2.05 on board, by the Aerobus from the airport, €5.55 on a GIRO ticket, and by car, tour or taxi for the places without a bus, such as Rabaçal and Fanal. Keep one free day for the weather, since the peaks and the north depend on it. The getting around guide has the buses and fares.

Common questions

What is the number one thing to do in Madeira?

A levada walk. The easiest classic is PR6.1 to the Risco waterfall at Rabaçal, 1.5 km each way, about 44 minutes from Funchal by road.

How many days do you need in Madeira?

Five days cover the city, the peaks, the west and the east; a week adds the north and a gentle day.

What is there to do in Funchal?

The market, the old town and its painted doors, the cathedral, the cable car to Monte and its gardens, and the museums.

Can you do Madeira without a car?

Mostly, yes: buses reach Santana, Curral das Freiras, Baía d'Abra and Porto Moniz, and tours cover Rabaçal and Fanal.

What is closed in Madeira in 2026?

The São Vicente caves, the Cascata dos Anjos, the Rocha do Navio cable car, and both Funchal forts, as of September 2026.