Madeira for groups

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Groups planning Madeira, friends on a hiking week or several generations of a family, usually find the logistics harder than the sights. The island works well for groups from Funchal, provided the transport, the trail bookings and the tickets are arranged for everyone at once.

Three things change for a group. Transport: a private transfer or a private tour, priced per vehicle, often costs less per head than separate tickets. Trail bookings: every walker, including children, needs a booking on the SIMplifica portal, and a slot has limited capacity. And some activities suit groups: the Monte toboggans take up to three in a basket, and Blandy's private wine tour takes two to four. The toboggan basket for three costs €60, one of the few prices that falls as the group grows.

Getting a group around

The common mistake is to book separate seats on shared tours and wait for each other at every stop. A group can have its own vehicle.

For the airport, a private transfer is priced per vehicle, and the drive to central Funchal takes about 20 minutes, 18.6 km. A taxi at the rank usually costs about €25 to €35 by day at a fixed fare, which for four people is little more per head than the Aerobus at €6.70.

For days out, 37 of the Madeira tours on sale offer a private option and 29 a small-group one, so the peaks, the west or a levada can be done with the group alone. In the city, the buses cost €1.45 a trip on a pre-paid GIRO card or €2.05 on board, and the cable car to Monte €16 one way.

A group with its own hire car saves on transfers, but parking in central Funchal costs €0.54 to €1.83 an hour, and the mountain roads are slower than the distances suggest.

City buses cost €1.45 a trip on a pre-paid GIRO card or €2.05 on board.

Booking trails for a group

People often book one ticket and assume the rest of the group can join. Every walker needs a booking.

On Madeira's classified trails, registration and a booking on the SIMplifica portal are compulsory for every walker, including children 12 and under, who pay no fee, and residents. The fee is €4.50 a trail for each visitor over 12, or €10.50 for PR1 in full.

Each day on each trail is divided into entry slots with a set capacity, and full slots are blocked. For a group, book everyone in the same slot, and early, so the slot does not fill before the whole group is in it.

If a trail is officially closed on the booked date, the booking can be rebooked or refunded, but a rebooking is made for a group of the same size: a smaller group can use the tickets without a refund for the missing members, and a larger one pays for the extra walkers. Tour operators with an agreement with the IFCN book under their own rules; a guided group walk takes care of the booking.

Each day on each trail is divided into entry slots with a set capacity that must be booked.

Activities that suit a group

The mistake is to choose activities made for two. Some are better shared.

The Monte toboggans take up to three in a basket: €30 for one, €40 for two and €60 for three, about 2 km down to Livramento in about 10 minutes. A group of six fills two baskets, and the ride ends at Livramento, where taxis wait for the rest of the way down.

At Blandy's Wine Lodge, the private tour takes two to four people at €150 a person; the regular tours cost from €17. Boat trips, sunset sails and catamarans, about three hours, take a group together on the bay.

On foot, the easy walks, PR11 to the Balcões and PR6.1 to the Risco, both 1.5 km each way, suit a mixed group of walkers and non-walkers; the long ones, PR1, PR9 and PR10, suit a group of keen walkers with a guide.

Festivals with a group

People often arrive for a festival as a group and find nowhere to stand together. Plan the spot.

For the Carnival and Flower Festival parades, grandstand seats are limited: for the Flower Festival they are sold along the route or in advance at the tourist office, and Carnival seats are reported at about €20. A group wanting to sit together should buy early.

For the fireworks, the Atlantic Festival's Saturdays in June and New Year's Eve, a group can watch from the seafront, a raised place such as the Santa Catarina Park, or a boat in the bay; New Year's Eve cruises sell places for the night.

The Wine Festival's Madeira Wine Lounge at Praça do Povo and its paired dinners suit a group of friends, from late August to mid-September.

Costs, shared and per person

The mistake is to compare prices per person when some costs are per vehicle. Work out both.

Per vehicle, and cheaper per head as the group grows: a private transfer, a taxi, a hire car and its fuel, €1.984 a litre for 95 petrol in late September 2026, and parking. Per person: the trail fees, the cable car, the gardens, the tours and the boat trips.

Some prices reward a group directly. The toboggan costs €60 for three against €30 for one. The combined trail rates, €22.50 for two or more trails in 3 days and €52.50 in 7 days, not including PR1, apply to each walker.

Accommodation adds the municipal tourist tax of €2 per guest per night for each visitor over 12, for at most 7 nights, collected by the accommodation.

Mixed groups

People often plan for the strongest walker and lose the rest of the group. Plan for everyone.

With children, grandparents and keen walkers in one group, split the long days: the walkers take PR1 or PR9 with a guide or a transfer, and the others take the cable cars, Monte and the gardens, and meet for dinner. The Monte Palace garden is free for children up to 14 with an adult, and the Funchal-Monte cable car free up to 6.

On the easy days, everyone can do the same thing: the Levada dos Tornos to Monte, a boat trip, the old town, or the south coast at Câmara de Lobos and Cabo Girão, whose skywalk costs €5 for visitors over 12.

In the car, children under 12 cannot travel in the front seats, which affects how many fit in one vehicle.

Where to stay

The mistake is to split the group across hotels in different areas. Keep everyone close to the start of the days.

The Lido hotel zone, west of the centre, has the big seafront hotels and resorts, three Blue Flag bathing areas and the Aerobus route from the airport, which suits a group holiday around the pool and the sea. The centre, around the Sé, and São Pedro put the city on foot and the tours' pickups close by.

Self-catering apartments suit families and friends who want to cook some nights; the Mercado dos Lavradores, open Monday to Friday from 07:00 to 19:00 and on Saturday to 14:00, is the place to shop.

The SIMplifica booking guide covers the trail rules, and the neighbourhoods guide the areas. The IFCN's FAQ on trail fees has the group rebooking rules, and Blandy's tours page its private tour.

Common questions

Does every member of a group need a trail booking?

Yes. Every walker, including children 12 and under, must be registered and booked on SIMplifica; children pay no fee.

Are there private tours for groups?

Yes: 37 of the Madeira tours on sale offer a private option and 29 a small-group one.

How many people fit on a toboggan?

Up to three in a basket, for €60; €30 for one and €40 for two.

What if a trail closes on our booked day?

It can be rebooked or refunded, but a rebooking is for a group of the same size.