When to go? All year round as the weather in Madeira is really mild! The hottest months are July, August and September. However, note that it doesn’t tend to pass 25 degrees so it is not hot like in continental Europe. The down side of going during July and August is that it can get quite busy. We actually went in November and the temperatures were very good at around 20 degrees during the day, which was perfect to wear a t-shirt, and a bit colder at night, so you need a jacket if you decide to go during the winter months. January, February and March are the coldest months.
Where to stay? Definitely in Funchal. Funchal is the capital and is where you are going to find most of hotels and restaurants. The good thing about Funchal is that is at sea level and the temperatures are slightly higher than in the mountainous part of the island. You will see that all the hotels are basically located in the same part of the city. We stayed at “Next by Savoy” and really liked the modern design, 2 swimming pools and sea views.
General recommendations: of course… hire a car! You should properly explore the island! When renting a car I would recommend to get a very small car but an automatic one! The main parts of the island are connected by highways but if you are planning to get to certain small towns or hikes, you will see that the roads to get there are extremely narrow and steep!
Also I would recommend waking up early in the morning if you are visiting during the winter so you can enjoy as many hours of sun as possible!
Day1: North-East
On the first day you can focus on exploring the north-east side of the island. I will provide the driving distances from point to point so you can get a good estimation of how long it takes from point to point. This is the most intense day due to the long driving distances.
Pico de Arieiro – (40 mins from Funchal) this is the third highest peak of the island. You can drive almost all the way to the top and there is free parking which it makes it quite convenient. The drive there is an adventure but also really beautiful. The first thing you will notice is that the temperatures drop dramatically here so wear proper winter wear and layers for this spot. There are a couple of viewpoints which are really impressive.
Aguage waterfall – (50 min from Pico de Arieiro) here you can either choose to walk the levada or follow google map directions that would leave you approximately 5 minutes’ walk from the waterfall.
Santana – (5 min drive from Aguage waterfall) I would recommend to search in google maps for “Casas Típicas de Santana” to get to the typical houses of Santana. Santana is smaller than I thought so in 30 mins you will probably finish the visit.
Miradouro da beira da quinta – (15 min from Santana) this was my favourite viewpoint of the island and the views were incredible, it is not close to anything as such but in my opinion it was worth it!
It will take you 45 mins to come back to Funchal if you have finished in Santana and 55 min If you finish at Miradouro da beira da quinta.
Back in Funchal, I would recommend to go for dinner at "Restaurante Informal" which mixes international cuisine with local ingredients. It is a very popular place so booking in advance is recommended.
Day 2: North-West
On the second day you can explore the north-west side of the island. In this case the route starts in the furthest point from Funchal and then you work your way back. You will notice that this day is more chilled as there has to be enough time to relax and enjoy the natural swimming pools and beaches.
Porto Moniz natural swimming pools – (55 min drive from Funchal) These are natural saltwater swimming pools created in lava formations by the ocean. As the pools are filled by the ocean waves the temperature of the water can be a bit chilly. Here you will find some services like restaurants and cafes. The entrance ticket is 3 EUR.
Praia de Seixal – (15 min drive from the swimming pools) this is one of the most famous beaches in Madeira due to the black sand, the small waterfall right on the beach and the beautiful green mountains around. We liked walking for a bit around here because it was quite quiet so we were able to chill for a while, however it is a very touristic spot as you may know already and it is overlooked by a road which it isn’t very nice.
Miradouro da Noiva – (5 min drive) this view point it is quite well known because from it you can see a tall waterfall that finishes right at the sea. Really easy to stop over for a bit and take some pictures of the picturesque landscape.
To come back to Funchal will take 50 minutes.
Before dinner you can go to “Rei da Poncha” it is a very cute place with stools outside where you can try the famous poncha cocktail which is made with sugar cane brandy, sugar and lemon juice. After, I would recommend to go to "Ja fui Jaquet" which has a very unique menu and really good fish of the day and fish stew.
Day 3: Levada + Camara de Lobos
Planning your trip to Madeira, for sure you have heard about the levadas which are basically walks that you can do around the islands. We chose Levada das 25 Fontes as we asked some personnel from the hotel and a couple of people mentioned that this was their favourite. In the hotel they tried to convince us to go with a guide but given that we had our own car and do not like guided tours we decided to do it on our own. I must say this walk had zero difficulty in our view if your moderately healthy. We were wearing trainers and just following the signs and were perfectly fine. However a couple of tips before doing the walk:
The walk takes in total 3 hours. On the way there it is downhill all the way and the way back all uphill. The way there is obviously easier than the way back which takes longer.
I recommend to start at 10 am at the latest, that way there would be less people when you arrive at the waterfall, otherwise it may be very full as the space by the waterfall is limited. When we were going back up there were a crazy the amount of people doing the walk down.
Search on your phone for “Levada do Alecrim – estacionamento”. This is the free parking from which you can also start the levada.
If possible better to wear hiking boots, otherwise water resistant trainers will do.
Always follow all the signs for “25 fontes”. There is another longer walk that you can do and in some instances both walks merge so pay attention to the signs.
It takes 55 min from Funchal to get to the start of the levada.
On the way back, I would recommend to stop for a late lunch at Camara de Lobos; a very cute fishing town. Here we loved “Restaurante Vila do Peixe”, super nice fresh fish and amazing views, it was a great pit stop after the walk.
After lunch I would recommend to have a walk around the town as it is really picturesque.
Day 4: Funchal
In Funchal there are a couple of things that you shouldn’t miss. You might not need the whole day so this could also work as a plan to do the morning before your flight back home.
Walk around the city centre exploring the shops and the narrow streets.
Get the cable car – if you can I would recommend to do this around 4pm or first thing in the morning as it is going to be emptier. We passed the station a couple of times in the morning and the queue was really bad.
Once at the top of the cable car, go to visit “Monte Palace Madeira” and the beautiful tropical garden that you will find here. The entrance ticket is €12.50.
From there you can take the famous baskets to sledge down the hill. Just search for “Associacao dos Carreiros do Monte” which is around 5 minutes’ walk from the Palace. There you can buy directly the ticket paying with cash or card. The price is 25 EUR for one person or 30 EUR for 2 people in one basket. It is important to note that they don’t take you all the way back to Funchal city centre, they leave you at a point that in google maps you can find as “Carreiro do Monte – arrival location”. From here you can walk back to Funchal as it only takes around 25 minutes and it is all the way downhill. As you can imagine at the arrival point there are also loads of taxis waiting for you and expecting to do a juicy profit for a 5 min drive.
For a quick informal lunch or dinner in the area closer to the hotels I would recommend to go to "Cafe Redtaurante Gruta", which is partially inside of a cave!
