Lisbon, Maderia Islsnd and where else

If you have 9 nights, that's already a pretty good plan - 5 nights Lisbon, 4 nights Madeira. Moving around with kids is more difficult.
But what do you want to do in your trip?

It all depends in your interests and the kids. We stayed a week on Madeira and wished for more time and a week in Lisbon and could have reduced that to 3-4 days. If we go back to Portugal it will be to Madeira and the Azores! Just check the cruise ship schedule in either Funchal or Lisbon. Aim for days with 1 to 0 ships makes all the difference!

Balso - How about porto? We can pretty much rearrange the whole trip. We got 10 nights. We enjoy mix of country side, small villages, beaches, some palace, hike, explore food and little bit of city. Any recommendations?

CLKR - Would you recommend Azores or Madeira? Both are beach time/islands. We have 10 nights, Do we reduce time in Lisbon and split the time between Madeira and Azores? Or one island is enough in this short time?
See my interest in the above post.

Madeira doesn't have a natural sand beach unless something has changed recently. I think there's a very small man-made one. The other beaches have pebbles or rocks. It's not really a place to go specifically for beach time. It's a place to go for drop-dead gorgeous scenery, walking along the levadas, etc.

That’s good to know

Adding Porto to a 10 night trip with Lisbon and Madeira is a lot of travel time. Maybe stick to places near Lisbon. Look into a day trip to Evora, Sintra, Obidos or Cascais if you have extra time in Lisbon.

Cascais has a public beach the local families like to use. I can't rememvermif they were,playing soccer or volleyball the day we were there. It would be fun for the kids. I would just decide how to split between Maderia and Libson....with day trips from Lisbon.

Hello from Wisconsin,
There is a really nice walking trail along a miniature canal that runs a mile of more. The canal is cut into the stone. It is a demonstration of how useful slaves were. But I bet the boys would love it. It ends with a majestic view over a valley. Vereda dos Balcoes. Another one is Verada das 25 Fonte, Levada do Risco. You can look them up. Best hiking trails Madeira.

We spent a week there and only visited the capital city for part of one day.

wayne iNWI