Madeira Itinerary # Days & Where to Go!

I visited Madeira in 2022. I posted about some of the things that I did here:
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/portugal/madiera-without-a-car

Thanks so much for sharing that link. Very helpful!

hey hey Kristina
years ago we did a 17 day transatlantic cruise rome to fort lauderdale. was fabulous.
one of our stops was madeira, it is a beautiful place, lush and green, gorgeous views with many things to see and do. we hired a private taxi tour to take us around to many places.
feelingmadeira.pt
some tours with explanations, we did go down to nuns valley with stops between
beportugal.com
portuguese rooster, national symbol of portugal. i bought 2. being from hawaii (big island) many went to work on sugar plantations, farms, ranches, coffee/mac nut fields for better lives. you will see many roosters all over hawaii LOL
thecountryjumper.com
discover madeira: ultimate guide to top attractions &tips. she writes a blog of places, wines to taste, foods to look for and taste
portugalthings.com
we to eat in madeira? 20 of the best restaurants
madeira-web.com
click things to do, monte toboggan rides. unusual and adventurous old fashion means of transportation. high speeds and winding streets to funchal. we loved it, our taxi driver dropped us at top "beginning" and met us at bottom with a photo ($) waiting for us at bottom. didn't really ask how much further to main street to walk since we were on limited time
madeiracablecar.com
fun way to see from above, plus the gardens at top.
getyourguide.com
madeira, this is a reseller some love it some hate it. look at things, scroll down to bottom of page and usually who offerea, go to their direct website and see what they have. used in several different cities without issues.
go enjoy yourself, have fun, eat drink and be merry
aloha

7-10 days sounds good, our trip in 21 had about the same duration and had enough time.

Just jumping in to mention the magical forest of Fanal. We also liked the highland very much.

Thank you all for the replies and advice! We also would appreciate any hiking recommendations — where to base for day hiking. We are avid hikers — 8-10 miles with 2000-2500 elevation.

On our first visit to Madeira we stayed a bit outside of Funchal and that was NOT a good idea. We spent 1 hour each morning going into Funchal by bus and 1 hour going back. It was cheaper, but we had to buy tickets for the bus and waste 2 hours each day.

Second (and last, so far) time we stayed in Funchal, just behind the cable car, and that worked fine. Lots of shops and restaurants nearby.

On our first visit we started on Porto Santo, which is VERY relaxing, and relocated on the ferry. It may not be your cup of tea, but we loved it.

The botanical garden is well worth a visit. Even going up on the cable car, which I hate because I have a great fear of heights.

Same with the visitors platform in Cabo Girão. The view is amazing, but nothing would lure me onto the glass platform itself. We went there on the HOHO bus first time and a regular commuter bus second time. Both go by narrow winding roads, where the back end of the bus swings out from the road over the drop. I had my eyes closed much of the time. But it was still worth the trip.

Are you planning on a rental? You probably benefit from one. Most roads are good and fairly easy, just a lot of up and down. Some are steep, few are very steep - the worst we saw was 30%, which our rental did not manage.

Make sure you have parking at or near your accommodation.

For getting into Funchal - being in a walkable distance from your accommodation is preferable. Unless you explicitly want a place in a completely different part of the island.

All very helpful — and timely. We were just considering splitting our time — we will be there 8 nights total — between Funchal and another part of the island, either Ponta do Sol or Caheta. We will have a car. Would this make sense?

L.P. Enersen, I’m curious why you needed to go back and forth to Funchal each day — was this for dining?

I expect we will be out hiking and touring most days regardless of where we stay, allowing for a town day(s) in Funchal and beach day(s) wherever else. Also interested in visiting another island, if time allows and possible as a day trip (?). We have not researched this yet.

And we would appreciate any not to miss hikes. We can handle 6-8 miles and 2000-2500 elevation gain.

Thank you, thank you!!

We had a car and did everything from Funchal, which was fine. A second base can make sense, but imho it would be best situated in the North (west) of the island, since crossing south -north is the most cumbersome part. Along the south coast runs a highway, which is pretty convenient. Seixal or Porto Moniz looked nicest in NW for us, but check for yourselves what vibes with you.

Must confess, we are not terribly enthusiastic hikers - anything above 3-4 miles is no longer our cup of tea.

Speaking of tea: If you like English High Tea - it is available at a lot of places due to centuries of English influences.

And another fun thing are the like 7 different types of passion fruit (or at least marketed as such, some really great, some rather meh) and other exotic fruit like the office plant monstera. Available all year in the market hall of Funchal (a bit overpriced, though) and if in season in regular shops and markets.