Visit Madeira for winter sun and outdoor adventures
Madeira is an island I didn’t really know anything about, but after 3 days there it was only a few weeks before I had booked flights for us to return as a family. This original trip and the content for this write up was a girlie weekend, and with the 4 of us travelling from 3 different airports, London, Manchester and Faro, it was one of the few places where the flight times synced.
All 4 of us are travellers so rather than a hotel, we opted for an air bnb rental in the very centre of Funchal and we hired a car to get around. You can drive to any part of the island within an hour. Madeira also has a various microclimates so if you have rain in one area, you can quite often expect sunshine in another. We visited in March and the temps were warm and the humidity was a lot more than I expected.
Within Funchal we stayed very close to the centre. There are small car parks scattered around which cost only a few euros and overnight it is free, so it’s not as much hassle or as expensive as you may think - of course the large multi-storey ones are a bit £££. The main roads aren’t busy at all, the main thing you have to watch out for are the windy corners and the odd bus flying down them! Driving under the airport runway (as this is where the motorway goes) is pretty epic too!
Our first full day in Madeira started off exploring the north of the island by road, taking the scenic road signs wherever possible. Our ultimate goal was to get to Pico Ruivo, the highest peak on the Island, and we headed there via the East coast and the village of Santana. The drive from the motorway up into the hills is stunning and it feels like something out of Jurassic park with the lush green mountains and rocks towering above you, the dark blue sea and waves lapping around the edges. Our route went via Machico to the Miradora de Portela which was a very windy road high into the landscape – watch out if you do get car sick! The drive itself is an activity and we kept stopping to take photos and enjoy the views. Our little 1.0l car was less than impressed at times!
Santana was our first main stop where we parked up and explored the traditional houses of this northern village. We fell lucky and found a house away from all the tourists with a gentleman who showed us around his former family home for a small donation. It was fascinating to hear how he and all his 5 siblings had lived in this small house their whole lives. The main square of Santana is a tourist haven, with many coaches visiting and the traditional houses there are models so seek out Santana Old House rather than Casas Tipicas de Santana for a more authentic and tourist free experience.
From Santana we had our eyes on Pico Ruivo for a stroll. Madeira is famed for hiking and we’d read how you could drive near to the top of this peak with a car park and restaurant to also benefit from. The drive up is steep and at times slow, but there is a large car park and it is well sign posted but head for Achada do Teixeira - Mountain Spot Café and park up. We set off for our stroll………and here I must correct myself. Even after driving all the way to the top, this is a hike. It is along a good path but there is still considerable height to climb, and it takes around 90 minutes each way so it is not short – we had seriously underestimated the distance and our water and snack supplies. However, it is stunning and the number of times we had to stop to just take in the view probably added to how long it took us to get to the top. The only really steep bit is the last section, where there are steps and a bit more clambering than the undulating path we had come along until then. There is a shop before ascending the last steep climb – the cokes are cold – and a toilet too, and then it’s full steam ahead for the last 20-30 minutes of effort. What you are welcomed with at the top is views over the whole island, over neighbouring islands and you do feel like you are at the top of the world.
Now for the followers with kids, I should add this is probably not a walk to do with babies or toddlers, but I did think my 5 and 8 year old would have been ok as long as there was sufficient sweet bribery. There were other children who managed it and jumping around at the top was definitely going to capture their interest.
The walk back was just as long, but of course the downhill slope helped and all focus was on the bar and restaurant by the car park to make up for our lack of preparedness. That beer tasted sooooo good, and the quiche was delicious. The walk was so long it was nearly 4pm before we finished our lunch and rather than heading off to a levada as we intended, we headed back down the hill our little car had climbed up and out to the far East of the Island, past Canical and out to the headland. Unfortunately, we couldn’t get all the way as there was filming going on but even as far as we did get to this jaggy headland was enough of an experience.
Temperatures had dropped by this point so be prepared depending when you go, and instead of the lush green mountains and vegetation, the vibe was now red, volcanic rock and as if we were on the moon. Another warning for those with smaller kids – there are not safety barriers the whole length of the cliffs. We parked up, had a stroll around, marvelled at the landscape, took some arty photos and then enjoyed a beer from the refreshment van before heading back to Funchal for a night out.
Funchal itself is beautiful with lots of small winding streets to explore and we were on the hunt for poncha! Poncha is the traditional drink of Madeira and is short-drink sized with different flavours from original to tomato to kiwi. It is potent and delicious and always comes served with monkey nuts, the shells of which just end up on the floor all around the pub or streets depending where you are drinking. We headed to Rei da Poncha (Poncha King) and were not disappointed! The poncha flowed, we tried nearly every flavour between us and the atmosphere was fab.
Our second full day was a road trip along the south, west and north of the island. We set off early to get to Cabo Girao and we only just got there before the coaches of tourists from the cruise ships also arrived. Cabo Girao is a walkway that hangs over the cliffs, hundreds of metres above the beach below. For those who are unsure of heights it may be a bit much. There are stunning views down the coast line and there is a small café where we had breakfast.
Leaving further from Funchal we ventured to Cascata dos Anjos which is a tall waterfall that tumbles off the cliff over the road. This is very much a quirky tourist spot so it is busy with cars queuing to drive underneath and grabbing that parking spot to walk underneath it and get the photo for Instagram! You’ll probably only spend 15 minutes here in total, but it’s very cool and kids would definitely see the novelty in it.
Following our encounter with the waterfall we spent the next couple of hours slowly driving around the coastline, following the roads and levadas around the entire west coast heading towards Porto Moniz. If we had more time we would definitely have stopped off at the levadas for a walk as there are so many of them signposted from the main coastal road. The drive is slow as the roads are very windy but if you are happy to take your time, chat with friends and take in the stunning landscape then it is very much a worthwhile drive. There is a more direct route which we took coming home, but this circular roadtrip gave us an amazing view of the island.
As you arrive into Puerto Moniz there is a view point at the top of the hill which overlooks the town below and the pools that we were heading for. Definitely stop and have a look for 5 minutes, and marvel at the steep winding road that you are about to take to descend into the town. Our reason for visiting this far corner of the island was the Piscinas Naturales Velhas – the natural swimming pools. We opted for these ones rather than the Piscinas Naturales de Porto Moniz mainly because they are more rugged. We ate at the restaurant before heading into the swimming area and the food was delicious. The swimming pools themselves are naturally formed from the sea rising over the sea walls. It is advisable to wear shoes or water shoes to save your feet on the rocks, but you can have a really decent swim here and enjoy leaning over (carefully) to see the waves crashing below. There’s places for jumping in and also very shallow areas where children can stand. The water is a bit fresh at first (well it was in March) but after a short time it was absolutely fine to stay in for a good 30 minutes.
After getting out and dry from the pools we drove further along the coast to Seixal for nothing more than a look at the small town, a walk around the beach and a hot chocolate in a café overlooking another sea made pool (a bit less natural). This was enroute back to Funchal as we opted for the faster return journey of Seixal, Sao Vicente and then Vargem which takes you back down a road directly down the middle of the island. Our main driver for going this way was to take a stop at the Taberna de Poncha for ponchas, monkey nuts and our first taste of Nikita. A Nikita is essentially a creamy / ice creamy pineapple flavoured drink and comes with or without alcohol so good for drivers and children alike. The alcohol that is included is beer! We’ve even made them a few times at home they are that delicious. This famous little bar is definitely worth a visit. The monkey nuts litter the small indoor rooms and the walls are covered with business cards and art from visitors over the year. A very good stop off on the way back to Funchal for an aperitif.
Our final day in Madeira was more local to Funchal as we were due to fly out that evening. We wondered into town, along the harbour front where there were two huge cruise ships just docked – in hindsight and a piece of advice, if there are two cruise ships parked in Funchal, Funchal will be busy! The queue for the cable car was mammoth so we skipped that and instead spent the day wandering through the narrow streets and enjoying the street art and the gelato! It would have been fun to do the cable car and the toboggan back down the hill but we weren’t going to stand in that queue for as long as it would have taken.
The busy-ness of Funchal with all the day visitors got too much for us and so we headed out towards the airport to Machico where we enjoyed a lie on the beach, a good lunch and watched the planes taking off as it really is only a 10 minute drive from the end of the runway! Machico would also be a good place to stay and use as a base if you didn’t want to be in the centre of Funchal, and the beach was perfect for children.
We visited in March and this was a really great place to catch some winter sun, a good distance away from the UK (3.5 hours) and the flights were cheap and the island has so much to offer. You could also stay longer and do more hikes, explore the levadas and maybe catch Funchal on a slightly less busy day. I would have no issue recommending Madeira as a place for a weeks holiday and you wouldn’t be bored. Get yourself on skyscanner now and find some cheaper flights for an end of winter break!