Free hiking planner
Which Madeira hikes fit your trip?
Answer five easy questions. We pick your hikes, put them in the order that works and give you a plan B for each day, with the 2026 trail fees worked out.
- Free
- About two minutes
- 29 open trails, checked 29 October 2026
- Freeno account, plan sent to your email
- 29open trails, from the official IFCN list
- Plan Bfor every hiking day
- 2026trail fees, added up for you
What you get
Your hiking days, sorted before you land
A page with your hikes in order, ready to save, print or share with whoever is coming with you.
Hikes at your level
Short and easy, half-day or full mountain days, from the official grade and walking time of each trail.
In the order that works
Mountains early in the trip, so a cloudy day can move. Never two long hikes in a row.
A plan B for each day
A lower walk near the coast if the peaks are in cloud, and an extra hike if you still have legs.
Your trail fees added up
The cheapest SIMplifica rate for your trails, from €4.50 a walk, with the combined passes worked out.
How to get there without a car
The bus or the transfer where there is one we trust, and a straight answer where you need a car.
The warnings that matter
Long drops, tunnels that need a torch, no shade, and walks that end too close to sunset in your month.
How we pick
The rules my family would use
Applied to the official trail list, so nothing is made up and nothing closed slips in.
Only trails that are open
We start from the 29 classified walks in Madeira that the IFCN listed as open when we last checked, with their official walking times. Closed and part-closed routes stay out.
Matched to how much you walk
Each trail gets a level from its official grade and walking time. Short, easy walks for “not much”, half-day walks for “a lot on holiday”, and the long ones and the full PR1 ridge for people who hike at home.
The ones most people love first
Inside each level, the trails that most of the 13 hiking guides we read agree on come first, then the favourites of walkers on Reddit, spread across the island so you see more than one valley.
Mountains early in the trip
The peaks and the north go first, so a day lost to cloud can move. You never get two long hikes in a row, and no hikes on the days you arrive and leave.
A plan B every day
For a mountain day, a lower walk near the coast in case of cloud. For a coast day, another walk at your level. And at the end, an extra hike if you still have legs.
Children, cars and daylight
With younger children you only get easy walks and none with long drops. Without a car, walks with a bus or a transfer come first. Long hikes only appear if they finish an hour before sunset in your month.
Sources: IFCN: classified walking routes, updated 2 October 2026; IFCN fees FAQ, updated 2 June 2026; the guides counted on our best hikes page. Checked 22 October 2026. Trail status changes often, so check it on the day.
Questions about planning hikes in Madeira
Do I need to book every hike in Madeira?
Every classified PR trail run by the IFCN needs a timed slot on SIMplifica, children and residents included. Most cost €4.50 per person; the full PR1 is €10.50. A few council routes need no booking. The planner tells you which is which.
How much will the trail fees cost?
The planner adds them up with the cheapest combined rate: €9 for several trails on one day, €22.50 over three days and €52.50 over seven (PR1 not included). SIMplifica applies the same rule at checkout when all your trails are in one booking.
Can I do these hikes without a car?
Some of them. The PR8 has a bus and a transfer from Funchal, Ribeiro Frio has a daily bus for the Balcões walk, and the Pico do Arieiro bus reaches the start of the PR1 before sunrise. For Rabaçal and Fanal you need a car, a taxi or a tour.
What if it is foggy on my hiking day?
Check the Pico do Arieiro webcam and the official trail status the evening before. If the mountains are in cloud, take the plan B the planner gives you for that day, or swap it with a coast day.
Are these hikes OK for children?
Choose your children’s age and the planner keeps to easy walks without long drops for under-8s, and to half-day walks for 8 to 12. Children aged 12 or under walk free, but they still need a slot.
How fit do I need to be for the PR1?
The full ridge from Pico do Arieiro to Pico Ruivo is about three hours of walking with long stairways, one way, and you need a way back. The planner only gives it to people who hike at home. Everyone else gets the walk to Pedra Rija and back, which shares the first part of the ridge. The gate opens at 8:00.
Start here
Get your hiking plan
Five questions and your email. Your plan opens on the next page.
- Hikes matched to how much you walk
- Mountains first, with a plan B for each day
- Trail fees and SIMplifica booking, worked out
- Free, and no account
Want the whole trip planned, not just the hikes? Our family plans it for you, from €149.