Plan your Madeira trip like a local
Planning Madeira comes down to five decisions: how many days, where to stay, car or no car, which walks to book and a spare day for the weather. Make them in that order and the rest falls into place.
The five decisions, answered
- 5 days the length I suggest most often; seven if you want the big walks Itineraries →
- Funchal or anywhere on the sunny south coast, as your one base Where to stay →
- A car for most trips of two days or more; buses and tours work without one Car or no car →
- Walks first choose your hikes before the rest: each of the 38 trails on SIMplifica needs a timed slot, so the other days fit around them Book a trail →
- A spare day kept free, to swap in when cloud closes the mountains; the weather changes from valley to valley Weather month by month →
How many days have you got?
Pick your days and see the route, one area a day from a Funchal base.
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Funchal
Funchal → Monte
Leave the car parked today; Funchal is easier on foot.
All on foot plus the cable car.
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West and north coast
Funchal → Cabo Girão → Porto Moniz → Seixal → São Vicente
The longest drive of the trip. Reach Porto Moniz before the tour coaches.
A full-day west tour from Funchal covers this loop.
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Peaks and the east
Funchal → Pico do Arieiro → Ribeiro Frio → Santana → São Lourenço
Leave Funchal about an hour before sunrise. Walking the PR1 or PR8 needs a SIMplifica booking.
Sunrise tours pick up in Funchal; an east-side tour covers Santana and São Lourenço.
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Funchal and the sea
Funchal
No driving today.
Boats leave from Funchal marina.
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Above the clouds
Funchal → Pico do Arieiro → Ribeiro Frio → Santana
Book the PR1 slot on SIMplifica before you go. Fog changes by the hour; check the webcam.
A sunrise tour with transfer is the easiest way up.
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North coast
Funchal → São Vicente → Seixal → Porto Moniz → Fanal
The day the car pays for itself.
Take a north-coast tour; Fanal is rarely included.
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The east
Funchal → São Lourenço → Machico
Park early at Baía d'Abra; the PR8 needs a SIMplifica booking.
Buses run from Funchal to Caniçal and Machico.
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South-west
Funchal → Câmara de Lobos → Cabo Girão → Ponta do Sol
Short drives, long lunch.
Câmara de Lobos is a short bus or taxi ride from Funchal.
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Funchal and the sea
Funchal
No driving today.
Boats leave from Funchal marina.
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Above the clouds
Funchal → Pico do Arieiro → Ribeiro Frio → Santana
Book the PR1 slot on SIMplifica before you go. Fog changes by the hour; check the webcam.
A sunrise tour with transfer is the easiest way up.
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North coast
Funchal → São Vicente → Seixal → Porto Moniz → Fanal
The day the car pays for itself.
Take a north-coast tour; Fanal is rarely included.
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The east
Funchal → São Lourenço → Machico
Park early at Baía d'Abra; the PR8 needs a SIMplifica booking.
Buses run from Funchal to Caniçal and Machico.
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South-west
Funchal → Câmara de Lobos → Cabo Girão → Ponta do Sol
Short drives, long lunch.
Câmara de Lobos is a short bus or taxi ride from Funchal.
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Nuns Valley and Monte
Funchal → Nuns Valley → Monte
A short drive with steep bends.
Tours and buses run to Curral das Freiras.
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Levadas in the west
Funchal → Rabaçal → Calheta
Book the PR6 slot on SIMplifica and start early.
Join a guided levada walk with pick-up.
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Funchal and the sea
Funchal
No driving today.
Boats leave from Funchal marina.
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Above the clouds
Funchal → Pico do Arieiro → Ribeiro Frio → Santana
Book the PR1 slot on SIMplifica before you go. Fog changes by the hour; check the webcam.
A sunrise tour with transfer is the easiest way up.
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North coast
Funchal → São Vicente → Seixal → Porto Moniz → Fanal
The day the car pays for itself.
Take a north-coast tour; Fanal is rarely included.
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The east
Funchal → São Lourenço → Machico
Park early at Baía d'Abra; the PR8 needs a SIMplifica booking.
Buses run from Funchal to Caniçal and Machico.
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South-west
Funchal → Câmara de Lobos → Cabo Girão → Ponta do Sol
Short drives, long lunch.
Câmara de Lobos is a short bus or taxi ride from Funchal.
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Nuns Valley and Monte
Funchal → Nuns Valley → Monte
A short drive with steep bends.
Tours and buses run to Curral das Freiras.
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Levadas in the west
Funchal → Rabaçal → Calheta
Book the PR6 slot on SIMplifica and start early.
Join a guided levada walk with pick-up.
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The full PR1
Funchal → Pico do Arieiro → Pico Ruivo
One way only beyond Pedra Rija: arrange a taxi back from Achada do Teixeira.
Guided hikes handle the transport at both ends.
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Caldeirão Verde
Funchal → Queimadas → Santana
Bring a head torch for the tunnels.
Guided walks include transport.
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A slow day
Funchal
Use it to swap with a day lost to fog.
Use it to swap with a day lost to fog.
Free tools
The questions everyone asks, answered for your trip
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Do I need a car?
Six quick questions about your trip and an honest answer, with the cost of a hire car against day tours.
Check my trip → -
What will the car cost that week?
Hire prices week by week across the year, from our own searches, so you know when to book.
See the prices → -
Which hikes, on which day?
Your dates, how much you walk and who is coming: we pick the walks and give you a plan B for cloud.
Plan my hikes → -
How do I pay the trail fees?
The cheapest way to pay for several walks, one fee or a pass, worked out for you.
Work it out →
When are you going?
Tap a month for the weather in Funchal, the sea, what is on and the guide for that time of year.
January
- Daytime high
- 20 °C
- Night low
- 14 °C
- Sea
- 18 °C
- Rainy days
- 6
The wettest months, worst on the north coast, and it can get properly cold in the mountains. Trails close more often now than at any other time. Few people swim, locals included.
- Christmas lights 1 December to 10 January
Christmas season, to 10 January →Best time to visit, month by month →
February
- Daytime high
- 20 °C
- Night low
- 14 °C
- Sea
- 18 °C
- Rainy days
- 6
The wettest months, worst on the north coast, and it can get properly cold in the mountains. Trails close more often now than at any other time. Few people swim, locals included.
- Carnival 3 February to 14 February
March
- Daytime high
- 21 °C
- Night low
- 14 °C
- Sea
- 18 °C
- Rainy days
- 6
Mild days for walking and the coast, with a few rainy days. Take a warm layer for the peaks.
April
- Daytime high
- 21 °C
- Night low
- 15 °C
- Sea
- 18 °C
- Rainy days
- 5
Mild days for walking and the coast, with a few rainy days. Take a warm layer for the peaks.
- Flower Festival 29 April to 30 May
May
- Daytime high
- 22 °C
- Night low
- 16 °C
- Sea
- 19 °C
- Rainy days
- 3
Mild days for walking and the coast, with a few rainy days. Take a warm layer for the peaks.
- Flower Festival 29 April to 30 May
June
- Daytime high
- 24 °C
- Night low
- 18 °C
- Sea
- 21 °C
- Rainy days
- 1
Beach weather every day and long evenings outside. The mountains still catch cloud, so go up early.
- Atlantic Festival 4 June to 27 June
July
- Daytime high
- 25 °C
- Night low
- 20 °C
- Sea
- 22 °C
- Rainy days
- 0
Beach weather every day and long evenings outside. The mountains still catch cloud, so go up early.
August
- Daytime high
- 27 °C
- Night low
- 21 °C
- Sea
- 23 °C
- Rainy days
- 0
The busiest month of the year. Beach weather every day and evenings outside; book the car and the boat trips early.
- Wine Festival 22 August to 12 September
September
- Daytime high
- 27 °C
- Night low
- 20 °C
- Sea
- 23 °C
- Rainy days
- 3
Beach weather every day and long evenings outside. The mountains still catch cloud, so go up early.
- Wine Festival 22 August to 12 September
October
- Daytime high
- 25 °C
- Night low
- 19 °C
- Sea
- 23 °C
- Rainy days
- 7
Mild days for walking and the coast, with a few rainy days. Take a warm layer for the peaks.
November
- Daytime high
- 23 °C
- Night low
- 17 °C
- Sea
- 21 °C
- Rainy days
- 7
The wettest months, worst on the north coast, and it can get properly cold in the mountains. Trails close more often now than at any other time. Few people swim, locals included.
- São Martinho 10 November to 11 November
December
- Daytime high
- 21 °C
- Night low
- 16 °C
- Sea
- 20 °C
- Rainy days
- 9
Christmas is beautiful here, with market stalls and lights everywhere, and New Year brings a phenomenal fireworks show with cruise ships in the bay. Quiet and cheaper early in the month, the busiest week of the year at New Year. Rain closes trails more often, and the peaks are cold.
- Christmas lights 1 December to 10 January
Madeira in December →Christmas and New Year →New Year’s Eve fireworks →Best time to visit, month by month →
Funchal, IPMA climate normals 1991–2020; sea temperatures are long-term averages. The mountains are much colder than the coast.
Every planning guide, in the order you need it
From the first idea to your first morning on the island.
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1Before you book
- Itineraries for 3 to 10 days
Day by day from a Funchal base, with and without a car.
- Where to stay
Funchal, Caniço, the west or the north: who each area suits.
- Best time to visit
Summer or winter, with the weather month by month.
- Itineraries for 3 to 10 days
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2Before you fly
- Car hire guide
Deposits, insurance and the mountain roads.
- Madeira by bus
Routes, fares and the last bus back from each place.
- Book your trails
The SIMplifica form translated, step by step.
- Car hire guide
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3On the island
- Things to do
Boat trips, viewpoints, beaches and the tours worth paying for.
- Hiking in Madeira
The walks by landscape, and how to book them.
- Hidden gems
Where Madeirans go when the tour coaches are elsewhere.
- Things to do
Plan it yourself, or let our family do it
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Free
Plan it yourself
Everything on this site: the itineraries, the guides and the free tools. Enough for anyone who likes planning.
Start with your days -
From €149
A personal plan, by hand
Tell us your dates, who is coming and what you like. Our family plans your days around the weather, with the walks, the beaches and where to eat. A personal plan from our family is €149 for up to 5 days (€199 for 6 to 8), ready in 48 hours.
Get a personal plan
Questions about planning a Madeira trip
What should I book before going to Madeira?
A place to stay and, if you want one, a hire car: both get dearer as the dates get close. Each classified walk needs a timed slot on SIMplifica before you set off. In busy months, book the trips that fill up: whale watching, a catamaran trip and the Pico do Arieiro sunrise. Everything else can wait until you see the weather.
Do I need a car in Madeira?
For most trips of two days or more, yes: the island is small, but buses to the north and the far west are few. Without a car, stay in central Funchal and use buses and day tours with pick-up. Our car check gives you an answer for your own trip.
Where should I stay on a first visit to Madeira?
Funchal, or Caniço if you want a quieter base by the sea and will have a car. Nothing on the island is much more than an hour from Funchal, so one base is enough for most trips.