Madeira 7 Day Itinerary

We had heard that there was an island near Portugal dubbed the “Hawaii of Europe”, which was more affordable, but just as beautiful. Because we are travelers on a budget, this intrigued us greatly. This “Hawaii-esque” island is actually called Madeira, and is about 600 miles south of Portugal. After extensive research, we found out that Madeira is a gorgeous mountainous island, abundant with hiking, waterfalls, picturesque forests, and black sand beaches. After visiting Iceland, Greece, and Vancouver island last year, we decided that we are indeed, island people.

Day 1 - Riberia Da Janela, Levada Das 25 Fontes

We flew from Lisbon to Madeira (you can also fly straight to Madeira with certain airlines) the night prior, and chose a hotel that was situated near some of the hikes we wanted to go on. Madeira weather is different all over the island, and we were constantly checking the weather in different towns to plan accordingly. Luckily it only takes a few hours to get from one side of the island to the other, as Madeira is relatively small. Because it was supposed to be a cloudy morning, we decided to head to Fanal Forest for sunrise, hoping to catch some early morning fog. Fanal is known for being foggy and that is when you want to visit this forest with its gorgeous trees. Unfortunately, it is hard to discern when exactly it is foggy and we did not have any luck our first morning. After visiting Fanal, we headed to the coast, where we captured a gorgeous sunrise in Ribeira Da Janela. There are some swings overlooking the mountains and we stopped here on our way down to the beach. Riberia Da Janela beach has some gorgeous rock formations and you can reach this beach by parking nearby and walking through a hole cutout in the side of the mountain. The beach is very rocky and the waves were large, so not a place I would want to swim, but we saw a couple of fisherman out harvesting shellfish. This is also a very nice place to sit and watch sunrise.

Near this area is also the Levada Das 25 Fontes hike, which is a must if you come to Madeira. Like many of the hikes in Madeira, it follows the levadas (Madeira’s irrigation system) and leads you to a gorgeous waterfall. This is not a difficult hike surrounded by ferns, and you also see another waterfall (small detour) along the way. Because we reached the waterfall around midday, it was pretty busy. I highly recommend during this early in the morning if possible. On the way to (or back) from this hike, there is a nice cafe. We stopped here on the hike back to have lunch and beer and ended up trying the best lemon cake for only 3 euros.

After making a quick stop at our Airbnb, we decided to take the short drive to the northwest coast to arrive at one of the best sunset spots on the island, Ponta da Ladeira. This too, was much busier than we expected, and every good area was already full of people awaiting sunset. It was overcast this evening and after waiting around awhile (while the sun stayed hidden in the clouds), we decided we would try our luck another night, and next time arrive earlier.

Day 2 - Seixal Beach, Fanal Forest, and Ponta da Ladeira

Our Airbnb (found here for those of you interested), was located in the perfect area as it was overlooking Ribeira Da Janela beach and in close proximity to the towns of Port Moniz and Seixal. Seixal beach is well known to be one of the best sunrise spots on the island, and we headed there first thing to watch the magic happen. We had to be patient this morning, as it started off pretty cloudy and took some time for the sun to come out over the clouds.

I had also been adamantly checking the forecast around Fanal, so I could catch it while it was foggy. I used this website here, where I was able to see satellite footage of the island and saw that Fanal currently had a lot of cloud cover. Of course this does not mean that the clouds are low, but because we were nearby, we took off in that direction. Madeira also has many cameras situated around the island so you can check the current weather conditions, but unfortunately these are situated around the coastal towns, and not so much in the middle of the island. Fanal Forest was perfectly foggy when we arrived, and we spent hours walking through the trees and watching the cows graze in the fields in the mist. It did get pretty chilly, so remember to bring a jacket! There is also a hike you can take in the area that starts at the forest or ends here, but because the forest was our main concern, we just spent time walking through the trees instead.

After tromping through the forest for several hours, we worked up an appetite, and hit up Porto Moniz for a late lunch/early dinner. No one really eats at this time in Portugal so the restaurant was completely vacant when we arrived. We decided to try out Sea View restaurant, because as its name describes, it has amazing views of the ocean and the natural lava pools below. On a warm day, these natural lava pools are the perfect place to take a swim, and are inexpensive to enter. We also chose this place for its exquisite plating, and they did not disappoint. After a lovely dinner we took off once again to watch sunset at Ponta da Ladeira. This time we arrived about an hour before sunset, and was able to get to the spot we wanted.

Day 3 - Achadas da Cruz and Seixal Natural Pool

Near Ponta da Ladeira, there is a coastal hike that takes off from that same location (it is near the parking lot and although the sign has been removed, there are concrete steps leading down which starts the hike). This fairly short hike leads all the way to the beach below, and then to the parish of Achadas da Cruz. There is a cable car that runs down to this parish from above, and this is another option to get down here to visit the rocky beach and to see the stunning landscape. We really enjoyed the hike down here, but it is a very steep and slightly difficult hike up (especially in the afternoon sun). There is another hike that takes off from around the cable car named Quebrada do Negro. It is not a common hike, and we did not see anyone on it. It goes all the way back up with many switchbacks and views of the ocean. Unfortunately, because it is not well used, the path is very much overgrown and we eventually made our way back down.

After finishing our coastal hike, we had lunch back at our Airbnb before heading out again, this time to the natural lava pools of Seixal. Unlike the other natural lava pools of Madeira, these ones are free to visit. The sky was very moody this evening and the waves were large, crashing over the lava barriers of the pools. We ended our evening with a stop in Porto Moniz for a few groceries, before heading back to our Airbnb.

Day 4 - Ponta do Rosto, Vereda da Ponta de São Lourenço, and Pico do Arierio

We checked out of our Airbnb early in the morning in order to get to to Ponta do Rosto before sunrise. This is one of the best places to catch sunrise in Madeira. It was extremely windy here this morning (as it is common on the coast), and chilly. We arrived thirty minutes early so we could watch the sun come up.

We got really lucky with the weather this morning and caught a beautiful sunrise before heading to the nearby Vereda da Ponta de São Lourenço, which is an extremely popular hike on the island, due to its proximity to Funchal, and it one of the most beautiful views on the island. It is also not very difficult, although can take a few hours. We arrived here early enough to find a parking spot (it gets full by mid day), and started our hike. This trail is stunning the entire way, especially at sunrise. When we started on the hike back down, we noticed that there were a lot more people on the trail, and we were glad we started it when we did.

Once back to the car we realized we still had a few hours to kill before we were able to check into our hotel for the evening, so we took the short drive to Funchal for lunch. Driving in Funchal is much different than driving around the rest of Madeira. It is very crowded and the streets in the city center are very narrow and parking is limited. I panicked several times as we found ourselves stuck going down a one lane road with very little room to turn. Most of the parking spots you have to pay for, or they are reserved with a giant “M” for residents. I highly suggest finding a parking garage instead of trying to find a spot on the street. This was much easier, and pretty affordable. From there we walked around until we found a cafe where we had coffee and lunch. There are also open markets here where you can purchase a variety of fruits and wander around in shops.

After lunch we made our way to our hotel in the town of Santana. This is a very popular destination in Madeira, due to proximity to many hikes. We were lucky to find any vacancy at all here, as we booked less than two weeks in advance. By the time we arrived it was raining. Santana is fairly close to Pico do Arieiro, although Funchal is closer and would be another good option. We had heard that this was also famed for its sunrises, as Pico do Arierio often sits above the clouds. We decided to give it a try for sunset, and we were not disappointed. We also came here for sunrise another morning, and we were equally impressed. The clouds were perfectly inverted this evening and we got the sunset we were hoping for. Also, it is much less busy for sunset (lots of parking options), so it was peaceful and we did not have to struggle to find parking.

Day 5 - Pico do Areiro to Pico Ruivo

This was the first day of the trip that we slept in and it was very much needed. It was gloomy and rainy that morning, but we knew that it would most likely be sunny at Pico do Arieiro, so after hitting up the nearby grocery store for snacks and espresso, we started off on the most famous hike in madeira, Pico do Arieiro to Pico Ruivo. This hike takes an average of 5 hours from start to finish. It is common to arrive at Pico do Arieiro for sunrise, and then start the hike, or start at dark, and arrive at Pico Ruivo for sunrise. Because we had time to come back, we did neither and hiked in the middle of the day. The advantage to this is there is a lot less people on the trail, as the majority hike in the morning. This made our hike go pretty quickly and we still had the beautiful views and went in and out of clouds on our way to Pico Ruivo. There is a small cafe right before you get to the last part of the hike, and we stopped here on the way back down for a drink (they do not have refrigeration and it is cash only, but still impressive for being out in the middle of nowhere). The hike went quicker than expected and we arrived back with still an hour before sunset. There is also a cafe located at Pico do Ariero, but is only open in the middle of the day.

Day 6 - Miradouro do Guindaste, Levada do Caldeirão Verde and Caldeirão do Inferno

We did not want to miss another chance at a beautiful sunrise, so we checked out of our hotel early that morning and made our way to Miradouro do Guindaste (less than 10 minutes away from Santana). This is also a popular spot, and there were already people lined up on the observation deck awaiting sunrise. It was a cloudy morning, but eventually the sun poked out from the clouds and it was stunning.

After sunrise we figured it was a good day to do another popular nearby hike, Levada do Caldeirão Verde and Caldeirão do Inferno. You can find parking at Florestal das Queimadas, which costs 3 euros (cash) to park. Make sure you bring the money with you, as there is not an ATM nearby. Almost everywhere on the island takes card, and we were lucky that we had just enough money on us to get out of the parking lot. There is also a cash only cafe in this area. This is a beautiful hike that goes to several waterfalls (if you decide to continue on to Caldeirão do Inferno). Although it does make for a long hike, it is also relatively flat up until Caldeirão Verde. Make sure to bring a flashlight or headlamp, as you will pass through many long dark tunnels with low ceilings (we both bumped our heads). This is a popular hike, and you will most likely meet many people along the way. We were hoping to stop at the cafe for a drink afterward, but because it was cash only, we paid for our parking, and were on our way. We then drove to our last Airbnb, which was located only 15 minutes from Pico do Ariero. It was tucked away in the forest away from the towns, and rustic with a wood burning fireplace.

Day 7 - Pico do Arieiro

We finally decided to see the infamous sunrise at Pico do Arieiro, since we staying nearby. It is a much different experience in the morning, so make sure to get here early! We had to park much farther away and walk at least 10 minutes up to the other parking lot, as it was already full. We reached the viewing area just in time to see the sun peak out from a sea of fluffy white clouds. It was beautiful and my only regret was not getting here much earlier. We spent the rest of the day relaxing in our cabin in the woods, before going out for one last sunset. This made our fourth visit to Pico do Arieiro, because it is THAT beautiful. If you can locate yourself nearby, it is worth it. However, you don’t always get lucky with the inverted clouds. This time the clouds were much higher and it was windy. It was still gorgeous and made for the perfect ending to our trip to Madeira.