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Glide up in a glass cable car from the old town high over the terracotta rooftops and terraced gardens to the village of Monte, the whole bay spread out below and the peaks above. A spectacular ride and the classic Funchal outing; go up for the gardens, then toboggan back down.
A magical hillside garden at the top of the cable car — koi ponds, oriental pavilions, tile panels and a jungle of exotic plants tumbling down the slope, with grand views over Funchal. One of the loveliest gardens in Europe, and reason enough to ride up to Monte.
Madeira's unique glory — hundreds of kilometres of narrow stone water channels (levadas) threading the mountains, their maintenance paths making for gentle, spectacular walks through laurel forest, past waterfalls and along dizzying valley edges. The 25 Fontes and Levada do Caldeirão Verde are classics; unmissable.
Drive up to Madeira's third-highest peak at 1,818m for a jaw-dropping view over a sea of clouds and jagged volcanic ridges — unforgettable at sunrise, when the summit floats above the cloud. The trailhead for the epic ridge hike to Pico Ruivo; go early, and bring a fleece — it's cold up there.
The 'workers' market' — a lovely tiled Art Deco hall piled with Madeira's extravagant produce: custard apples and passion fruit, garlands of chillies, exotic flowers, and a fish hall of glistening scabbard fish and tuna. A feast for the senses; come in the morning, and mind the aggressive tasting-sellers.
Wander the cobbled lanes of the Zona Velha, where an art project turned dozens of battered old doors into a gallery of paintings, and the streets fill with restaurant tables come evening. Pretty, atmospheric and the heart of Funchal's dining; stroll it by day for the doors, return at night to eat.
One of the highest sea cliffs in Europe, plunging nearly 600m straight to the ocean — with a glass-floored viewing platform cantilevered over the drop for a genuine stomach-lurch and a spectacular view along the coast to Funchal. Short, free and thrilling; a quick stop west of the city.
The island's famous fortified wine — from dry Sercial to rich, sweet Malmsey, uniquely 'cooked' by heat and improbably long-lived — is best sampled at a historic lodge like Blandy's in the centre, on a tour through the cobwebbed old casks. A warming, characterful hour and a taste of Madeira's history.
Madeira's gloriously mad tradition — hurtle 2km down the steep, winding streets from Monte to Funchal in a wicker basket-sled on wooden runners, steered by two straw-hatted men who run alongside and jump on. Touristy, fast and enormous fun; a rite of passage after the gardens.
Madeira does its swimming in style — natural and built ocean pools and bathing complexes along the Lido seafront, with a scenic promenade to stroll and sunbathe. Since sandy beaches are scarce, this is how Funchal takes to the water; go for a saltwater swim with the waves crashing beyond the wall.
A postcard fishing village just west of Funchal — a huddle of colourful boats in a rocky bay, ramshackle bars, and the spot Winston Churchill came to paint. Come for the harbour views, a glass of poncha with the fishermen, and the black scabbard fish fresh off the boats; pretty and delightfully unpolished.
The island's fine early-16th-century cathedral in the heart of the city, its plain stone exterior giving way to a spectacular carved and gilded cedar ceiling of Moorish-inspired design (mudéjar). A cool, calm, historic stop amid the shopping streets; small and free to enter.
Madeira on a plate — espetada, chunks of beef skewered on a bay-laurel stick and grilled over wood, served with bolo do caco, a warm flatbread slathered in garlic butter. Hearty, smoky and delicious; eat it at a bustling old-town or Câmara de Lobos restaurant, with a glass of the local wine.
The island's potent traditional drink — sugarcane rum (aguardente), honey and citrus juice, muddled with a wooden 'caralhinho', deceptively smooth and lethal. Sink one (or two) at an old-town bar; the traditional lemon version is the classic, but every bar has its passion-fruit twist. The taste of a Madeiran night.
Funchal's main beach, just west of the centre — a long stretch of black volcanic pebbles and sand with calm swimming, sea-water pools and beach bars. Not a Caribbean idyll, but a proper (if stony) swim close to the city; for golden sand, you'll need the ferry to Porto Santo.
Prices are relative to Portugal, a mid-range country.
The old town
The centreThe atmospheric old town east of the centre — cobbled lanes of painted doors, packed with restaurants and bars, next to the market and the cable-car station. The most characterful and lively base, walkable and buzzing in the evening; the heart of Funchal's dining and its gentle nightlife.
What’s here
Cathedral & marina
3 min · 0.6 kmThe commercial heart around the cathedral, the gardens and the marina — shops, the wine lodges, cafés and the seafront promenade. Central and convenient, walkable to the old town and the front; a practical, pleasant base with the city's history and harbour on the doorstep.
What’s here
Seafront & pools
8 min · 3 kmThe resort strip west of the centre — a run of big seafront hotels along the Lido promenade, with ocean-fed lido pools, bathing complexes and sea views. The base for a relaxed sun-and-pool holiday, a bus or promenade walk from town; comfortable and scenic, if less characterful than the old town.
What’s here
Hilltop gardens
15 min · 4 kmThe lush hillside village high above Funchal, reached by the cable car — cool, green and quiet, home to the famous tropical garden and the wicker-toboggan run. A peaceful, scenic base with sweeping views over the bay, though you'll ride down to the city for the restaurants and the front.
What’s here
Worth knowing: Madeira is a mountainous volcanic island, not a beach destination — Funchal's 'beaches' are mostly ocean-fed lido pools and pebble bays, with golden sand only on the separate island of Porto Santo. The real draw is up: the peaks, the levada water-channel walks and the gardens. Weather changes fast with altitude and between the sunny south and the wet north.
1.5 hr away
On the wild northwest tip of the island, natural swimming pools carved into black volcanic rock, filled and refreshed by the crashing Atlantic — a spectacular, safe place to swim. The scenic drive there, over the mountains and down the dramatic north coast, is half the adventure.
Car or tour
1 hr away
A village on the green north coast famous for its casas de colmo — tiny, steep-roofed A-frame houses painted in bright colours and thatched to the ground. Charming and quintessentially Madeiran, in lush farming country, and a gateway to the highest peaks and the laurel forest.
Car or bus
45 min away
A dramatic, barren volcanic peninsula at the island's eastern tip — a wonderful, wind-blown clifftop walk over red-and-ochre rock with the ocean on both sides, a total contrast to Madeira's green interior. The island's best coastal hike; go on a clear day and bring water.
Car or bus
2.5 hr away
Madeira's little sister island, a couple of hours by ferry — and the one thing Madeira lacks: nine kilometres of golden, gently shelving sandy beach, said to be therapeutic. A laid-back, sun-and-sand escape; go for a beach day, or stay a night for the slow island pace.
Ferry
Best time to go
April to October — warm, dry and sunny, spring for the flowers and late summer for the warmest sea; but Madeira is famously mild all year round.
Cheapest: The winter months (November–March) — still mild and green, cheaper and quieter, though wetter, especially on the north of the island.
Pick your dates above and we’ll tell you exactly what the weather does then.
August
26° / 20°C
Dry
Good time to goFunchal is the capital of Madeira, a lush, mountainous volcanic island marooned in the Atlantic off Africa — a garden of an island where flowers bloom year-round, ancient laurel forest cloaks soaring peaks, and stone-channelled 'levada' paths thread the highlands. The city itself tumbles down an amphitheatre of hills to a pretty harbour, with a cobbled old town, a famous market, a cable car up to hilltop gardens, and its own fortified wine. Mild, green and beautiful — a walker's and garden-lover's paradise, and Europe's favourite winter-sun escape.
First things first
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Last updated 9 August 2026. Cities are refreshed, not written once.