Mad About Madeira
Place: Europe
Country: Madeira, Portugal
Towns/Cities: Funchal, Porto Moniz, Santana
Time of Year: September 2025
How we got there: Plane, Rental Car, Cable Car, Toboggan
You would have to be crazy to not be Mad About Madeira!!! Off the coast of Portugal and not that far from the coast of Africa sits the most incredible island of Madeira! It is so wonderfully diverse and naturally beautiful unlike any place we have been before. The adventures here are so unique and numerous that I almost went mad trying to narrow it down to a 4 day visit! This is how we choose to spend our 4 days:
Day 1
The first part of our Portugal adventure was spent in Lisbon and you can read all about it here: https://dawntillduskaz.com/in-love-with-lisbon/ . After a wonderful 4 days on the mainland, we hopped on a 1.5 hour flight over the Atlantic Ocean to Madeira. EasyJet is super inexpensive and efficient. A no frills airline. We paid a little extra to bring a carry on, a cabin bag and get priority boarding. That is were the luxury stops! No free snacks or drinks on board but they got us there safe and on time! That’s saying a lot when flying into Madeira! After all it has the 9th most dangerous landings in the world! In fact, after a safe landing, everyone applauded!
Did you know you can get your feet washed in the airport! Thought that was worthy of a note!!
Turns out that National Car Rental only had manuels (as do most other companies in Madeira) so we ended up with a tiny Ford Focus that barely fit the four of us and our luggage! This island is nothing but mountains, hills and steep winding roads so driving a stick was quite the adventure in itself!
Our Airbnb was located in the capital city of Funchal. Although the “penthouse” apartment was beautiful and the view was amazing, in hindsight I would have booked us in one of the quitier towns on the island. Funchal is very crowded and congested and for this we were glad we had a tiny car!
We really couldn’t beat this view though!!
It was getting close to dinner time so we walked down by the Lido and along the promenade to get a feel for the place.
Listen to the crackle sounds that the rocks make as the waves roll in and out!
We were lured in by one of the local restaurant owners on a tree lined street where we tasted the local Poncha then made a stop at the local grocer to load up on breakfast and snack foods.
Day 2
Using Get Your Guide, I had booked a hike transfer to take us to Pico do Arieiro for sunrise. Typically, you would start the hike there and end at Pico Ruivo however, a year before our visit a forest fire damaged the trail between both locations. You can do the Stairway to Heaven part from Pico do Arieiro and you can do the beginning of Pico Ruivo but you cannot connect them at this time.
Our driver picked us up right in front of our Airbnb and drove us to the peak in time for sunrise. Boy was that an interesting drive! Our young, over confident driver informed us that he learned all about driving and America from the video game Grand Theft Auto so you can imagine what it was like riding in a manuel van up narrow winding roads in the dark! The ride was an adventure in itself for sure!
By some luck of the draw, we arrived at the peak and witnessed the most unique and incredible sunrise! I have to say that there were tons of people, but we were able to find a good viewing spot and we settled in above the clouds for the show! We could just see the light over the layer of clouds and the city lights nestled below.
This was one spectacular sunrise!
As soon as the sun came up, we hurried over to start the Stairway to Heaven part of the trail. We only had 45 minutes before our transfer left to take us to another location.
One great thing about having a guide/driver is that they always know the local spots for coffee and pastries! We made a quick stop for a treat!
Then we headed to Miradouro do Guindaste for an ocean view on a glass bottom lookout.
The weather was warming up so we made a quick change in preparation for our coastal hike! We were dropped off to start The Lavano Coastal Trail which turned out to be stunning! 7 miles along the cliffside overlooking the aqua blue waters of the Atlantic not all that far from the coast of Africa!
We ended in a small farming town where we met our driver and again stopped in a local shop for a snack! I just love trying interesting snack flavors!
You would think our day would be over but it was only 1pm and I had one more activity on my itinerary! This would be the most fun of all! Our driver dropped us back off at the Airbnb where we showered and then drove over to the Funchal Cable Car Station where we would ride the cable car up to the parish of Monte. A one way ticket up was about $20 each. It is a better price to buy the round trip ticket but we had plans to ride the Toboggans part of the way down! The cable car took us up and over the terracotta colored roof tops!
A few notes about Monte and the toboggans: The toboggans are very popular and the wait time can be long (3 hours in some cases). We arrived about 3:30pm and this seems to be a good time as we only waited about an hour. You cannot purchase tickets in advance and you must pay in cash! It was 35 Euros per couple. Monte also has botanical gardens which I hear are awesome but we didn’t have the time to do both having arrived late in the day. If you want to see the gardens, do that first because the toboggans will take you downhill. The last ride is at 5:45pm. One last note: it is best to go when there are no cruise ships docked!!
This was one of the most fun things we have done! The men who operate the toboggans are called carreiros and they have boots with tire tread to help them slide down the street that is lubricated with animal fat to help the flat bottomed sled glide with a little speed! The whole ride covers about 1.25 miles downhill into the suburb of Livramento. From here you can take a taxi (10 min) or walk down to Funchal (40 min).
Once back in Funchal, we walked the streets of Old Town and the Mercado Dos Lavradores.
Day 3
Day 3 started a little later than usual but we were able to try the coffee/pastry shop right under our Airbnb which had outdoor seating across the street. I got to try the Madeira coconut treat called Pao de Deus. It was yummy!
The first activity of the day was to visit the Fanal Forest up in the Paul do Serra plateau. This is a fairytale forest of laurel trees and green meadows often covered in low lying fog giving it a mystical, magical feel. I was so worried that we were going to arrive late and fog would have lifted but we were lucky again and it was perfect! With so much moisture in the air, it was chilly so we threw on our rain jackets and set out to explore. The first thing we noticed was mud and cows!
There are worn paths here, there and everywhere. You can stay on a path or venture out into the green. Either way you will be amazed at how incredibly unique and special this place is! In some places you could hardly see through the fog and you had to be on high alert for the cows and not run into one! Turn up the volume so you can hear them in the video below!!
I really do not think that the pictures do this place justice! It was like being in another peaceful world and it reminded me a bit of Hobbiton in New Zealand. I expected Hobbits to jump out at us any minute!
This is a must see for sure!
After the Fanal Forest hike, we made our way toward Porto Moniz stopping at a few viewpoints along the way.
Miradouro dos Ilheus da Ribera da Janela
and Miradouro de Vue da Novia
Porto Moniz is known for its natural swimming pools. You can choose to buy a day pass at one of the resorts for around 60 Euro each or you can do what we did and try the public natural pools for 4 Euros each! These pools are formed from volcanic rock and are filled by the waves of the Atlantic Ocean. They have changing rooms, showers and lockers.
If you stand or sit on the far walls, the aqua blue ocean waves roll over into the pools. Little did I know that as soon as I entered I would attract tidal waves!
As if that wasn’t enough, Cesar and I decided to try our luck again on the other side. This time sitting on the edge and waiting for a wave to “push” us in! It was more like a slam dunk! A little violent but oh so fun!
We enjoyed lunch in town before driving back through Sao Vicente and stopping to view Capelinha de Nossa Senhora de Fatima
Day 4
Day 4 started much earlier than my travel companions would have liked however we had heard that today’s hike was a popular one and if you do not arrive early you would be hiking in a conga line! So we were the 2nd car to arrive at the Levada do Caldeira Verde Trailhead after driving 45 minutes from Funchal and through very narrow twisting mountain roads in the dark. You need to purchase a parking pass which you can get online.
This hike is one of several levado hikes on the island. Levados are man made Portuguese irrigation channels that run along the mountainside. They run through tunnels and past waterfalls in the Laurissilva Rainforest. Because we started in the dark and because there are several tunnels along the way, we brought headlights with us.
If you want a hike like no other this is for you! Everything is dripping wet and muddy and lush green! At some points the trails is so narrow you must jump up on the canal wall. The tunnels were dark and so cool! The water channel is always next to you on the side of the mountain. Starting so early, we did not have to share the trail on the way to the waterfall. On the way back was a different story! There is barely enough room for one person in places not alone two trying to pass each other! This was truly an adventure! The beauty here is indescribable.
We reached the 300 ft waterfall in enough time to enjoy it by ourselves.
This 8 mile hike was completed in 4 hours and by the time we got back to the trailhead, the little snack bar was open and the parking lot was full! Just a note: the bathrooms require coins to enter and there is nowhere on the hike to go due to the narrow trail and lack of privacy .
Due to the proximity, it is great to combine this hike with a visit to the cute town of Santana to see the Casas de Tipicas de Santana. Right in the center of town is a collection of these triangular wooden homes with thatched roofs and red, white, & blue color scheme. Each is surrounded with lush gardens. You can enter several of them as they are now cute little shops.
Walking around on the cobblestone streets we happened upon a local cafe off the beaten path where we enjoyed a unique lunch! What a cute village tucked away on the mountainside!
Our stay in Madeira had come to an end. The next day we caught an EasyJet back to Lisbon but not before getting one more glimpse of the moon in the early morning hours and the sunrise at the airport!
Obligada, Madeira! Our memories will last a lifetime!
Back in Lisbon we had one day to relax before our flight home. I booked a Marriott near the airport where we could watch the US Open finals and lounge in our bathrobes, eat at the executive lounge and soak in the view from our balcony!
But before the relaxing started, we did take an Uber over to the old Aqueduct for a bit of a history lesson.
Well that concludes our awesome trip to Madeira and I hope that this will inspire you to plan a visit because I know you will also be Mad about Madeira! Remember to travel and hike responsibly and leave no trace!
