A First-Timer's Guide to Madeira - A 5 Day Itinerary

A tropical European island with soaring peaks and endless greenery, it’s not hard to see why Madeira is such a popular travel destination for not only those looking for a relaxing break but those eyeing up adventure. In this first-timer’s guide to Madeira, we’ll cover everything you need to know about spending five days on this beautiful island.

Welcome to Madeira.

This small Portuguese island, just 741km² in size, boasts a tropical climate with an imposing mountainous landscape covered in endless green rainforest and exotic fauna and flora. Whether you’re looking for an adventurous holiday or a relaxing break, Madeira caters to all. From levada walks and tough mountain top hikes to canyoning and 4×4 tours, those after an adrenaline hit will certainly find that here in abundance.

I’ve pulled together an ultimate five day guide to Madeira that is perfect for a first-time visit to the island and will also ensure that you waste those crucial travel days especially if you’ve got great flight times. This guide is based on Jet2 flights to Madeira from Manchester; arriving in Funchal at 2pm on Monday and departing at 3pm on Friday.

Of course, even if you don’t have exactly five days in Madeira, whether you are visiting for longer or for less time, you can adapt the proposed itinerary to your liking. I’m not here to say that this is the only or best way to see Madeira (there are certainly many more things to do on the island that I haven’t included) but this is a great overview and introduction to the Hawaii of Europe; it will no doubt leave you wanting to visit again and again.

WHERE IS MADEIRA

A tiny drop in the ocean, Madeira is located in Atlantic Ocean in a region called Macronesia. These are a cluster of islands including Cape Verde, the Azores and the Canary Islands just off the coast of Africa. Madeira sits to the north of the Canary Islands and comprises of four islands; Madeira, Porto Santo, Desertas and the Selvagens.

WHERE TO STAY IN FUNCHAL, MADEIRA

Before we kick things off, we need to talk about accommodation. For our five day/four night trip to Funchal, we stayed at the incredible Next at Savoy Signature Hotel which is within walking distance to the centre. I found this hotel to be absolutely perfect for a first trip to Madeira. The room was out of this world with the sea view from my 9th floor balcony one of the best I’ve ever had. There are two pools (including one on the rooftop), a number of different bars and restaurants and is the perfect base from which to spend five days in Madeira.

DISCLAIMER – I VISITED MADEIRA WITH JET2HOLIDAYS AND THIS POST IS WRITTEN IN COLLABORATION WITH JET2 WHO OFFER GREAT PACKAGE HOLIDAYS TO MADEIRA. ALL OPINIONS EXPRESSED ARE, AS ALWAYS, MY OWN.

GUIDE TO MADEIRA – A FIVE DAY ITINERARY

DAY ONE

Today is a good day; we arrive in Madeira. Flights from Manchester Airport with Jet2 take around 4 hours and, with a 10am flight, you’re going to arrive at the Cristiano Ronaldo Airport at around 2pm meaning that there’s plenty of time left in the day to begin getting acquainted with this beautiful island. It’s only a 20-30 minute drive from the airport into Funchal.

When we visited Funchal with Jet2holidays, our driver headed straight up to Monte for what was to be an exhilarating introduction to Madeira. One of the best things to do in Funchal, without doubt, is to climb in a ‘wicker basket’ and let the Carrioes de Monte (men dressed in white with straw hats) take charge as you hurtle down the hill at speeds of up to 24mph! This practice dates back to the 1800’s when those with a little money behind them needed a quick and easy way to get home from church.

I must say that, if you’ve had a long journey to Madeira, you may want to check into your hotel first, refresh and grab a taxi or the cable car straight up to Monte. This attraction is extremely popular and we waited for around an hour (!) before it was our turn. As a first-timer to Madeira however it can’t be missed (and I would recommend ticking this one off your list as soon as possible). Your ride finishes in Livramento, about a 30 minute very steep walk down to Funchal, but there are plenty of taxis and buses so that you can continue your journey. Be prepared mind for those straw hats to suddenly be offered to accept tips and for official printed photographs available if you fancy a lasting memory of your ride.

The basket rides run Monday to Saturday, 9am to 6pm with the last ride taking place at 5:45pm. Prices are €27.50 for one person, €35 for two people and €52.50 for three people.

I’d highly recommend dining at Kampo by Chef Julio Pereira on your first night as it offers a fantastic introduction to Madeira’s culinary delights. This modern restaurant in the heart of Funchal serves up contemporary food that will honestly blow you away. Despite not being a seafood eater, I really enjoyed the Tuna Cornetos (tuna tartar), Sardines and the market fish (Red Snapper) with seaweed rice and prawn sauce. If you know me, finishing those three dishes was kind of a big deal so it must have been out of this world. For the meat eaters, the oxtail ravioli and sirloin steak were brilliant and, of course, there are plenty of options for vegetarians that went down a treat such as the mushrooms and roasted pumpkin foam.

This will have no doubt been a long day so get some rest in and buckle up for an adventurous few days.

DAY TWO

This is where things get interesting. Let’s try one of Madeira’s most exciting and unique outdoor activities; canyoning. We were whisked up deep into the mountains to Riberio Frio (which enjoyably translates as Cold River), a deep canyon surrounded by dense greenery in which we were soon abseiling down waterfalls, scrambling across rocks and jumping into crystal clear pools. Thankfully the wetsuits helped with keeping the body temperature from dropping too much.

Ordinarily, I wouldn’t be one to book a canyoning experience particular as I’m afraid of heights, have a dodgy hip and have never been one for abseiling. However, the guys at Harmony in Nature were great with us as beginners and safely navigated us through the canyon capturing memories of key stages on their GoPro. The experience is certainly for those who are a little actively minded and are on the hunt for a hit of adrenaline as even on the entry Level 1 course, it wasn’t necessarily easy! I can’t even imagine attempting canyoning at the higher levels (which go all the way up to 7!).

All in all, the experience took around 4 hours including picking us up and dropping us back off at our hotel and costs just €65 per person.

Before we head back out for the afternoon, make sure you refuel by grabbing lunch. We ate at the Recharge Bar & Restaurant at the Next Hotel overlooking the Accidentally Wes Anderson pastel hues of the pool area. I went with the Cuban sandwich full of roasted belly pork, gherkins, chorizo, onion and cheese which was absolutely everything I needed and more after the morning. Expect food heavily influenced by Japan and the tropics plus the restaurant prides itself on being the first place in Madeira to serve grasshoppers. Yes, you read that right. A grasshopper poke bowl no less with wakame seaweed, cucumber, mango and rice.

In the afternoon, head into Funchal and familiarise yourself with its streets, its people and its laidback atmosphere. Grab a coffee (The Studio or Maia) and a pastel de nata (Nata 7 reportedly make the best and only cost €1) before wandering down Rua de Santa Maria and its many sidestreets to admire Funchal’s Painted Doors Project. Back in 2010, Jose Zyberchema had a great idea to revitalise the Old Town by contacting local artists to come and paint the doors throughout the neighbourhood; “The Art of Open Doors”. There are now around 200 painted doors with loads of quirky designs that make this a highlight to any trip to Funchal.

For dinner, head back to Rua de Santa Maria to dine at Restaurante Ja Fui Jaquet which offers a variety of Portuguese and Madeiran dishes. I went for the pita bread with mechada meat to start and pork neck with apple pickle for main; both of which were really good!

DAY THREE

By now you should be getting the picture that the highlights of any trip to Madeira will include incredible outdoor activities and day three kicks off with a walk along just a small part of Madeira’s 2000km of levadas. Levadas are irrigation channels that carry water across the island wherever it may be needed. Many of these levadas are now matched with official hikes almost all of which feature unrivalled views; almost certainly some of the best views in Europe can be found along Maderia’s levadas!

PR18, Levada do Rei, is a great introductory hike on the north coast of Madeira high above San Jorge. The 7.5 mile (12km) out and back hike is mostly flat with spectacular views across the mountainous landscape. You’ll wander past eucalyptus trees as high as the sky, through tunnels carved through the cliffs, under drenching waterfalls all before reaching the source of Levada do Rei; the peaceful Ribeiro Bonito. Here you’ll find a small waterfall surrounded by indigenous Madeiran rainforest where you can spend 15 minutes or so relaxing and perhaps enjoying a packed lunch. The return walk seemed to go much quicker though for some reason the dizzying heights had more of an impact on me – it’s hard not to look down sometimes! We took a lot longer than expected, probably due to taking an extortionate amount of photos, but you should normally finish this hike in around 2-3 hours. PR18 is about an hours drive from Funchal.

To get to PR18, or any other levada walk that takes your fancy, I’d highly recommend booking a local guide who will be both your transport and will lead the way offering wisdom and knowledge (perhaps not even related to said levada either!). As I said above, PR18 is probably one of the most accessible levada walks on the island but there are many others that offer much more stunning views with some even offering nothing but the levada itself to straddle along the edge of a mountain!

All being well you’ll have the afternoon free after your morning levada walk so it’s time to ride the cable car from Funchal up to Monte. Head to Teleferico Funchal-Monte, at the end of Avenida do Mar (Sea Avenue), and grab your tickets before a beautiful 15-20 minute / 3.2km ride up to Monte

The trip costs €18 for a return journey (€9 for 7-14 year olds, free for 0-6 year olds) and the cable car operates from 9am with the last boarding taking place at 5:45pm. With visiting in the afternoon, we had no wait time whatsoever but I can imagine in the morning, especially on a cruise ship day, the queue might take a while!

First things first, head to Local Shop for a coffee and a slice of cake with stunning views across the mountains above Funchal. Once you’re full of caffeine and full of sugar, walk the short distance to Monte Palace Tropical Gardens where you can easily spend an hour or two wandering the stunning Japanese-inspired exotic gardens, watching the bright pink and red flamingos and taking in the panoramic views across Funchal. Entry costs €15 (children younger than 15 years old are free) and honestly is more than worth it. I was certainly sceptical when entering but honestly I’d make visiting the gardens the first thing I do when I get chance to return to Funchal.

If you’ve time, grab a second cable car across to Funchal’s botanical gardens for 80,000m² of perfectly manicured grounds full of over 2,000 exotic plants! This costs €18.50 for adults (both the botanical gardens and the cable car).

Back to Funchal and, before you head to your hotel for a freshen up, make sure you experience a glass of poncha; Maderia’s traditional alcohol drink made from sugar cane rum, honey, sugar and either orange or lemon juice. Rei da Poncha is a good shout for an authentic and fresh poncha in a cool little courtyard; be careful – it is strong! Our local guide’s tip for finding the best poncha was simply to look for the oldest bar with the eldest bartender and ensure that the drink is made fresh in front of you!

Grab a taxi for dinner tonight and head to the west of Funchal, past the historic Reid’s Palace, and enjoy incredible food at Horta. This place far exceeded my expectations whether it was the charming boho vibes or the range of food on offer; I settled for the falafel to start, black pork with kimchi apple puree for main and a pina colada inspired dessert featuring white chocolate ganache and an almond and coconut crumble!

DAY FOUR

Day four in Madeira features a full day jeep tour around the east of the island with Adventureland. If you’ve done the east before, you can customise your tour and focus on another part of the island! We were picked up promptly at 9am by our Adventureland tour guide and set off in our Landrover straight up to Pico do Arieiro; Madeira’s third highest peak at 1818 metres above sea level. Unfortunately, I can only imagine just how beautiful the views would have been – we were surrounded by thick cloud howling around us with the temperature dropping to just 3°c. One of the best hikes in Madeira, PR1, starts right here, crosses Pico das Torres (1851m) and ends at Pico Ruivo (1862m). I can’t wait to return to Madeira to complete this!

After a disappointing trip to Pico do Arieiro, we walked PR11 – Levado dos Balcoes. It took approximately 45 minutes before the hike opened up at the Balcoes viewpoint which offers, yet again, unreal views up to the three tallest peaks (which of course were, by now, no longer shrouded in cloud). The viewpoint was busy but it was possible to spend a few moments standing in awe at the view. I also had a little native bird land on my hand which made the walk for me!

The jeep tour featured a hair-raising off-road experience which I can hand on heart say I would never wish to go through again haha! I’m really not good with being a passenger on (off) roads with steep drops inches away from an inevitable death. I’m sure our driver was fully in control but a little rolling back on a hairpin bend was enough to make me want to throw up!

Lunch at Quinta do Furao followed a brief stop to see Madeira’s traditional houses at Santana. I opted for the traditional espetada, beef on a laurel stick, and roasted sweet potatoes with sugar cane syrup and butter. The food was lovely but sitting on the balcony with views across the sea stacks at Ponta de Catarina Pires just blew me away.

After lunch, we stopped at North Mills Distillery at Porto da Cruz to see a sugar cane rum distillery and its steam powered machinery in action. The tour included two tasters of the rum too. Finally, we ended up at Miradouro da Ponta do Rosto; a viewpoint towards the most eastern point of Madeira where you can see both the north and south coast at the same time. The scenery here was completely different to the greenery of inner Madeira. This is a rugged, red desert like outcrop where you could be fooled into thinking you’re in Iceland or the Faroe Islands (save for it being rugged, red and desert like) with the steep cliffs and jagged sea stacks. It was extremely windy here so please be careful – don’t go too close to the edge. What a long day that was but a jeep tour is definitely one of the best ways to experience the island without hiring a car and attempting to navigate yourself!

From our hotel, Next by Savoy Signature, it was only a short walk to our last night’s meal; a seven course tasting menu at Audax. This may come as a little shock to you but I’ve never experienced a tasting menu before especially not one that comes with individual wine pairings. I don’t know why but I’ve never really fancied it so I was glad that Audax was my first ever tasting menu experience.

The atmosphere was calm even with the chefs hard at work a few metres away in the open kitchen. We were treated to an interesting collection of dishes:

Amouse bouche of scabbard fish in breadcrumbs with spicy mayo and caviar;
Cold Red Porgy fish with salmon roe, passionfruit, smoked chestnut and pickled cucumber;
Madeiran ramen with quail’s egg, prawn and chicken oil and a chicken broth;
Fresh fish with cauliflower puree, seaweed, a crab puree and deep fried crabs legs;
Oxtail stew featuring pork crackling and vegetables; and
Banana pudding, tangerine sorbet and pork crackling

Each of the above were expertly paired with mostly white wines, one red wine and Madeiran wine of course. This meal really pushed me out of my comfort zone but there were some dishes I really enjoyed; the seafood actually surprised me to be fair. I probably wouldn’t put pork crackling with a smoked banana pudding at home but the flavours certainly seemed to work!

DAY FIVE

Today is sad day. It’s the final day in Madeira and I’m writing this on the basis of you having good flight times. With Jet2, we flew back on the Friday at 3pm meaning that there was plenty of time in the morning to see more of Funchal. Of course, as I said earlier, this itinerary is entirely flexible so feel free to chop and change as needed.

We teamed up with a local guide who met us in the calming municipal gardens surrounded by blooming jacaranda trees before taking us on a walking tour of Funchal. We visited the Cathedral (Se Catedral do Funchal) first with its exceptional Mudejar ceilings (Islamic tradition) that really were a sight to behold! You don’t need to visit for long, but it’s free to enter, so definitely worth a visit. Next up we visited the Municipal Square with the Town Hall and Jesuit College of Funchal to admire and photograph as well as the contrasting black and white shell shaped flooring (fun fact – the shape was actually simply due to the reach of each worker when on their knees).

If you’ve time, and we did to be fair, don’t miss a 45-minute tour of the Blandy’s Wine Lodge where you will learn the history of Madeiran wine, the long history of the family’s involvement with wine and many other ventures and also have the opportunity to taste this famous wine.

The final stop of the day was Funchal’s famous Mercado dos Lavradores; the farmer’s market. We visited initially for 15 minutes or so on a Tuesday and it’s safe to say I was very disappointed – it didn’t feel at all like a local market and was perhaps more of a tourist attraction only. However, you must visit Mercado dos Lavradores on a Friday or at the weekend as the atmosphere was completely different. This is without doubt a locals market; it was buzzing with people buying their fresh fruit and veg (from a whole new set up on the ground floor that wasn’t there earlier in the week) and their fresh fish. The fish market was actually really good to see everything in action – enormous pieces of tuna being sliced up and black scabbard fish being cleaned. I’d rather not have seen black scabbard fish as they’re so creepy, tasty yes I guess, but very creepy. They need to be sent back down to the depths of the ocean. Make sure you get to the fish market early if you can (some say 8am is best!) and certainly before 2pm when it all comes to an end. A warning – some traders will be extremely pushy trying to get you to taste their exotic fruits (apparently often laden with sugar) and, if you do buy something, be mindful some stalls may charge a fortune.

We also had time to visit both Fabrica Santo Antonio (the first biscuit producer on the island dating back 130 years) and UauCacau (a chocolate shop where I bought a box of 20 little chocolates filled with a variety of flavours including poncha) for those compulsory gift purchases. UauCacau also offers an espresso and a chocolate of the day for just €1.

Five days in Madeira is enough to give you a gentle introduction to this island but, if you’re looking to tick off all of the highlights, I would highly recommend spending at least a week here probably even two. Madeira is home to some of the world’s greatest scenery, black sand beaches in the west, mysterious foggy trees and some bucket-list hikes so, rather than trying to cram everything in in a matter of days, why not spend a bit longer to see everything the island has to offer at leisure. I’ve still got so much on my list that I want to do which just means I have to plan a return trip sooner rather than later.

Hopefully you’ve enjoyed my first-timer’s guide to Madeira and it helps you plan your trip; whether you follow this itinerary or whether it inspires you to add certain activities to your own itinerary. If you’ve got any questions at all, need any more information or just want to let me know your thoughts, feel free to leave a comment below!