Madeira: The Floating Garden of the Atlantic: 7 days of levada walks, volcanic peaks, sea cliffs & island soul for a family adventure group

Funchal Old Town (Zona Velha) Walking Tour

Wander through Funchal's Zona Velha — the historic Old Town where fishermen's houses now sport extraordinary painted doors (the Arte das Portas Abertas project, with 200+ doors painted by local artists). The Rua de Santa Maria is the heart of it.

Mercado dos Lavradores (Farmers' Market)

The Farmers' Market is a feast for the senses — vendors in traditional embroidered costumes sell exotic tropical fruits (banana, pitanga, anona, tamarillo), fresh flowers, and local cheeses. Try the poncha de maracujá at the market bar.

Sunset Walk Along the Funchal Seafront Promenade

The promenade from the Old Town west toward Lido stretches for kilometres along the Atlantic. The volcanic rock pools, crashing waves, and Funchal's amphitheatre of hillside houses glowing in evening light is stunning.

Câmara de Lobos Waterfront

Wander the tiny harbour where brightly painted fishing boats bob in the crystal-clear water. The fishermen still bring in espada (black scabbardfish) and tuna every morning. The cliffs on the west side of the harbour give a great view down.

Cabo Girão Skywalk

Just west of Câmara de Lobos, Cabo Girão is Europe's second-highest sea cliff at 580 metres. A glass-floored skywalk extends out over the edge — stare straight down to tiny fishing boats and the ocean below. Utterly terrifying. Utterly spectacular.

Espetada Lunch in Estreito de Câmara de Lobos

Drive 5 minutes up into the hills to Estreito, the undisputed espetada capital of Madeira. Local restaurants here specialize in the real deal: beef marinated overnight in garlic and bay laurel, skewered on a green bay laurel stick, cooked over wood fire, and hung from a hook above your table.

Levada dos Piornais Easy Walk

A gentle, family-friendly levada walk starting near Funchal that follows an irrigation channel through banana plantations and terraced hillsides with views over the city and bay. Perfect to walk off lunch.

Sunrise at Pico do Arieiro (1,818m)

Drive up the winding mountain road to Pico do Arieiro in darkness and arrive before first light. When the sun appears, it paints the rocky peaks gold and pink as the cloud sea glows beneath you. Even on overcast days, the peak often breaks through. One of Europe's most dramatic sunrise experiences.

PR1 Trail: Arieiro to Pico Ruivo (Optional — Advanced)

The PR1 ridge trail connecting Pico do Arieiro to Pico Ruivo (Madeira's highest peak at 1,862m) is 9km one-way through breathtaking mountain scenery — stone staircases, tunnels cut through rock, and 360° views over the island. Do the full trail if fitness allows (allow 4–5 hours one way + taxi return). Or just hike 1–2km in and back for the views.

Ribeiro Frio Trout Farm & Balcões Viewpoint

Stop at Ribeiro Frio, a charming mountain village with a trout farm in a lush valley, then take the easy 20-minute walk to Balcões viewpoint for sweeping views across the central mountain range.

Santana Village & Traditional A-Frame Houses

Continue north to Santana — a pretty village famous for its brightly painted triangular thatched houses (palheiros). These traditional Madeiran dwellings, with their steep thatched roofs reaching to the ground, look like something from a fairytale.

Cable Car to Monte

Take the Teleferico do Funchal cable car from the seafront (Zona Velha station) up through Funchal's terraced hillside to Monte — a 15-minute ride with sweeping views over the city and bay. April means the jacaranda trees below are in full purple bloom.

Monte Palace Tropical Garden

One of the most extraordinary gardens in Europe — 70,000m² of terraced tropical garden built around a former palace, filled with rare plants from five continents, a collection of over 1,000 varieties of cycad, African art, azulejo tile installations, and a serene Japanese garden with koi pond.

Monte Toboggan Ride (Carreiros do Monte)

Dating from 1850, the Monte toboggan is one of Madeira's most famous experiences — wicker basket sleds on wooden runners, steered down the cobblestone streets by two men in white suits and straw hats (the carreiros). It's 2km downhill, reaching 48km/h, and genuinely exhilarating.

Jardim Botânico da Madeira

Walk down to or catch a bus to the Botanical Garden — 35,000 species arranged on a steep hillside with panoramic city views. The geometric patterned parterres visible from the cable car are here. Also has a small natural history museum and bird park.

Blandy's Wine Lodge Tour & Tasting

Visit the historic Blandy's Wine Lodge in central Funchal for a tour of their 200-year-old cellars and a guided Madeira wine tasting. Madeira wine is unique — fortified and oxidized, it's practically indestructible and comes in styles from dry to very sweet.

Ribeira Brava & South Coast Drive

Drive west along the coast to the pretty town of Ribeira Brava, with its pebble beach, colourful market, and the dramatic valley carved by the Big River (Ribeira Brava). Browse the covered market for local cheeses, palm honey, and preserved fruit.

Paul da Serra Plateau Drive

The winding drive up to Paul da Serra is one of Madeira's most dramatic road experiences — hairpin bends, sudden cloud immersion, and then the opening of the plateau: a flat moorland of heather, grazing cows, and lonely wind turbines stretching to the horizon. It feels like Iceland transplanted to the Atlantic.

Porto Moniz Natural Volcanic Rock Pools

Descend the dramatic north coast cliffs to Porto Moniz, where ancient lava flows created a series of natural rock pools filled and refreshed by Atlantic waves. Swimming here — enclosed by volcanic rock with the ocean crashing around you — is one of Madeira's greatest experiences.

North Coast Drive Back via Seixal

Return to Funchal along the spectacular north coast road — through Seixal (with its amazing waterfall and tiny black-sand beach), past sheer cliffs and sea tunnels carved through headlands, and through the green valleys of the west. The drive itself is the experience.

PR8 Trail — Ponta de São Lourenço

This 8km out-and-back trail along Madeira's eastern peninsula is unlike anything else on the island — dramatic exposed ridges, ocean on both sides, dizzyingly steep cliffs plunging to turquoise coves, and the sense of walking to the end of the world. The scenery changes from lush to barren to lunar as you go.

Whale & Dolphin Watching Tour

Madeira sits in one of the world's richest whale-watching waters — 28 species of cetacean have been recorded here, including sperm whales (resident year-round), bottlenose and common dolphins, and in April, migrating baleen whales. Tours depart from Caniçal (5 mins from the trailhead) and last 2–3 hours.

Machico Old Town & Bay

Explore Machico — where Portuguese explorers first landed on Madeira in 1419. The small chapel of São Roque and the Forte de Nossa Senhora do Amparo (a tiny triangular fort jutting into the bay) are charming. The bay itself is one of Madeira's only sandy beaches.

PR9 Levada do Caldeirão Verde Trail

The trail starts at Queimadas — a fairy-tale park of mossy fountains and thatched shelters — and follows a levada (irrigation channel) through the UNESCO Laurissilva laurel forest, past three tunnels (bring torches), above dramatic ravines, and ends at a hidden waterfall grotto called Caldeirão Verde (Green Cauldron). The return journey is equally beautiful.

Fanal Ancient Laurel Trees (Optional Detour)

If energy allows, or as an alternative to PR9 for families with young children, Fanal on the Paul da Serra plateau has ancient, dramatically twisted laurel trees — some 500+ years old — that look like something from a Tolkien story. Especially magical in morning mist.

Funchal Marina & Sunset Walk

Return to Funchal and walk the harbour promenade as the sun sets. The marina is lined with restaurants and bars — this is the place for a final evening sundowner, watching the yachts bob and the city lights come on.