Explore one of the most beautiful Portuguese islands!
What to See in Madeira in 3 Days
This is a detailed guide full of our personal recommendation, perfect for a 3-days trip, but if you have extra time we suggest to check out our post Ultimate Roadtrip of Madeira in 6 Days. We loved Madeira, and we drove it from head to tail, enjoying what is arguably the most beautiful place we have seen, and this is the list of must-visit locations!
P.S. to keep track of all the hikes in Madeira we used All Trails, which we can recommend.
Day 1: São Lourenço and whale watching
One of the main themes in Madeira is hiking, and that is why the walk at São Lourenço is the best way to get started!
After you land, it’s time to pick up your rental car. We rented with MagicIslands, which was the cheapest, but we suggest to pay some euros more and get your car with another company. Anyway, whoever you rent your car with, getting it at the airport will be more convenient (prices are also usually cheaper). Also, in Madeira small cars are better, so don’t bother getting a massive jeep.
Without wasting time, drive to PR8 Vereda da Ponta de São Lourenço, park your car in a parking lot or on the side of the road, and start your journey. You will find clear signs indicating the way. Follow the path until the very end, and don’t miss any view point! Walk up the Miradouro Ponta do Furado and enjoy the landscape. Once you are satisfied, walk back on the same way.
The entire walk shound’t take more than 4h, including stops. The walk is nice and easy, apart from few steps to get up the final view point which can make you sweat in summer.
P.S. keep in mind that the only toilet you find on the way is the one at the café, just below the Miradouro at the end of the walk, which has to be paid 1€
After this nice walk (and some food) it’s time to move onto the next activity: whale watching.
On internet you find tens of companies making whale watching tours, but we strongly suggest to stay away from the touristic ones. Avoid catamarans and wooden sailing ships (they are sort of party entartainment and don’t really offer more). Look out instead for RIB-tours: they may be a bit more expensive but they surely are more authentic.
They usually sail either from Funchal or from Calheta, but only at certain time windows, so be sure that you are able to fit in the day both this and the walk!
P.S. In case you can’t afford to do both, because for example your flight landed too late, our recommendation is to skip the walk and do the whale watching (you will get nice walks again in the trip, but you won’t get whales again)
After the whale watching, we suggest to pop by Funchal for dinner, especially if you sailed from there. Among the few specialities of the island, one that we recommend is the Bolo do Caco: a local type of bread which can be served with different kind of fillings. You find many stands selling it, but the best one is said to be Casa do Bolo do Caco.
For the night you get different options: you can either sleep in the city, or you can do like we did. On our rough roadtrip we always liked to stay away from comfort, and what we did was to sleep on top of Pico do Areeiro, in the car park just below the summit (Parque de Pico do Areeiro).
If you choose one way or the other it doens’t make too much of a difference, because regardless the next day you will have to get to Pico do Areeiro, for one of the most beautiful hikes you have ever done.
Day 2: Pico Ruivo PR1
Who doesn’t want to start the day with a 10km hike up and down some of the most breathtaking mountains?
The walk from Pico do Areeiro to Pico Ruivo is the most scenic hike we personally have ever done. From the steepest ridge, into the the darkest tunnel. This trek takes you to the top of the tallest mountain in the island, and the view there is more than rewarding.
Depending upon the time of the year you will find yourself doing it, this hike is probably everything you will be doing on this day. It can be quite challenging, so take in considerations many stops (at least for the pictures!).
Wake up early in the day, and drive to Pico do Areeiro just before the sunrise. Enjoy the landscape turning red with the first light of the day, while you are lacing up your boots, ready for the walk.
Follow the signs and reach the top of the astronomical observatory, then turn left and start to go down on a narrow artificial rocky path. Enjoy every single step of this first part and take it easy, because soon you will stop descending and you will have to go uphill.
P.S. be sure you have with yourself a source of light (your phone is enough) because more than once you will have to walk through a tunnel which crosses the mountians from side to side.
Soon before to arrive at the top, you will find a hut, where you can by a snack or a coffee. There is also a toilet, which you have to pay 0.50€. Several paths meet at this place, so if you feel full of energy no one is stopping you from walking a little bit more, but keep in mind that the only way back is the same you walked to go there.
Once you took enough pictures, you can start to walk back.
extra: if it is summer and you still have a couple of warm hours to use, we suggest to pop by Poco dos Chefes for a nice bath in crystal clear stream water, sorrounded by white boulders.
For sleeping, we relied on camping and we stayed at Bica da Cana, but any other accomodation that you find on the way works as well. Whatever you choose, try to get as close as possible to the next area: 25 Fontes
Day 3: 25 Fontes, Fanal Forest, and Levada Nova
The trip is coming to an end, but so many beautiful things are still yet to be visited!
After having seen desertic mountains, and whales in the open ocean, it’s time to get into the jungle and appreciate the water-rich attractions of the island!
Also here, we suggest to wake up early and use as much daylight as you can. Drive to Levada do Alecrim car park, park your car, and start your walk downhill, following the paved road (look for PR6). After approximately 40 minutes you will arrive at Rabaçal Nature Spot Cafe, but we suggest to skip it for now, and stop there on the way back (you may need it). Keep going down until you reach the Levada do Risco. Continue to follow the signs, until you reach the Lagoa das 25 Fontes.
Here you can appreciate this beautiful lake, deep at the bottom of the valley, framed by a multitued of ferns and mosses. Bathing is not forbidden, and the strongest explorers are free to dive into the freezing water!
After a nice break and a snack, you can start to walk back.
Once you reach the car, you will probably be hungry. A nice idea is to eat your portable lunch just in front of the car park: the view is amazing and that sandwich will taste twice better. But, if you want something, and you can wait a bit more, then we say you can drive straight to the next place: Fanal
This magic place carries a lot of stories on itself. This is where, back in the days, the locals used to cultivate and harvest trees to make wood, and the most beautiful part is that some of the trees you see around where still in the same place when the island was discovered!
The local microclimate gives to this place a mysterious atmosphere, flooding it with mist and fog. The trees are fully covered in mosses and ferns, and their shapes are straight out of a fantasy book.
You can have your portable lunch here, or, if you want to make it fancy, you can make a barbecue in one of the huts you find near the car park (but you better plan this in advance and buy everything you need).
After lunch and a relaxing walk, you can start to drive back toward Madeira, but if you still have few hours left then there is one more thing you want to do.
Drive to Levada Nova – Ponta do Sol, and park on the side of the road. Follow the signs which say Levada Nova. They will take you trhough a little pavement, and then past a couple of houses before to start the levada itself.
The entire walk takes no more than 1h. It is short an easy, but nonetheless a very pretty one. At the end of it, after walking through another dark tunnel, you will get the chance to step behind a real waterfall! It doesn’t happen everyday, and surely makes the walk worth to do.
