Explore one of the most beautiful Portuguese islands!
Ultimate Roadtrip of Madeira in 6 Days
This is a detailed guide full of our personal recommendation, perfect for a 6-days trip, but if you don’t have much time we suggest to check out our post What to See in Madeira in 3 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! We wanted to get the full experience, so we chose to bring with us tent and sleepingbags, taking advantage of the free camping sites spread around the island.
P.S. to keep track of all the hikes in Madeira we used All Trails, which we can recommend.
P.P.S. every camping mentioned below must be reserved at madeiracamping.com. You will have to compile a module, requesting your tent space. It is for free, and no payment is required, but be sure that you do it quite in advance since some areas only allow a little number of tents!
Day 1: São Lourenço and Boca do Risco
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 hike: Boca do Risco.
Drive to Cabo de Larano viewpoint. You can park your car where the road finishes and the path begins, but don’t go at peak hours or you may have to park way before.
Follow the dirty path and enjoy the incredible view over the north coast of the Island. In less then 2h you should arrive at Boca do Risco, an incredible view point located in between Porto da Cruz and Machico. Take a break and a snack on one of the pointy boulders before walking back to the car.
P.S. Madeira is famous for its wine and on this walk you can appreciate some of the steepest vineyards you have ever seen! Just take a look now and again at the slope below your feet and you will notice them.
After Boca do Risco, take again your car and drive to Parque Florestal Pico das Pedras. This camping spot (which you find on the list of available campings at madeiracamping.com) is provided with toilets, tables, benches, drinking fountains, and of course spots to place your tent. You can park your car just outside the entrance, where the road widens. As for all the other campings on the island, you won’t find any guardian waiting for you, so just place your tent and enjoy your time.
Day 2: Levada do Caldeirão Verde and Funchal
Wake up, get out of your tent, and take a big stretch. Enjoy the morning dew and the peace that characterizes Madeira’s outskirts.
Drive few minutes to Queimadas Parking Lot. You will have to pay a ticket (3€), but you don’t really have other choices, and the entertainment you get from this hike is so rewarding that you won’t mind.
After you parked, start to walk following the sign PR9. After few meters you will encounter a beautiful hut, representative of the traditional architecture which was once very common on the island.
The walk takes approximately 2h. The slope is basically horizontal, and the pavement is in good conditons. Try to go early in the morning, because at peak hours you will likely be slowed down by the traffic jam where the path gets too narrow for 2 people to pass at the same time.
After taking some breathtaking pictures and walking under deep dark tunnels (remember to bring a torch) you will end up at the Caldeirão Verde. This lake is placed in between tall rocky walls. It is fed by one of the tallest waterfalls we have seen, and its waters are crystal clear. The bravest will want to dive in and enjoy the freezing water, while others will just prefer to sit aside and relax in the calming jungle of Madeira.
This is the perfect spot for a portable lunch so be sure you bring some food with you!
P.S. Continuing along the path there is another lake, called Caldeirão do Inferno, which we couldn’t see since it was closed at that time. Check out if by any chance they reopened it when you go there! They say it is a hidden gem as well, surely worth a visit.
After you had enough of it, walk back on the same way and reach the car. It’s time to drive toward the mountians, but not before quickly seeing the capital city: Funchal
This city became famous over time for the wrong reasons and nowadays its attractions are mainly represented by massive hotels which cover 90% of its surface, but some little things are still worth to see.
Park your car at Almirante Reis Car Park. Walk few meters and reach the central area of the city. Take a walk through the streets, as well as along the coast and the port. Stop at one of the many bars around and get a glass of Poncha: a traditional alcholic drink from the island made out of fermented sugar cane.
Among the typical local foods, one that we want to suggest is the Bolo do Caco, and there is no better place to get it than at 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 3: 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 4: 25 Fontes and Fanal Forest
You might be tired from yesterday’s hike, but so many beautiful things are still yet to be visited!
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. Also here, 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. With a full stomach turn on the engine and drive 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.
There are multiple walks that go through the forest and none of them are difficult.
Go northward and walk down the beautiful Fanal Pond. This bowl-shaped depression in the ground gives an even more magical look to the sorroundings.
We liked so much this place that we decided to stay at the Fanal Forestry Station for the night. We placed our tent close to the hut and we had a warming barbecue enjoying the best food of our life under the rain, in the middle of the fog.
P.S. if you want to replicate the idea of the barbecue keep in mind that you will have to buy in advance the charcoal and the food because the closest shop is in Calheta (40 minutes away).
Day 5: Port Moniz and Seixal
Are you tired of jungles and hikes? Well, this day is what you need to recover all your energies.
Take the car and drive first to Porto Moniz. This beautiful coastal town is built over a rocky shore, and its most known attraction are the lava pools. Park your car in one of the many free spots and walk to Porto Moniz Natural Swimming Pools.
This beauty of these pools stand upon the fact that although they have the comfort of an artificial pool, like flat surfaces, calm waters, steps, and bridges, they are actually simply made enclosing a system of natural boulders.
The crystal clear water and the ocean view, together with the incredibly cheap ticket (1,50€ for students!) make it worth to visit.
But the real gem for us has been the other system of pools in Porto moniz: Piscinas Naturais do Aquário.
These pools here, which are 2 minutes away form the others, are totally free and give you an vene more authentic experience. The water will likely be warmer as well!
Anyway, this is not competition, so why not visiting both!
For lunch we wanted to try some loca food, so we ate at one of the restaurant on the bay. It is called Restaurante Mar à Vista and we happily recommend, even just for the seafood rice for 2 people!
But are 2 swimming pools enough? Absolutely not! After lunch get back to the car and drive to Seixal.
Skip the main swimming pool in the middle of the town, and drive instead to Estacionamento Piscinas do Seixal.
Walk down some meters and dive into this beautiful natural pool, carved below a rocky arch. The shallow water warms up easily, and the concrete balconies make you enjoy the prettiest view over the ocean.
When we went there there was also a little kiosk making cocktails and fresh Piña Colada. A bit pricy for us, but quite fun for who likes that mood.
For the night we slept at the Bishop Fountain, which was right on the way. If you go there, don’t get fooled by the gate! Park your car near the road and walk down for 5 minutes. You will arrive at the actual camping. We liked the barbecue at Fanal so much that we wanted to double it here. It was much easier this time thanks to the high abundance of dry logs and branches in the sorrounding forest.
Day 6: Whale watching and Levada Nova
Here it comes the last day. At this point you had a good representation of what this island can offer, but one last thing must still be done: 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 book for a time that suits your schedule!
If you are lucky you will get to chance to see dolphins and whales jumping around, sometimes even interacting with the boats. The guides can never assure the success of the tour, but they know what they are doing and the chances are really high.
After you come back to the dock, get some food and come back to the car, ready for the last attraction of the trip: Levada Nova.
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.
P.S. on the way to Levada Nova take just few minutes to drive to one of the most Instagrammed places in Madeira: Cascata dos Anjos. Don’t get fooled by Google Maps and drive first to Praia dos pescadores, then follow the road to reach the waterfall. Take some pictures and wash your car driving under the stream (be ready to get wet though!)
