What to do in Madeira: 11 must-sees, from the levadas to Pico Ruivo

Madeira's capital rises like an amphitheatre above its bay on the south coast. The centre is best seen on foot: the cathedral (Sé), the Zona Velha and the painted doors of Rua de Santa Maria, the Lavradores market with its fruit and fish stalls, then the seafront down to the marina.

Above the city, the cable car climbs to Monte in about fifteen minutes; part of the way back down is done in the wicker sledges of the carreiros, a 19th-century tradition. Funchal is the most practical base for exploring the island.

Pico Ruivo (1,861 m) is Madeira's highest point; Pico do Arieiro (1,818 m), the island's third peak, has the advantage of being reachable by car from Funchal. The two are linked by the PR1, the Vereda do Areeiro, cut along the ridges with steps and tunnels, one of the most spectacular hikes on the island.

Since the August 2024 wildfire, the PR1 is only open as an out-and-back between Pico do Arieiro and the Pedra Rija viewpoint (€4.50); the Pedra Rija-Pico Ruivo section remains closed (IFCN, 14/09/2026). Pico Ruivo is reached by the PR1.2 from Achada do Teixeira, to the north (€4.50). The full PR1 will cost €10.50 once it reopens. In good weather, the peaks rise above a sea of clouds at sunrise.

Levadas are irrigation channels cut into the mountainsides to carry water from the wet northern slopes to the farmland in the south. Their maintenance paths now form a vast walking network, often almost level, through the Laurisilva, the laurel forest listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Routes range from easy strolls to airy paths along sheer drops. The classified trails (PR) have been paid since 2026 and are booked on SIMplifica; the tourist board publishes the list of open and closed routes.

West of Funchal, in the municipality of Câmara de Lobos, the Cabo Girão cliff drops about 580 m into the ocean. Since 2012 a glass-floored platform, the skywalk, lets you look straight down at the terraced plots at the foot of the cliff and the sea.

The visit takes half an hour and pairs well with Câmara de Lobos, the neighbouring fishing port, on the road to the west of the island.

The São Lourenço peninsula, at the island's eastern tip, is a complete change of scenery: ochre and red cliffs, low scrub, wind and sea views on both sides. The PR8 trail, the Vereda da Ponta de São Lourenço, starts from Baía d'Abra near Caniçal and leads to Casa do Sardinha, a shelter and information point.

On clear days you can see the Desertas islands to the south-east. The peninsula is a protected area, home to endemic plants and seabirds.

The Rabaçal valley, below the Paul da Serra plateau in the west, holds two of the island's best-known hikes. The PR6.1, the Levada do Risco, leads to the Risco waterfall, about a hundred metres high. The longer PR6 follows the levada to 25 Fontes, a pool fed by countless trickles of water.

Both trails run through the laurel forest and start from the same point, the Rabaçal forest house, below the car park on the plateau road.

The island's mild climate feeds several gardens in the hills above Funchal. The Madeira Botanical Garden, about 3 km from the centre, brings together endemic plants and tropical species, with a view down over the bay. In Monte, the Monte Palace Tropical Garden mixes lakes, azulejos and mineral collections; the Palheiro garden, east of the city, is known for its camellias.

These gardens fit into one day with the Monte cable car; a second cable car links Monte to the Botanical Garden.

At the island's north-western tip, Porto Moniz is known for its natural pools carved into the lava and refilled by the sea with every wave. The paid, equipped complex has changing rooms; other natural pools, free to access, lie right next to it.

The road there from São Vicente follows the north coast between cliffs and waterfalls, and pairs well with Seixal and its black-sand beach.

Curral das Freiras, the 'Valley of the Nuns', lies at the bottom of a deep valley in the heart of the island, ringed by peaks. According to tradition, its name comes from the nuns of the Santa Clara convent in Funchal, who are said to have taken refuge here in the 16th century to escape pirates.

The village is known for its chestnut specialities, cakes and liqueur, celebrated every year in November. Before driving down, stop at the Eira do Serrado viewpoint above the village for a view over the whole valley.

About forty kilometres north-east of Madeira, Porto Santo is the archipelago's other inhabited island. Its draw: a golden-sand beach about 9 km long on the south coast, with calmer water than Madeira.

It is reached by ferry from Funchal with Porto Santo Line (about 2 hrs 15 to 2 hrs 30) or by plane (around twenty minutes). A day return is possible by ferry, which leaves in the morning and returns in the evening depending on the season.

Madeira has almost no natural sandy beach. Praia Formosa, west of Funchal, is the capital's largest public beach, made of pebbles and black sand. In Calheta, on the south-west coast, a beach of imported golden sand is sheltered by a breakwater; Machico, in the east, also has a man-made beach of light sand.

To swim, many Madeirans mostly use the lidos built on the rocks, such as the Lido in Funchal. The real golden sand is on the neighbouring island of Porto Santo.