Monte Cable Car and Toboggan Ride
Ride the cable car from Funchal’s old town up to the hill village of Monte, then come back down the classic way: in a wicker toboggan steered by two men in straw hats.
Madeira (Portugal)
Madeira
Madeira is a steep green island of volcanic peaks, laurel forest and sea cliffs, set in the Atlantic far closer to Africa than to Lisbon, and it rewards travellers who come for more than the mild climate it is famous for.
Its capital, Funchal, climbs in an amphitheatre from the harbour, with an old town of painted doors and fish restaurants, a farmers’ market piled with tropical fruit and the historic wine lodges where Madeira wine still ages in warm lofts. A cable car lifts you from the seafront to the hill village of Monte, where a palace garden of cycads, koi ponds and tile panels waits at the top and wicker toboggans steered by men in straw hats rattle back down the hill. Beyond the city the island opens up: the levadas, centuries-old irrigation channels, become walking paths through ancient forest to waterfalls; the ridge trail between Pico do Arieiro and Pico Ruivo runs above the clouds; Cabo Girão drops some 580 metres to the sea beneath a glass platform; and on the north-west tip, the Atlantic fills black lava pools at Porto Moniz. This guide shows which trails need booking, which tours are worth paying for, how to get around a very vertical island and where to stay, from a clifftop grand hotel to a friendly rooftop-pool hotel in the centre of Funchal.
Don't miss
Monte Palace Tropical Garden
A steep, extravagant garden at the top of the Monte cable car, with centuries-old cycads, koi ponds, oriental gateways, swans and some of the finest tile panels on the island.
Pico do Arieiro to Pico Ruivo (PR1)
Madeira’s great ridge walk, from the island’s third-highest summit to its highest along a path of stairs, tunnels and knife-edge views, often far above a sea of cloud.
Levada das 25 Fontes (PR6)
The island’s favourite levada walk, following a water channel through ancient laurel forest to a green pool fed by dozens of falling springs, with a detour to the Risco waterfall.
Cabo Girão Skywalk
A glass-floored platform on the edge of one of Europe’s highest sea cliffs, some 580 metres above the Atlantic and the tiny farmed terraces at its foot.
Things to do in Madeira
Monte Palace Tropical Garden
A steep, extravagant garden at the top of the Monte cable car, with centuries-old cycads, koi ponds, oriental gateways, swans and some of the finest tile panels on the island.
Pico do Arieiro to Pico Ruivo (PR1)
Madeira’s great ridge walk, from the island’s third-highest summit to its highest along a path of stairs, tunnels and knife-edge views, often far above a sea of cloud.
Levada das 25 Fontes (PR6)
The island’s favourite levada walk, following a water channel through ancient laurel forest to a green pool fed by dozens of falling springs, with a detour to the Risco waterfall.
Cabo Girão Skywalk
A glass-floored platform on the edge of one of Europe’s highest sea cliffs, some 580 metres above the Atlantic and the tiny farmed terraces at its foot.
Madeira 4x4 Jeep Tours
Open-top 4x4 tours from Funchal that leave the main roads for forest tracks, mountain plateaus and the terraced villages of the south-west, with a guide who knows every bend.
Porto Moniz Natural Pools and Fanal Forest
Swim in black lava rock pools filled by Atlantic waves on Madeira’s north-west tip, after a 4x4 drive through the misty, ancient laurel trees of the Fanal forest.
Funchal Hop-on Hop-off Bus (3 in 1)
A 48-hour pass for three open-top bus routes covering Funchal’s sights, the fishing village of Câmara de Lobos and the Cabo Girão cliff, with an audio guide in ten languages.
3D Fun Art Museum Funchal
An optical-illusion museum in Funchal’s old town where you step into around forty painted scenes and become part of the picture, made for photos and rainy afternoons.
Blandy’s Wine Lodge
Funchal’s most famous wine lodge, in old Franciscan buildings in the city centre, where guided tours show how Madeira wine is aged in warm lofts and end with a tasting.
Where to stay
Hotels we would book ourselves, from splurges to good-value bases.
Quinta da Casa Branca
São Martinho (West Funchal)
A five-star garden hotel on a historic Funchal estate, with forty-three rooms that each have a private terrace, a pool beside a nineteenth-century villa and two restaurants among the palms.
Check rates →
$$$$Reid’s Palace, A Belmond Hotel
Hotel Zone (Estrada Monumental)
Madeira’s legendary grand hotel, opened in 1891 on a clifftop above the Atlantic, famous for afternoon tea on the terrace, subtropical gardens and a Michelin-starred restaurant.
Check rates →Allegro Madeira, Adults Only
Lido
A modern four-star adults-only hotel in Funchal’s Lido area, with sea-view balconies, an outdoor pool, a wellness centre and a rooftop bar with all-round views of the bay.
Check rates →
$$Pestana CR7 Funchal
Seafront and Marina
A playful lifestyle hotel on Funchal’s seafront, created with Cristiano Ronaldo in his home town, with a rooftop bar, an outdoor pool and free entry to the CR7 Museum.
Check rates →Hotel Madeira
City Centre (Sé)
A small, friendly three-star hotel in the heart of Funchal, a minute from the Municipal Garden, with a fifth-floor pool, a panoramic terrace bar and breakfast included.
Check rates →Madeira guides
First Time in Madeira: What to Book, How to Get Around & How Many Days
The practical primer for a first visit to Madeira and Funchal: which trails and tours to book ahead, how to get around a very steep island, how many days you need and where the headline sights fit.
Where to Stay in Madeira: Funchal Centre, the Lido or a Garden Quinta
How to choose your base in Madeira, from a clifftop grand hotel and a garden estate to an adults-only Lido hotel and good-value rooms in central Funchal, matched to the kind of trip you want.
