Madeira itinerary 5 days: Funchal, Pico do Arieiro and Porto Moniz

Twenty minutes, free. After check in, start at the late fifteenth century cathedral in the centre: dark volcanic stone outside and, inside, look up at the island cedar ceiling carved in Mudéjar style.

One hour, free, 500 metres from the cathedral. The market closes at 7 pm Monday to Friday and at 2 pm on Saturday, and is shut on Sunday, which is why it goes on day one. The courtyard sells flowers and fruit found only here, such as banana passion fruit and custard apple; at the back, the fish hall sells black scabbardfish, all huge eyes and eel body, caught a thousand metres down.

Taste before you buy: some stalls overcharge tourists for cut fruit. Ask the price per kilo.

Two hours, with dinner. Walk east from the market and you are in the Zona Velha, the old fishermen’s quarter. Since 2010 the artE de portas abErtas project has turned the doors of Rua de Santa Maria into canvases: more than two hundred are painted, from fishing scenes to portraits.

This is also the street of pavement restaurants. The yellow São Tiago Fort sits at the end, and the cable car station you will use on day 4 is here too.

Five to six hours return, with a €10.50 paid booking on SIMplifica for the full route. It is a 40 minute drive from Funchal to the summit car park at 1,818 metres. Arrive before sunrise: the sea of clouds below the peaks is why this is the island’s most famous hike.

The PR1 runs 7 km of steps, tunnels and fenced ridge to Pico Ruivo, Madeira’s highest point at 1,862 metres. It reopened in April 2026 after 20 months closed by the 2024 wildfire and still has occasional closure days for works: check the portal before booking. Short on stamina, the partial booking (€4.50) covers the stretch to Pico do Gato.

One hour fifteen, 3 km return and almost no climbing, a 15 minute drive down to the north. The path starts at Ribeiro Frio, which has a trout farm and grilled trout restaurants for lunch, and ends on a balcony over the valley with the peaks you just crossed.

One hour, free, 20 minutes further north. The triangular thatched cottages were home to north coast farmers; the ones in the centre, beside the town hall, have been restored and some are craft shops. It is a quick photo stop that rounds off the day before the tunnel back to Funchal.

Three and a half hours, 9 km return, €4.50 booking. Leave Funchal at 8 am: it is an hour’s drive across the Paul da Serra plateau to Rabaçal, and by 10 am the car park is full. The path follows the levada, an irrigation channel, through the Laurisilva, the UNESCO listed laurel forest.

At the end, dozens of springs pour down a rock wall into a pool. Bring a jacket: Rabaçal sits at a thousand metres and is much colder than Funchal.

Forty five minutes, free, 20 minutes north of Rabaçal. The pasture of twisted, moss covered trees is the most photographed place in Madeira on a foggy day, and fog is the rule here after midday. Stay on the grass and keep out of the cattle enclosure.

Two hours, €1.50, open 9 am to 7 pm in summer and until 5 pm in winter. The road drops from Fanal to the island’s northwest tip, where lava formed pools that the sea refills with every wave. The paid complex has lifeguards and changing rooms; next to the fort there are free pools with sharp rock and no lifeguard.

The water stays between 18 and 23 °C all year. Have lunch right there at one of the fish restaurants on the seafront.

Half an hour, free, 10 km east along the north coast road. Seixal harbour beach has black volcanic sand with green cliffs behind. On the way out, stop at the Véu da Noiva lookout, the waterfall that drops straight into the sea. Drive back to Funchal through the São Vicente tunnel in 45 minutes.

Fifteen minutes, €14.50 one way. The station is in the Old Town by the Almirante Reis garden, and the cabin rises over the rooftops to 550 metres. Buy one way only: you come down by toboggan. Leave the car at the hotel until the afternoon.

Two hours, €18, under 14s free. The garden sits next to the cable car station and drops in terraces: koi ponds, tree ferns, rare cycads and a run of Portuguese tile panels spanning five centuries. Wear yesterday’s trainers: there are a lot of steps.

Ten minutes, €27.50 for one person or €35 for two, cash, Monday to Saturday. The sledges leave just below the Nossa Senhora do Monte church, steered by two drivers in white and straw boaters who brake with the soles of their boots. They run 2 km down to Livramento, where taxis wait to take you back to the centre.

An hour and a half, free, a 15 minute drive west of Funchal. The fishing village has colourful boats in the bay and, at its entrance, the viewpoint where Winston Churchill painted the scene in 1950. Walk down to the harbour and try poncha in one of the bars on Largo do Poço: sugarcane spirit, honey and lemon, whisked with a wooden stick.

Fifteen minutes, free, right on the harbour. Portuguese artist Bordalo II built the lobo marinho out of recycled rubbish: the monk seal that gave the village its name and still lives on the Desertas islands across the water.

One hour, €5 since 2026, a 10 minute drive west of Câmara de Lobos. The glass platform sits on one of Europe’s highest sea cliffs, and below you see the fajãs, plots farmed on the strip of land between cliff and sea. Go late in the afternoon, when the sun sets over the sea and the coach tours have left.

Three hours, 8 km return, €4.50 booking. It is a 40 minute drive from Funchal to the Baía d’Abra car park, past the airport. The peninsula is the opposite of the rest of the island: dry, treeless, red and ochre rock, with islets in the sea on both sides. Start early, as there is no shade, and carry water.

One hour fifteen, with lunch, on the way back. Portuguese navigators landed in Machico bay in 1419. The golden sand beach is in front of the town and the airport is 10 minutes away: return the car with two hours to spare before your flight.