Top 10 places to visit in Madeira
Almost 6 months have passed since my visit to Madeira and I thought it's a good moment to make a summary of the most interesting and captivating places that Madeira can offer. Madeira is an archipelago on the outskirts of Portugal, an area with a subtropical climate. Here you can enjoy heat and wind in the same season and in different locations on the island.
To summarize, Madeira offers you sun, ocean, and mountain with all its variations. The island was formed by the accumulation of a volcanic ‘shield’. This volcano is currently known to be dormant.
In the 11 days that we've spent there, we managed to get an idea of the things that are really worth visiting, as well as the popular places and the more touristy ones rather than authentic. Their order in this article is not ordered by importance, beauty, or authenticity.
1. Puerto Moniz
We start with Puerto Moniz, a spectacular area in the NE of the island, where the main stars are the natural pools created by the water in the volcanic crust. In Puerto Moniz you can spend your time in "Porto Moniz Natural Swimming Pools". This area is a group of small natural pools formed by ocean waves and valued by the local government. The price of a ticket is quite low, making it quite a popular place for day trips.
A little further to the east there is another group of pools Miradouro de Porto Moniz, accompanied by Restaurante Cachalote, a restaurant that looks pretty nice but closes pretty quickly (19:00). Throughout our trip, I don't think we've seen a more spectacular sunset than the one from exactly this video. A bottle of wine and a small blanket can make spending the evening quite romantic.
In addition, we also enjoyed Miradouro Seixal. This area is less frequented by tourists. Probably it's one of the factors that made us spend here more than rather than in Natural Swimming Pools.
2. Sao Vicente
Very close to Puerto Moniz, a few kilometers from Seixal beach, you will find Sao Vicente. The place popular for the ground galleries that can be founded in this area. They were formed during the eruption of the volcano from Paul da Serra. Lava has created a series of tunnels over the ocean, and nowadays this tunnels can be visited today through organized trips.
Also here, you can't miss on top of the hills the Capelinha de Nossa Senhora de Fátima or Pico da Cova how is known as well. This is a chapel built in 1948 to celebrate the end of World War II. On the 4 sides of the chapel there is a clock that bizarrely shows different hours. From this place you have a spectacular 360 view over the entire town of Sao Vicente and its surroundings.
3. Fanal Forrest
Forrest Lantern is one of the most mystical places I've ever been. This area, part of the Laurisilva forest, is the largest and oldest laurel forest. Of all the 17 countries visited, this place is completely different. Fanal Forest is a treasure that has resisted for hundreds of thousands of years (it has survived even the Ice Age). When you enter this forest, you have the feeling that you have entered into the Chronicles of Narnia.
From Puerto Moniz to get here you have to travel by car almost 13km in a continuous ascent, and from Funchal about 50km. There is no right time to see the place. Its beauty is reflected in the age of the trees and their shapes. For photographers and videographers this place is a delight.
To see this place in all its splendor, however, your luck should colide with a cloudy weather. The chances are quite high, because this area is right in the middle of the forest at a fairly high altitude and the effect of the alpine sea in which the Fanal sinks is quite often.
The place is spectacular because almost all the trees have shapes that let your imagination fly. The fog that often surrounds the area, gives them this mystical look. Within the two visits that we've made here, we've managed to see and imagine the place from different angles, different scenarios and imagined all kind of things.
Since 1999 this place has become part of the list of UNESCO World Heritage and now it is one of the most important checklists in our "top 10 places to visit in Madeira" :).
4. Calheta
To the south, temperatures are starting to get friendlier. If you want a place to sit and enjoy the warm sunshine of Madeira, Praia da Calheta is definitely the perfect place. It's not a very wide beach, but rather a landscaped and rather narrow beach. The area is often frequented by locals.
In front of the beach lies the wall of the mountain. At the end of it, a few restaurants with a suuuuuper delicious food continue on the seafront. I don't think anyone going to Madeira should miss the tuna stake or the yummy butter and garlic bread.
Also in this area you can choose to make various sea trips. They are a pretty good alternative if you want to stay here, stay a little further away from the crowds of Funchal and at the same time be able to enjoy various trips over the sea (I recommend those where you can spot the dolphins and the whales in their natural environment).
5. Cascada dos Anjos
Less than 10 km from Calheta, in the area of Anjos (Ponta do Sol), there is a strange and unique waterfall. It is the only waterfall that flows directly on the road, and drained into the ocean. The water comes from a levada (irrigation canal predominantly found in Madeira for agricultural irrigation).
It is a great place for Instagram photos but also quite populated during the day by tourists who wants to take them :). You even have to drive through the waterfall, being the only road to Funchal if you choose that route. We choose to go at night and we were alone… fully enjoying the waterfall. It was only us and a few harmless little animals in a bush.
The cascading lighthouse bath that I had, was a memory that I won't forget too soon.
6. Funchal
Funchal is the capital of the Madeira archipelago. It is known for its port, for its combination of Gothic and Romanesq architecture, for its carved wooden ceilings and for the narrow streets where the slides were the means of transport to the port decades ago.
It is definitely the best place to stay for at least a few days and probably an ideal place to have as a starting point for 50% of the "top 10 places to visit in Madeira". Before deciding when to come to Funchal, you probably want to see if it matches with the Madeira carnival (February - March). The whole capital will shine in folk parades and festivals but also in road jams and high prices.
From a culinary point of view, the options in Madeira are quite varied. The restaurants around the harbor, including those on the alley Rua de Santa Maria will satisfy your taste buds. From the choices we have made, I would recommend:
- Restaurante Taberna Ruel for a lovely dinner;
- Rei da Poncha for the famous punch drink;
- Restaurante Casal da Penha for a dinner at a Michelin-starred restaurant in 2018.
Tripadvisor can also take you to many of the island’s authenticities such as: tastings of the famous Madeira wine, food trips, scuba diving and all sorts of other activities. I think a total of 5 days is more than enough for Funchal, considering that you can easily spend two days on ocean trips or experimenting with new things. If time allows, you can certainly extend your trip even further.
If you are planning an ocean trip in which you are looking to observe dolphins and whales in their natural habitat, I highly recommend VipDolphins Luxury Whale Watching. The guarantee of seeing a whale, however, depends on the season, luck and especially if there are transiting whales at that time. Many of them make a stop near the island, after which they continue their journey.
7. Pico do Ariene – Pico Ruivo
Another place that can energize all your senses, which will generate consistent amounts of adrenaline and endorphins is the hike route between Pico do Ariene and Pico Ruivo.
Pico do Ariene is a weather station quite frequented by tourists in the mornings, due to the captivating and spectacular landscape. From Funchal to get there to the sunrise, we had to wake up somewhere around 5AM. Unfortunately, a cloud blocked our view of the sunrise. I was left with the image of a strong wind, a morning wake-up call and half of a sun with his elbows on the horizont. Well, in the end it deserved it.
Immediately after the sun rises, you can follow the route in the image above and reach the Pico Ruivo (the highest peak in Madeira - 1,862m) after 3 hours of hiking. It took us about 6 hours to do the route in both directions, during which we've spent a considerable amount of time on photographies and making videos. I think that in total, the route has almost 17km and 1000m elevation.
The trail becomes spectacular when the alpine sea effect occurs. The stairs on the route go up and down quite often, not having many flat areas. The combination of stairs and alpine sea will give you the feeling of going over the clouds. Imagine how cool it looks when you are at an altitude and on the left and right side, a sea of milk floods everything.
The downside is that you can't always catch this view. Some peoples even came back 3 times to see this moment. Overall, I think it is one of the most important hiking trails in Madeira.
https://www.strava.com/activities/5434234718
https://www.strava.com/activities/5434249306
8. Sao Lourenço
Possible activities in Sao Lourenço is in the same range as those in Pico do Ariene. The difference between the two areas is dictated predominantly by landscape and climate.
Sao Lourenço is the tail of the island of Madeira and its easternmost point. The area is composed of a multitude of lava and limestone sediments that end the archipelago in the east with two mini islands: Cevada and Farol. The arid climate and the exposure of this area to the winds coming from the north sculpted it in an artistic way.
Seen from above in all its splendor, it is a similar frame from the National Geographic documentaries. Looking to the horizon, the island of Porto Santo and the nature reserve of the Desertas Islands will close the spectacular picture.
https://www.strava.com/activities/5452141541
9. Véu da Noiva
Next to the list of top 10 places to visit in Madeira I add the point where you can see the Véu da Noiva waterfall. It is located between Sexial and São Vicente and is one of the island’s iconic landscapes.
The high flow and the height from which this waterfall flows were used as elements by which this waterfall is visually associated with a bridal wave. Also from here, the bellview offers an impressive view of the Atlantic and over the walls of the northern coast of Madeira.
10. Cabo Girao
The last place I would recommend for "Top 10 Places to Visit in Madeira" is Cabo Girão. It is accessible by car on the main road, by Rancho cable car or by boat. Under this view, the pebble beach Praia da Fajã do Rancho is an ideal place to stay for a picnic. It is one of the less frequented beaches, without services and other facilities in its surrounding. If you are planning a picnic here, a stop at a market before is really recommended.
From here, you can enjoy a beautiful view of Cabo Girão Promenade and the surrounding fields.
In addition to these, there would be other attractions… but they are a bit more touristy and we did not give them too much importance during our trip here due to that.
- Casa tipicas de Santana
- Tobogans
- PR7 Museum (Cristiano Ronaldo Mouseum)
- Fruit market
Preview
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