By Gemma Tedaldi | Published: 18th November 2024 | Updated: 18th November 2024
Madeira may be small but it is a mighty island that is well worth exploring to the max, and what better way than hopping on a few Madeira tours? During our week long visit to this wonderful island we ventured out from Funchal on a few tours so we could experience other parts of the island without having to worry about hiring a car and driving, and it was incredible! So here are the best Madeira tours and fantastic day trips from Funchal that we took.
📍 Pico do Arieriro to Pico Ruvio Sunrise Hike
📍 1/2 Day Nuns Valley, Monte & Sleigh Ride Tour
And if you are after a foodie walking tour around Funchal, (rather than a day trip from Funchal), then this is a fantastic 4 hour tour full of food, local history and a glass of Madeiran wine or two!
Planning Your Trip? Use our favourite travel resources below:
Accommodation: We recommend Booking.com
Rental Car: We recommend Rentalcars.com
Flights: We recommend Kiwi.com
Tours: We recommend Get Your Guide & Viator
Travel Insurance: World Nomads
Is a Madeira tour for you?
If you want a relaxing trip around Madeira, i.e. you don’t want the hassle of hiring a car and driving the let’s be honest, sometimes a little treacherous and windy roads, and you´d like to sample all the Madeiran wine you can, then a Madeira tour is for you. It also means you can really take in the sights as you travel from destination to destination, rather than having to miss out or pull in a stop points every five minutes, (which you will have to as the island is incredibly picturesque!).
Madeira Tours Map
Madeira Tours: 4 Of The Best Day Trips From Funchal
As a side note, all of these tours are with small mini buses, so have a maximum of 14 people, which is ideal for seeing the island without overwhelming the various destinations with buses or coaches. Plus with the groups being small, you get the chance to meet some lovely other like minded travellers too!
Madeira Tours 1: 1 Day East Coast Madeira Tour
This full day tour from Funchal, starts in the mountains before heading to the coast, all via beautiful Miradouro, a rum and sugar distillery and a stunning Levada walk.
We give this tour a full review over in our blog post The Best One Day Madeira East Tour.
📍 How long is this tour: 8 hours
📍 Tour start time: 8:30am
📍 Languages spoken: English, French, German, Portuguese & Spanish
📍 Pick up locations: Free pick up at hotels in Funchal
📍 What to bring on this Madeira tour: Water & lunch / snacks, if you chose not to have lunch in Santana.
📍 Maderia Tour Itinerary: This East Coast Madeira Tour heads to the following locations, (when we did this tour we also stopped at a few other beautiful viewpoints along this route as well):
Funchal > Pico Arieiro (one of the highest points of the island) > Levada walk at Ribeiro Frio > Santana (including lunch if chosen, which we would recommend so you can try some local dishes!) > Porto de Cruz North Mills Distillery & Sugar Mill > Ponta de São Lourenço & Miradouro da Ponta do Rosto (at the very east of the island) > Miradouro do Pico do Facho (viewpoint over the historic old capital and the airport) > Funchal
Book this tour through Get Your Guide here
Madeira Tours 2: 1 Day West Coast Madeira Tour
This 8 hour long day trip from Funchal, starts on the highest cliffs in Europe, before heading through the tropical landscapes across the island to the volcanic northern coastline, (which has a rather unique pool alongside the sea!).
We give this tour a full review over in our blog post The Best One Day Madeira West Tour.
📍 How long is this tour: 8 hours
📍 Tour start time: 8:30am
📍 Languages spoken: English, French, German, Portuguese & Spanish
📍 Pick up locations: Free pick up at hotels in Funchal
📍 What to bring on this Madeira tour: Water & lunch / snacks, if you chose not to have lunch in Porto Moniz.
📍 Maderia Tour Itinerary: This West Coast Madeira Tour heads to the following locations:
Funchal > Câmara de Lobos > Cabo Girão Skywalk (at 580m above sea level this really is a sky walk!) > Ribeira Brava > Serra D’Água (also known as Forest of Water) > Encumeada viewpoint and mini levada walk > Paul da Serra > São Vicente > Porto Moniz (with volcanic sea pools) > Funchal
It is worth knowing that the order of the stops can change depending on the weather / the tour group. We finished this tour in São Vicente after visiting Porto Moniz for lunch and a swim with the warmer weather.
Book this tour through Get Your Guide here
Madeira Tours 3: 1 Day Central Madeira Pico do Arieriro to Pico Ruvio Sunrise Hiking Tour
This day trip from Funchal is a bit different from the others as it is a self-guided sunrise hike from Pico do Arieiro to Pico Ruvio and then on to Achada do Teixeira, with pick and drop off in a transfer from your Funchal accommodation.
📍 How long is this tour: 8.5 hours
📍 Tour start time: 5:30am
📍 Languages spoken: English, Portuguese & Spanish
📍 Pick up locations: Free pick up at hotels in Funchal and Caniço only
📍 What to bring on this Madeira tour: Water and all food that you may need for the full day hike.
📍 Maderia Tour Itinerary: This Central Madeira Pico do Arieriro to Pico Ruvio Sunrise Hiking Tour heads to the following locations:
Funchal > 1.5 hour drive to Pico do Arieiro (1818 m) > hike to Achada do Teixeira (1600 m) > 1.5 hour drive to Funchal. Max elevation: 1862 m (Pico Ruivo)
Book this tour through Get Your Guide here
Madeira Tours 4: 1/2 Day Nuns Valley, Monte & Sleigh Ride Tour
This 4 hour long tour from Funchal, journeys out to Nuns Valley taking in some of the best viewpoints in the centre of the island and trying the regional chestnut cake and pastries, before arriving in Monte ready to explore the historic church and beautiful gardens, before a 2km toboggan ride down Livramento.
📍 How long is this tour: 4 hours
📍 Tour start time: 8:25am
📍 Languages spoken: Dutch, English, French, German, Portuguese & Spanish
📍 Pick up locations: Free pick up from hotels in Santa Cruz, Caniço, Funchal, Câmara and the Lobos center.
📍 What to bring on this Madeira tour: Water & snacks
📍 Maderia Tour Itinerary: This Nuns Valley, Monte & Sleigh Ride Tour heads to the following locations:
Funchal > Pico dos Barcelos > Eira do Serrado > Nuns Valley > Monte > Funchal
Book this tour through Get Your Guide here
Where to stay in Funchal
We would recommend staying in Turim Santa Maria in Funchal, as not only is it a wonderful hotel, with numerous accommodation options as well as a roof top pool and bar, but it is also close to lots of restaurants and bars in the surrounding area.
Madeira Tours: Best Day Trips From Funchal FAQs
When is the best time to visit Madeira?
Madeira has a year-round temperate climate so is therefore a year-round destination, where you don’t have to plan for cold weather, (apart from if you plan on visiting the mountain peaks at the centre of the island). That being said spring on the island is beautiful with flowers blooming everywhere. We visited Madeira in April, and it was the ideal mix of warm weather little to no rain and best of all, not many tourists!
How to get to Funchal
The best way to get to Madeira is by air, with an international airport connecting to numerous locations throughout Europe, including the Canary Islands and mainland Portugal. Just be warned, as this airport is often prone to being shut due to wind due to its location on the coast and small runway! You can also get to Madeira via ferry from the Algarve, although this is only at certain times of the year and if the weather is bad they have a tendency to be cancelled at short notice.
How many days in Madeira is enough?
We spent a week in Madeira, and it was a great amount of time to visit the island. We would say though that if you have more time to spend in Madeira then do it. We came away from 7 days in Madeira planning another trip back to hike more levadas!
How many days do you need in Funchal?
If you just want to see Funchal, and maybe venture up to the nearby Monte and Palace gardens, then 3 days will be plenty, so perfect for a long weekend trip. However if you want to go further afield and explore anywhere in the north, east or west, then 3 days will not be enough.
Is Funchal Portugal worth visiting?
Funchal is most definitely worth visiting. The city? Is beautiful to walk around with numerous parks and gardens that are often brimming with tropical plants and flowers, as well as a wonderful waterfront promenade to walk along and all the quaint streets and alleyways in between.
Is it easy to get around Madeira without a car?
You don’t need to hire a car on a trip to Madeira, we didn’t and possibly saw more of the island on the tours we did than we would have with a car! We also learnt a lot more about the island and had no worries about driving, finding parking or not being able to enjoy things like the local wine. There are so many great tour options, it makes it really easy to get around Maderia without a car.
Planning your own trip to Portugal? Be sure to download Wise by far the best currency conversion app around. We use it daily living on the border of two countries and it is a game changer when travelling!
Conclusion: Madeira Tours: 4 Of The Best Day Trips From Funchal
So, there you have our guide to Madeira tours and the best day trips from Funchal. There are numerous fantastic options allowing you to experience the islands incredible landscapes and attractions even if you haven’t hired a car!
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Here are a few other articles you may find useful for planning your trip:
Gemma Tedaldi
Gemma is the owner and author of The Travelling Tedaldi, a travel blog helping travellers to discover the best road trips and travel itineraries throughout the UK and Europe. When she isn’t writing about her favourite travel destinations, she can often be found out exploring local hikes or planning future trips.