PT · Madeira · 32.75°N 17.00°W

madeira

Levada paths through green hills, volcanic pools and fruit stalls in Funchal.

Best time
April–October gives the most walking days, with cloud and showers possible any time. Winter is mild in Funchal but wetter and windier up high; New Year brings a huge fireworks display over the bay.
How long
5–7 days
Getting there
Fly with one stop to Lisbon, usually via Dubai, Doha or Istanbul (about 17–19 hours all in), then about 1 hour 45 minutes on to Funchal. Madeira is 7 hours behind KL in summer and 8 in winter.
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PT · Madeiramadeira32.75°N 17.00°Wgowherelah.com
Dear group chat,Levada paths through green hills, volcanic pools and fruit stalls in Funchal.— gowherelahTo: whoever’s drivingMadeiraPT, Madeira
KLmadeira
≈ 12,446 km from KL, as the crow flies
<a href="http://maps.google.com?q=32.64785340548885,-16.90994381904602(Funchal ( Portugal ))&t=h">See where this picture was taken.</a> <a href="https://www.flickr.com/groups/geotagging

Photo: Vitor Oliveira from Torres Vedras, PORTUGAL · CC BY 2.0

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Photos: Wikimedia Commons, credited on each.

Madeira is a steep, green Atlantic island where levadas, old irrigation channels, carry water and walking paths along the mountainsides. Funchal is a comfortable base, but the island rewards a week of hills, coast and weather-watching.

Makan

  1. Bolo do cacoRound flatbread baked on a stone slab, served warm with garlic butter.Map ↗
  2. Espada com bananaBlack scabbardfish, a deep-sea fish, fried and served with banana.Map ↗
  3. LapasLimpets grilled in their shells with garlic and butter.Map ↗

Things to do

  1. Funchal old townPainted doors on Rua de Santa Maria, the Mercado dos Lavradores fruit market and the seafront.Map ↗
  2. Levada walksPaths beside water channels through laurel forest and along valley walls; Caldeirão Verde and 25 Fontes are favourites.Map ↗
  3. Pico do AreeiroA peak you can drive up, often above a sea of cloud at sunrise.Map ↗
  4. Ponta de São LourençoA bare, wind-blown peninsula at the eastern tip, with red and black sea cliffs.Map ↗
  5. Porto MonizNatural seawater pools in the black lava on the north coast.Map ↗

Good to know

  • Marked trails (the PR routes) now need a booking and a fee online, with a time slot, and rangers check.
  • Levada tunnels can be long and wet, so bring a torch, and skip the exposed paths if anyone hates heights.
  • Halal meat is hard to find outside Funchal, so fish like espada is the easy choice.

Last checked October 2026. Things change, so check opening times, fees and transport before you go.