I spent 8 nights in beautiful Madeira, three nights in Funchal before renting a car to see the rest of the island and staying in Ponta do Sol. I flew from Faro with a layover/connection in Lisbon before arriving in Funchal.

Funchal

Arriving in Funchal I took the airport shuttle downtown. I booked a roundtrip ticket to save a couple euro, 6.00€, one way, 10.00€ roundtrip. Unfortunately, three days later, wanting to return to the airport to pick up my car, I waited more than an hour and the shuttle never came. I shared a cab with 5 others who were also waiting for the shuttle.

I stayed in the very nice Sao Francisco Accommodation; comfortable rooms, a decent continental breakfast, helpful and friendly staff, and perfect location in Funchal. They had a bottle of Madeira wine and a small bolo chabom cake as welcome. It was just a block away from the lovely Jardim Municipal do Funchal. I spent a few hours the first evening at the park, having a couple Coral beers while listening to some very odd music at the amphitheater. I did not enjoy the music but the beer was good.

I spent the next morning wandering town, including a visit to the Se or Cathedral of Funchal, a beautiful gothic style church built in the 15th century when Madeira was first settled.

I walked through the Mercado dos Lavradores enjoying all the flowers, fruits and vegetables, and the fish market. The market is very touristy and I saw multiple sites that recommend not buying the fruit without checking prices first, but Christina, one of my tour guides, recommended just buying fruit from the second floor, geared for the locals. There are many vendors, with spices, bakery items and other products on the second floor. I continued my morning walk and visited Sao Tiago or the Yellow Fort.

When walking down Rua de Santa Maria, the street with all the artistic painted doors, I found the small Capela do Corpo Santo. It was built in the 15th century, one of the few buildings in town from that period, and dedicated to Saint Telmo, patron saint of fisherman.

In Funchal I booked three tours.

Tours

• My first afternoon in town I took a walking tour with Madeira Heritage. I met my guide, a German student on his gap year, at the Universidade da Madeira at noon and we spent two hours on a tour of the Old Town. I revisited a few things I had seen in the morning, the Cathedral, the market and Rua de Santa Maria. We learned about João Gonçalves Zarco when viewing his statue on Avenida Arriaga. He was a Portuguese explorer who established settlements on the islands, and was appointed First Captain of Funchal by Henry the Navigator. We visited many more sites, including the city hall, Praça De Colombo, and talked about the local sugar museum and sugar industry on the island. We visited Praça do Município and Igreja de São João Evangelista on the way back to the university. The church is amazing, larger and more ornate than the Cathedral.

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

• That afternoon I took a lodge tour with tastings at Blandy’s Wine Lodge. It was interesting learning about the development and history of Madeira’s fortified wine, the history of the Blandy family, and visiting the different aging rooms, the Vintage Room, the “cathedral of Blandy’s rarest and oldest Madeira wines”, and the small museum. We tried two different wines in the tasting room at the end of the tour. Only 15.00€.

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

• The next day I booked a great food and wine tour with Wine Tours Madeira. I booked through Guru Walks. 80.00€. We started fairly early, 1030, by the Estátua ao Infante Dom Henrique, or Prince Henry the Navigator. It included some history during the walking tour. I could have skipped this early part, the first hour or so, because of my Madeira Heritage tour the day before.

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  * We started with some wine at Blandy’s, the same wine I had on the Blandy’s Wine Tour.

  * Next was Uau Cacau. We had two chocolates, one with Brazilian cherry. Both very unusual and delicious. I returned the next day to buy a box with a variety of flavors, very hard to choose. They are all unique and delicious including mango, passion fruit, pistachio, English tomato, melon, and more.

  

  * We made a stop at Fabrica Santa Antonio for bolo de melo, the local Maderia cake, made with either sugar cane honey or molasses. We were given a small bag of their cookies to take-away; I put them in my purse and forgot about them. They ended up mostly crumbs that I threw away.

  * Our next stop was Latada do Doutor, a small restaurant not far from the Praca do Municipio. We had some great pork in garlic and wine, bolo de caco, the local flat bread made from sweet potatoes, and a Coral beer. The bread is available many places, often with bacon or sausage for a quick sandwich.

  * We stopped for some local poncha; Christina told us the locals would never buy bottled, it had to be freshly made with honey, lemon or lime juice, and rum. It was way too sweet. I wanted to try poncha, glad to have a taste but didn’t finish the small glass.

  * At O Calhau, we sat outside under their umbrellas and tried espada (black scabbardfish) with passion fruit and had some fresh cheese with avocado, walnut, and molasses. It was served with a great local dry white wine, Bar Busano.

  * We were served a selection of fruits from the Mercado dos Lavradores: English tomato, Passion fruit, an interesting passion fruit/banana, Brazilian cherry, loquat, papaya, a delicious custard apple, and some banana pieces. Delicious!

  * Our final stop was the Story Centre Restaurant. It offers a lovely view over the ocean just above the cable car station. We had some Brisa maracuja, fresh passion fruit juice with carbonated water, a fruity soft drink. Very good! Plus tuna, fried polenta, and more bolo de caco.

No dinner needed tonight, I was extremely full. I was glad to try all the special local food, including the scabbardfish, the fruit, the poncha. I learned more about the scabbardfish when looking up the correct spelling for “espada” and found that it can harbor a parasite and be quite toxic with heavy metals. Rather glad I didn’t know this in advance as I probably would have not ordered a full meal a few day later. But it was very good, and the WHO says the fish is safe in small quantities.

Museums

• Convento de Santa Clara. There are beautiful Gothic cloisters and chapels, which are decorated with gorgeous tiles or “azulejos”. The convent also contains the tomb of Madeira’s founder, João Gonçalves Zarco.
• Museu Quinta das Cruzes. A “quinta” is an estate. It was the original home of João Gonçalves Zarco, and contains a variety of art collections and furniture from other owners. €3.00
• Casa Museu Frederico de Freitas. My favorite of the three, and the one I found by accident just walking by to the other two. Also only €3.00, it includes a tour of the lawyer’s home, his amazing art collection, and beautiful gardens, plus an entire building for his tile collections. I really wanted photos in the tile rooms (three floors) but obeyed the “no photos” rule.

One morning in town, I walked all the way to the ruins of Sao Jose. Foolishly I mixed this up with Fortaleza de Sao Joao, clearly not paying attention when entering the name in Google maps. Sao Jose is not worth seeing, just a ruin of a wall, but Fort Sao Joao looks beautiful. However, I had great views of the waterfront and harbor and found the Beerhouse Madeira on the walk back. I sat on their patio and tried a couple different beers they brew. Both were very average beers but it’s a lovely place to enjoy the view.

The last morning in town I finally made it to the Funchal cable cars for a trip to Monte Palace Tropical Gardens. I purchased my ticket the afternoon before, after the food tour, so I could be at the door and go directly to the cars. 18,00€ for a round trip ticket. It was a beautiful ride up, I had great views and the first car to myself. I spent over two hours wandering the large gardens, full of art and statues, a section called ‘African Passion’ of Zimbabwean sculpture, many beautiful tile panels, Japanese Gardens with a koi pond, and much more.

Before returning to the lower city, I visited the Igreja do Monte with the tomb of Emperor Charles I of Austria. Exiled in 1918, he moved to Madeira. There is a statue of the Emperor, who was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 2004, in front of the church.

I also watched the toboggan rides from both the lower gardens and walked by them on the way to the church. They are at the base of the church steps. I truly wasn’t that interested anyway but then saw the prices! So definitely not.

 

I also stopped in Patio das Babosas for a Coral beer, with perfect views over the city, before taking the cable cars back down.

Restaurants

• Portaliano, recommended by Sonia at Sao Francisco. I had the risotto and it was excellent. Reservations recommended, I had a hard time getting a table just stopping by. Great staff.

  

• Golden Gate Grand Cafe picked up an excellent piece of cheesecake with passion fruit for “dinner” after the food tour. Paired with a glass of Madeira wine, it was perfect.

Porto do Sol and South Coast

I returned to the airport Saturday to pick up my car. After seeing the roads and the other drivers, I paid for full coverage and glad I did because someone dinted the car when I was parked at a hike. I recommend it.

Sunday morning I drove over to Mirodouro Cabo Girão. The cliffs are over 500 meters, some of the highest in the world. There is a skywalk and glass deck, tickets for access are €2.00. Stunning views, definitely recommend.

 

I went to Curral das Freitas, stopping to see the local church, Paróquia de Nossa Senhora do Livramento, and enjoyed walking around the lovely little town. I continued to Pico Grande, only hiking a couple kilometers before continuing to to Mirodouro Eira do Serrado. After the walk up to the viewpoint, there is a hotel, restaurant, and a cafe, with some great views, to enjoy a beer or ice cream.

Mirodouro Eira do Serrado

Back in Ponta do Sol, I went to find Cascata dos Anjos that I had read about. Not quite sure why this is recommended. Every single waterfall I saw on the island was more beautiful. This falls onto the road. Note that Google Maps takes you through the tunnel running parallel and tells you “you’ve arrived”. You haven’t.

Porto Moniz and West Coast

The Visit Madeira site has a page with all the hikes that makes it easy to plan your walks by location.

I started Monday at PR6 Levada das 25 Fontes. I arrived before 0900 so had easy parking. When I returned about noon, the lot was full and cars were parked up and down both sides of the road. Besides being blocked in with two rows of cars parked behind me (I had to go up over the edge of the road), the drive down was single lane because of all the other cars. Not fun getting around all the blind curves. Marked “easy to moderate”, but it’s a 2km walk down to the start of the hike from the parking lot that is quite steep.

After the hike I went to the Miradouro Garganta Funda, a gorgeous viewpoint on the west coast.

I went to Achadas da Cruz thinking I would take the cable cars down to the coast. After seeing how steep they were, I was relieved they were closed for maintenance, so had that for an “excuse”. I had lunch at Calhau Snack Bar, some excellent pork in a great sauce, enjoying the views.

I continued my drive to Porto Moniz. There are several areas where you can pull off the road to enjoy the views over the city. The town is lovely and I made a visit to the Piscinas Naturais Porto Moniz, only €3.00. The natural pools on Madeira were created due to the strong currents around much of the island. Formed with the natural volcanic rock, they provide a safe way to swim in the ocean.

 

Santana and North Coast

On Tuesday I started at Aguage Waterfall, a hidden waterfall behind some houses. I parked at the end of the narrow dead end road. I am not sure I would have found the start of the short hike if others hadn’t been returning from the waterfall. I headed back up the road, turned right between two homes and then saw the directional signs. It’s a nice walk down to the waterfall.

I drove over to Santana, to see the Casas Tipicas de Santana. These A-frame, thatched roof homes use to be “typical” all over the island. Now there are just a few here in Santana, used as a flower shop, coffee shop, and souvenir stand. I also visited Igreja Santana.

I drove over to Mirodouro da Rocha do Navio, another gorgeous viewpoint over the north coast. I had lunch at Restaurante Quinta do Furao that has the same views over the coast. I sat on their patio, despite it being rather windy and cool. I had a full meal of black scabbardfish, passion fruit sauce, banana, and grilled vegetables. Everything was excellent.

I hiked PR9 Caldeirao Verde that afternoon. The road back to the start of the hike is mostly single lane and there were many, many people leaving. Fortunately, there are a number of pullouts, but it would be better if everyone would slow down. Coming around curves with cars heading towards you is stressful. Like the others hikes, there are cars parked on the road when closer to the parking lot. Because it was around 1500, I found parking in the lot. Considered one of the most beautiful levada walks on the island, it’s 12km roundtrip. Lots of very narrow passages, forcing you to wait to go single file. On the way out, I had to stop for 100s of people; coming back around 1700, I had the trail mostly to myself. I took my headlamp to Madeira and needed it for this hike, there are 3 tunnels, all very muddy, one very low. Absolutely beautiful, though. The drive out to the main roads after 1900 was much easier also, I only passed two cars that were coming in.

I felt quite lazy Wednesday after my long hike the day before, so didn’t really do anything. And I regret wasting my time. There is so much more to see and do on Madeira.

I did go to Ponta do Sol Old Town to see the waterfront. I visited the pier and stone bridge, Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Luz, then walked up to see Capela de Sao Sebastiao, and the lovely views from Miradouro de Ponta do Sol, right behind the chapel.

I also decided to see the Banana Museum or BAM. I was bored but didn’t feel like a long hike because otherwise it wouldn’t have been on my must-do list; but I really liked the tour. Quite interesting, and I enjoyed the banana Weiss at their cafe after the tour. This is about halfway between Ponta do Sol and Ribeira Brava.

I continued to Ribeira Brava. I visited Capela de Nossa Senhora da Conceição, stopped to see Sao Bento Fort, and walked around town. That evening I went over to Ponta do Pargo to see the sunset at the lighthouse. Unfortunately, the weather was not cooperative but I did enjoy the beautiful drive.

Northeast Coast and the Peninsula

My final day, before my evening flight, it was time to do the most famous hike on the island. I did the PR1.2 Pico Ruivo, only about 7-8km and “moderate” compared to the strenuous 13km PR1. It starts at Achada do Teixeira. There is still quite a bit of climbing but very much worth it for the views. I started around 0930 after an hour and a half drive from Ponta do Sol. The parking lot had quite a few cars, taxis, some tourist vans, but I found parking easily. Supposedly the average time is about 2 hours, but I’m an ex-smoker, and it took me about 3. I know many hike this or PR1 for sunset or sunrise but even with a headlamp I think it would be difficult because the path and steps are very uneven. I had great views all the way up, with the beautiful clouds moving in and out. It was clear on top.

 

 

Coming down, I was surprised by the number of people just starting. A light rain came in as I was descending the hike but it cleared off by the time I reached Machico. I had an excellent lunch at MareAlta, sitting outside on the waterfront, then went back to PR8 Ponta de Sao Lourenco on the eastern peninsula.

I only had about an hour, as I had to return my car and go to the airport. I was kicking myself for not doing this, and visiting Machico Wednesday when I had more time. Maybe I’ll get to return to Madeira to finish up this hike. It is a beautiful area.

I know if I do return to Madeira, there will be plenty of new things to see and do.

Note: Many travel and tourist blogs stated that you can get anywhere on the island within 45-60 minutes. I did not find this accurate. All the roads, except the main road between the airport and Funchal, are narrow and winding, with hairpin turns, many areas are single lane. And with road work and extra traffic, all my trips took longer than estimated. Factor in more time to get around the island.

Restaurants

• MaréAlta – Peixe & Mariscos Machico
• Restaurant Quinte do Furao Santana
• Calhau Snack Bar Achadas Cruz

Recommendations

Hikes

• PR6 Levada das 25 Fontes
• PR9 Caldeirao Verde
• PR1.2 Pico Ruivo from Achada do Teixeira
• PR8 Ponta de Sao Lourenco, Machico

Viewpoints

• Mirodouro Cabo Girão
• Mirodouro Eira do Serrado
• Miradouro Garganta Funda
• Mirodouro da Rocha do Navio
• Miradouro de Ponta do Sol

 ** All photos property of Lisa, not to be copied or reproduced **