Luxury hotels in Madeira

Madeira guide

Madeira: the levadas and the gardens of Funchal

Walks along old irrigation channels, Pico Ruivo above the clouds and Madeira wine.

Walking the levadas, the island's old irrigation channels that wind through the laurel forest, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is Madeira's most cited experience; Levada do Caldeirão Verde and the 25 Fontes are classics, and some popular trails now charge a small fee. Sunrise on Pico do Arieiro, with the walk to Pico Ruivo, is spectacular.

In Funchal, take the cable car to Monte, ride down in a wicker toboggan, visit the botanical and Monte Palace gardens and taste Madeira wine in the old lodges. The island is mild all year, and the New Year's fireworks are famous.

Pico do Arieiro to Pico Ruivo

Sunrise at Pico do Arieiro, at 1,818 metres, often above a sea of clouds, is one of the most cited experiences in Madeira, followed by the ridge trail PR1 to Pico Ruivo, the island's highest peak at 1,862 metres. The path includes tunnels and steep steps and takes about three hours each way.

Access to the most popular trails now requires a small fee and sometimes a reservation, and parts can close after storms, so we check the latest conditions. A driver can wait at the end to avoid the return walk.

Funchal: the Monte toboggans and Madeira wine

The cable car from Funchal to Monte, followed by the ride down in a wicker toboggan steered by two carreiros in white, is one of the most cited experiences in Madeira. At the top, the Monte Palace Tropical Garden has azulejos and exotic plants.

Back in town, a tasting in the historic lodges of Madeira wine, a fortified wine aged by heat that can last for centuries, is essential, along with the Mercado dos Lavradores, full of tropical fruit and flowers, and the old town's painted doors.