Ready-made trip plan
A short stay that still shows you the essence of the island. This plan crosses three different worlds: the ridge above the clouds, a levada in the laurel forest and cliffs over the ocean. Every day has a bad-weather alternative, and you can check live trail statuses right here.
Day 1
The most spectacular day of the stay. You start from the Pico do Areeiro car park and walk the ridge towards Pico Ruivo, between cliffs and a sea of clouds. Leave as early as you can: in season the car park fills before dawn, and mornings tend to have the best visibility.
The crossing costs €10.50 and requires a SIMplifica booking, and a one-way system applies beyond Pedra Rija. The ridge is far windier than the valley, so a windproof jacket earns its place even in summer.
Trails for this day
Closures are announced from one day to the next: check the trail status on its page in the morning.
Practical: About 40 minutes by car from Funchal. The summit car park takes cards only; there is a cheaper car park a little lower down.
Bad-weather alternative: If the summit sits in cloud: PR 11 Vereda dos Balcões from Ribeiro Frio, short and easy, with a viewpoint that still works in poorer visibility.
Day 2
The Rabaçal classic: the levada leads to a rock bowl where twenty-five springs surface. A one-way system is sometimes in force, and the return then follows a bypass variant. The shorter option from the same car park is PR 6.1 Levada do Risco.
Bring a head torch, because some variants pass through unlit tunnels. Stones near the water stay slippery long after rain.
Trails for this day
Closures are announced from one day to the next: check the trail status on its page in the morning.
Practical: Drive the ER 221 up to the Paul da Serra plateau; on the long descent brake with the engine in a low gear.
Bad-weather alternative: If rain floods the west: PR 9 Levada do Caldeirão Verde in the north, or the free Levada Nova in Ponta do Sol.
Day 3
A completely different Madeira: a treeless peninsula, red rock and ocean on both sides. The best pick when the mountains drown in cloud, because the eastern tip keeps its own, drier weather.
There is no shade and no water on the route, so go in the morning or late afternoon and carry more water than usual. In strong gusts the walk turns unpleasant; check the forecast before driving out.
Trails for this day
Closures are announced from one day to the next: check the trail status on its page in the morning.
Practical: The trailhead at Baía d'Abra beyond Caniçal sits minutes from the airport, which makes this a natural last day.
Bad-weather alternative: In a gale: PR 10 Levada do Furado from Ribeiro Frio, sheltered by forest.
An evening after a shorter trail or a morning before the flight has room for more than the schedule suggests. These ideas need no reshuffling of days.
Cruises from Funchal and Calheta run year round; dolphins almost always show up, whale species rotate with the season. Morning departures usually get calmer seas, and in strong wind operators cancel and refund.
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See offersThe Funchal to Monte cable car is a first-day classic, and the small cable car at Achadas da Cruz in the north-west, reputedly among Europe's steepest, drops to ocean-side fields cut off from the world.
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See offersCatamarans along the south coast, under the Cabo Girão cliff, some with an ocean swim stop. A good pick for a day off your feet; evening departures catch the sunset.
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See offersThis plan is indicative. Trail statuses, weather and cruise availability change from one day to the next: before each day, check the trail status in our catalogue and the forecast for the region. Fees and booking rules per SIMplifica.