Madeira levada walks in 2026booking, fees, closures and which route to pick

Rules read on 9 October 2026; trail statuses re-read on 11 October 2026. Trail status changes with weather and works. Check the official list on the morning you walk.

The short answer: in 2026 the classified walking routes in IFCN’s booking system cost €4.50 per person (the full PR1 €10.50) and must be booked in a time slot online, and children 12 and under walk free but still need a booking [1]. A handful of routes are closed or partly open [2]. The easiest classics are PR11 to the Balcões viewpoint (1.5 km each way) [5] and PR6.1 to the Risco waterfall (3 km each way on IFCN’s list) [2]. Most of the famous walks start high in the hills, where there’s no bus, so plan the transport before the walk.

How the 2026 system works

• Booking: everyone books online on the SIMplifica portal, including people who don’t pay. Entry is by time slot, with about 15 minutes’ tolerance. Same-day and next-day bookings work if places remain. IFCN offices take no bookings or payments [1].
• Fees: single trail €4.50; PR1 up to the Pedra Rija viewpoint €4.50; the full PR1 from Pico do Areeiro to Pico Ruivo €10.50 [1].
• Passes: 1 day €9.00, 3 days €22.50, 7 days €52.50, PR1 excluded. A pass is not open access: each trail still needs its own booking [1].
• Free, but book anyway: Madeira residents, children 12 and under, people with a disability of 60% or more plus one companion [1].
• Refunds: only if IFCN or the authorities close the trail. Bad weather, illness or a delayed flight don’t count. Ask within 10 working days [1].

Articles from 2025 mention a €3 fee. The current figure under the 2026 rules is €4.50 [1][3].

Closed and partly open (IFCN list of 2 October 2026)

• Closed: PR7 Levada do Moinho, PR20 Vereda do Jardim do Mar, PR27 Glaciar de Planalto, PR28 Levada da Rocha Vermelha [2].
• Open with a closed variant: PR1, on the western path through the tunnels; the eastern variant via Pico das Torres is closed [2].
• Partly open: PR1.3 Vereda da Encumeada (closed between Boca das Torrinhas and Encumeada); PR4 Levada do Barreiro; PR12 (only Boca da Corrida to km 3.5); PR17 (only Encumeada–Bica da Cana) [2].
• PR1: IFCN’s FAQ says it reopened in full on 1 May 2026, one way from Pedra Rija towards Pico Ruivo, with no transport back to Areeiro provided [1]. The status list, re-read on 11 October 2026, shows the through-route open via the western path (the eastern variant via Pico das Torres stays closed), two-way only between Pico do Areeiro and Pedra Rija [2]. Check IFCN’s current trail status on the day, not only whether SIMplifica takes a booking [2].
• PR8 works: from 30 September 2026, for at least 270 days, repairs on PR8 Ponta de São Lourenço bring small signposted diversions; the trail stays open [18].
• PR6 one-way rule: IFCN describes a one-way circuit, out along the levada to 25 Fontes and back by a separate bypass path [2]; Visit Madeira’s route page says the section “will operate in both directions” [9]. Check at the trailhead.

The routes compared

Route	One way	Time	Difficulty	Watch out for
PR11 Vereda dos Balcões	1.5 km	1 h 30 return	Easy	Almost flat; popular [5]
PR6.1 Levada do Risco	3 km (IFCN)	2 h return	Easy	2 km road from the car park first [6][14]
PR6.8 Levada do Paul II	1.2 km	30 min	Accessible route	Designed for people with reduced mobility [7]
PR9.1 Caldeirão Verde, accessible section	1.9 km	45 min	Accessible route	Parking €2 an hour at Queimadas [8]
PR6 Levada das 25 Fontes	4.3 km	3 h return	Moderate	One-way rule, busy [9]
PR8 Ponta de São Lourenço	4 km	2 h 30	Moderate	No shade, strong wind [10]
PR18 Levada do Rei	5.3 km	3 h 30 return	Moderate	Long but nearly level [11]
PR10 Levada do Furado	11 km	about 5 h	Moderate	Linear: arrange a pick-up [12]
PR9 Levada do Caldeirão Verde	8.7 km	6 h 30 return	Moderate	Four rock tunnels; torch [13][3]

Lengths, times and difficulty grades are Visit Madeira’s. For PR6.1 Levada do Risco we use IFCN’s 3 km each way (status list and trailhead panel), not Visit Madeira’s 1.5 km [2][6]. Visit Madeira prints PR8 as “4 km (4 km return)” [10]; IFCN’s list gives 4 km plus 4 km back, so 8 km in total [2].

Detailed pages: PR11 Balcões, PR6.1 Risco, PR8 São Lourenço.

Getting to the start

Pico do Areeiro has a dedicated Horários do Funchal bus: up from the cable car terminus in Funchal at 06:00 and 13:30, down from the summit at 12:15 and 19:00 (18:00 in winter time), €3 a trip paid on board, daily except 25 December [17]. Rabaçal (PR6 and PR6.1) and Queimadas have no regular bus. At Rabaçal, Calheta council runs a minibus down the 2 km road from the ER105 car park to the trailhead, €5 one way and €8 return (undated council page) [14]. Ribeiro Frio (PR10, PR11) and Caniçal (PR8) are easier: see Madeira without a car for the bus lines. Which walk fits a 5-, 7- or 10-day plan: Madeira itinerary.

Safety

• Don’t start in heavy rain, strong wind, hail or snow, and check the fire risk first [4][3].
• Children walk with an adult at all times; carry a torch for tunnels, waterproofs, water and a whistle; stay on the path [3].
• Emergency 112; Civil Protection +351 291 700 112 [3]. Health advice: Madeira’s SRS24 line, 800 24 24 20 (not the mainland SNS 24) [16]; hospitals and fees in healthcare in Portugal for travellers.
• Summer fire risk is real: in August 2024 a wildfire burned 5,116 hectares in 13 days [15].

Walking with children, route by route: Madeira with kids. The peaks (PR1, PR1.2), São Lourenço and Fanal as hikes, with weather warnings and trailhead transport: hiking in Madeira.

Sources

Numbered references match the source list on this page. All read on 9 October 2026.