Things to do in MadeiraFunchal, levadas, the peaks, the north coast and São Lourenço, with kids and in winter

Trail statuses read on 11 October 2026 from IFCN’s list, last updated on 2 October. They change with weather and works: check the official list on the morning you walk.

Short answer: Madeira has few sandy beaches; most of its days out are walks, viewpoints and sea pools. Base yourself in Funchal for the cable car, gardens and old town, then spend the other days on a levada, on the high peaks (Pico do Areeiro to Pico Ruivo), at the lava-rock pools of Porto Moniz, on the Cabo Girão skywalk, among the thatched houses of Santana and on the bare São Lourenço peninsula. Every walk on an official trail needs an online booking in 2026 [2]. Each section below links to the guide with the prices, hours and buses.

This page is research, not first-hand: it is built from dated official sources and from our own Madeira guides. Planning the days in order: Madeira itinerary.

Funchal

1. Two or three days in the capital. The cable car to Monte and the wicker toboggan down, the Monte Palace and Botanical gardens, the farmers’ market, the painted doors of the old town, a wine lodge and the seafront Lido pools. Prices, opening hours and what suits children are in things to do in Funchal. In December, add the lights and the fireworks: Christmas and New Year’s Eve in Madeira.

Levadas and the mountains

2. A levada walk. Madeira’s irrigation channels carry footpaths deep into the laurel forest. In 2026 every classified trail managed by the forestry institute IFCN must be booked in a time slot on the SIMplifica portal. The standard fee is €4.50 per trail (the full PR1 is €10.50); children 12 and under, Madeira residents and people with a disability of 60% or more walk free but still book [2]. The easy classics are PR11 to the Balcões viewpoint and PR6.1 to the Risco waterfall. PR6 to the 25 Fontes runs as a one-way circuit, out along the levada and back by a separate path [1]. Routes compared, safety and how to reach the trailheads: Madeira levada walks.

Closed or restricted on IFCN’s list (updated 2 October 2026): PR7 Levada do Moinho, PR20 Vereda do Jardim do Mar, PR27 and PR28 are closed; PR4 Levada do Barreiro, PR12 (only Boca da Corrida to km 3.5) and PR17 (only Encumeada to Bica da Cana) are partly open, and PR1.3 stays closed between Boca das Torrinhas and Encumeada [1].

3. Pico do Areeiro to Pico Ruivo (PR1). Pico do Areeiro (often spelt Arieiro) is a 1,818 m summit you can drive or ride a bus to, known for sunrise above the clouds [3]. From there PR1 crosses the ridge to Pico Ruivo, at 1,862 m the highest point of the archipelago [3][4]. Its status on 11 October 2026:

• Open on the western path (through the tunnels); the eastern variant via Pico das Torres is closed [1].
• Two-way only as far as the Pedra Rija viewpoint. From there to Pico Ruivo the trail is one-way, Areeiro to Ruivo, and IFCN provides no transport back to Areeiro, so plan to finish at Pico Ruivo and come down to Achada do Teixeira (PR1.2) or Ilha (PR1.1) with a pick-up arranged [2][1].
• Fees: €4.50 to Pedra Rija and back, €10.50 for the full route (which also covers PR1.1 and PR1.2); the day passes don’t include PR1 [2].
• Shortcut to Pico Ruivo: PR1.2 from Achada do Teixeira, 2.8 km each way [1], about 45 minutes up by Visit Madeira’s estimate [4].
• Bus to the top: a dedicated Horários do Funchal service leaves the cable car stop in Funchal at 06:00 and 13:30 and comes down at 12:15 and 19:00; from 25 October 2026 the last one leaves at 18:00. €3 a trip, paid on board, daily except 25 December [5].

Snow and weather warnings can close the summit road and the trails: see Madeira in winter. All the mountain and coastal hikes, with trailheads and safety: hiking in Madeira.

The north and west coasts

4. Porto Moniz natural pools. Lava-rock seawater pools on the north-west tip, open all year: 9:00–17:00 in winter and 9:00–19:00 in summer time. The council charges €3 for anyone over 3, with children 3 and under free and €1.50 with a student or over-65 card [9]. The aquarium, the science centre and two buses a day from Funchal are in our Porto Moniz natural pools guide; the town itself: Porto Moniz.

5. Seixal. A few kilometres east of Porto Moniz, Seixal has a black-sand beach beside the small harbour, under green cliffs, with showers, a bar and kayak hire [15]. Line 139 via São Vicente stops there on its way to Porto Moniz [16]. It pairs well with Porto Moniz on the same day. All beaches and their 2026 lifeguard seasons: best beaches in Madeira.

6. Santana’s thatched houses. The triangular wooden houses with steep thatched roofs and red, blue and white fronts are Santana’s emblem [12]. The council keeps a group of them, the Núcleo de Casas Típicas, next to the town hall, adapted as small shops for local products [13]. CAM buses from Funchal take 1 h to 1 h 50, nine a weekday, four on Saturdays and three on Sundays [14]. The Madeira Theme Park is in Santana too, and Ribeiro Frio for PR11 is on the same road.

7. Cabo Girão skywalk. West of Funchal in Câmara de Lobos, a viewpoint 580 m above the sea with a suspended glass platform [10]. Entry is €5 for visitors over 12, free for children 12 and under, bought through SIMplifica [10][11]; Visit Madeira lists it open daily 08:00–20:00 [10]. It makes a half day from Funchal: see things to do in Funchal.

The east: Ponta de São Lourenço

8. The São Lourenço walk (PR8). The island’s dry, treeless eastern tip, with wind and no shade [7]. IFCN lists the route as 4 km each way from Baía d’Abra to Cais do Sardinha and open [1]. Like every IFCN trail it needs a SIMplifica booking, and the standard fee of €4.50 applies in 2026 [2]. Works: from 30 September 2026, for at least 270 days, repair works bring small temporary diversions, signposted with arrows; the trail stays open [6]. CAM line 113 (new 702) runs to Caniçal and Baía d’Abra [8]. Start early in summer. Details: PR8 Ponta de São Lourenço.

On the water

9. Whales and dolphins. Visit Madeira describes watching as a year-round activity, with common, spotted and bottlenose dolphins, sperm, pilot and Bryde’s whales and loggerhead turtles among the species seen most often [17]. It is regulated: watching marine mammals, turtles and seabirds in Madeira’s waters falls under a 2013 regional law, and the forestry institute IFCN issues the operators’ authorisations and enforces the rules [18]. IFCN’s page on the rules has no list of authorised operators, so ask the company for its IFCN authorisation before you book. Family trips from Calheta and Funchal with children’s prices: Madeira with kids, and the Lobosonda page.

10. Porto Santo. Madeira’s second island has what the main island lacks: a long sandy beach, about 9 km of it [19]. Go for a day or stay a few nights: the ferry, its October 2026 gaps and the flight are in Madeira to Porto Santo; the island itself, its beach and its winter in Porto Santo.

With kids

Plan around pools rather than beaches and short levadas rather than the famous long ones. Children 12 and under walk the official trails free, but they still need a booking [2]. What works best, all with prices and ages in Madeira with kids:

• Pools: Funchal’s Lido complex and the Porto Moniz natural pools, where children 3 and under go free [9].
• Short walks: PR11 Balcões (1.5 km each way) and PR6.1 Risco (3 km each way on IFCN’s list) [1]; at Risco add the 2 km road from the car park, or the minibus (see the levadas guide). Skip PR1 and PR8 with small children.
• Funchal: the cable car to Monte, the gardens and the parks with playgrounds.
• Rainy days: the Madeira Aquarium and the science centre in Porto Moniz, the Madeira Story Centre in Funchal, the theme park in Santana.
• On the water: whale and dolphin trips, with age limits on the faster boats.

Which plan suits a family week: the kids’ version of the Madeira itinerary.

In winter

Winter in Funchal is mild: the average daily high from December to February is 19.9–21.0 °C in the 1991–2020 normal [20]. Month by month, with the north coast, the mountains and the sea: Madeira in winter.

What it changes on this list:

• Mountains: weather warnings can close every official trail at once, and snow closes the road to Pico do Areeiro on some days (dates and sources in the winter guide); the Areeiro bus switches to its winter timetable, last bus down at 18:00, from 25 October 2026 [5].
• Still open all year: the Porto Moniz pools (9:00–17:00 in winter) [9], the Cabo Girão viewpoint [10] and Funchal’s gardens and cable car.
• December and February: the Christmas lights, Market Night and the fireworks in Christmas and New Year’s Eve in Madeira; Carnival and the other festivals in the best time to visit Madeira.

Without a car

By bus from Funchal you can reach Santana and Ribeiro Frio [14], Caniçal for São Lourenço [8], Porto Moniz and Seixal [16], and Pico do Areeiro on its own service [5]. The Rabaçal trailheads (PR6, PR6.1) and Queimadas have no regular bus. Lines, the Aerobus, fares and passes: Madeira without a car. For the places without a bus, hire a car for a day or two, or book a tour with pick-up: Madeira car hire covers airport desks, deposits and parking at the sights.

Planning around it

• Days in order: Madeira itinerary: 5, 7 or 10 days, with or without a car.
• Where to stay: Funchal or the west as a base: where to stay in Madeira.
• Beaches: the few sandy ones, the lidos and the pools in best beaches in Madeira.
• When to go: the best time to visit Madeira.

Back to the Madeira destination guide.

Sources

Listed in the source list on this page and numbered in the order of the [n] references above. Official pages re-read on 11 October 2026; the rest are dated as read for our Madeira guides between 9 and 10 October 2026.