The best activities in Madeira you have to experience!

If you have been online for the past several months, you may have seen some hype around a place called Madeira. As someone who constantly engaged with this magical place, I finally gave in and booked a trip here. I spent weeks researching what I should do here with many different opinions and ideas provided, I had to, of course, narrow it down. Not only was I travelling alone, I also do not drive. This limited what I could do, however, I was still able to fully enjoy myself. Here are the best activities in Maderia you have to experience if you are planning on going. Highlighted below are my favourite recommendations.

Watch the sunrise at Pico do Arieiro

Now this is probably the most popular thing to do in Madeira (based on Tiktok and Instagram). If you do not want to hike, you can just wake up early for the sunrise. You will be up in the clouds and will get a beautiful view. I do need to note, check the live cameras on the mountains because a sunrise is not guaranteed, as I unfortunately found out. If you do not drive, there is less flexibility on when you can see the sunset as you will likely have to pre-book transport. If you like, you can then venture out to do the Pico to Pico hike. This hike involves the stairway to heaven. As previously mentioned, the weather may not be great. I still decided to do some of the hike during bad weather, which was scary, but I fun story to tell.

PR9 Hike

This hike is not particularly difficult, it is just extremely high up with narrow paths. You will spend around 2-3 hours walking one way and get to see the beautiful mountains as you do. When you reach the end you can rest and see the waterfall. You will then spend a similar time walking back. Once you are back, sit down for a coffee and find the farm animals and cats close by 🙂

Visit the North/West side of the Island (Seixal beach, Natural Pools and Fanal Forest)

This was one of my favourite things to do. Most people stay in Funchal as it is the most populated area with more things to do, more restaurants and most tour companies operate here. However, if you are able, I would recommend visiting the West/North side of the Island, either as a day trip, or stay for a couple of days. You can visit the famous black sand beach (Seixal Beach) or the Natural Pools. There is also Fanal Forest, famous for the foggy effect up the mountains. If you do not drive (like me), you can book a tour that allows you to go to all of these places in one day. You will be limited to time as the tour guide needs to complete each stop in a certain amount of time. However, it is still a great way to see that side of the island. All of the activities mentioned here are definitely the best activities in Madeira that you have to experience (in my opinion), even if you do them as a day tour. Just make sure you check reviews online as each tour may offer something different.

Go to the Monte Tropical Gardens

The gardens are a great activity to do if you are looking to spend some time in Funchal. They offer a range of different art and sculptures to see, as well as a waterfall and some birds. You can get the cable cars up to the gardens. If you are are willing to spend more money, you can do the Toboggan down afterwards (cash only). This took me around 2-3 hours of my day as I went alone, but I had a lot of fun just wandering, taking in the beauty.

There are so many different things to do in Madeira. It is had to do everything at once and that it why I recommend either going for at least a week, or more if you can afford it. Make sure you also pack essentials. If you are looking to pre-book some tours and read reviews, look at Get your Guide or Trip Advisor.

Happy planning 🙂