The best things you should do in Madeira

Madeira, Madeira. The beautiful island of Portugal. Filled with stunning views, beautiful nature and kind people. It has recently become more popular on social media for it’s picture perfect views. So, of course I had to go for myself and it did not disappoint. There are so many things to do on the Island that it can be quite overwhelming. With so many tours, the opportunity to hire a car and the pressure to fit in everything in on your holiday, I am here to offer some advice. I went for just under a week. It may not sound like a long time, but my itinerary was packed everyday. In fact, the only free time I gave myself was for dinner and even that was a little rushed. I had a lot of early mornings as a few of the tours started quite early, but I enjoyed this. Of course, you do not have to do the same, but it I was there for an adventure, not to relax. With that being said, here are the best things you should do in Madeira.

Number 1 – North/West Road tour

It is highly recommended by myself and a lot of other travellers online, that you should visit the north/west side of the island. Here you will find the famous black sand beach and some natural pools. If you decide to hire a car then you can have a look at different places to go on this side of the island. However, if you are limited with time, then I would recommend finding a tour. I booked via get your guide, but there are other websites to do. A few different companies offer tours to this region, so have a check at what is included in the tours and read the reviews. Just a note, the tours do not stop off long due to trying to fit everything in. So, if you would like to lounge around, it is probably better to hire a car to get here.

Number 2 – Tropical gardens

The tropical gardens are located in Funchal. You can either get here via a Bolt or using the cable cars. The cable cars are a bit more expensive. You can spend hours here getting lost in the beautiful gardens. This is a great activity to do if you want more of a chilled day. I ended up going to the gardens around 2:30pm and left around 4:30pm-5pm. I was by myself so it was probably a bit of a faster walk-around compared to if I was with someone. Have a look on their website on what to expect (you won’t be disappointed).

Number 3 – Sunrise hike

If the weather is good, I would highly recommend going to Pico Do Arieiro to watch the sunrise. If you are big on social media, you may have seen it online. Unfortunately for me, I booked my tour in advance and as the weather is unpredictable, it was foggy when I went. However, I still highly recommend it if you are into hiking as this is where the famous ‘stairway to heaven’ is. You will need to check the weather app to see when it is due to rise. Make sure you read on where you can park as you can get fined if you part in the wrong place. Please remember to wrap up warm!!

Number 4 -Hikes

This brings us nicely onto the last recommendation..hikes. You can’t go to Madeira and not do a hike (well you can, but the scenery is amazing and a hike is something so amazing I recommend doing at least one). There are multiple hikes located on the island all with different abilities. For example, I did the PR9 hike, which was quite high up and steep as well as the PR3 hike which was not as hard, but still a bit challenging at times. There are a few walks you could do too. For example, i went on the Ribeiro Frio walk which was a flat surface so good for people who do not like hiking or cannot hike. You can check out this website https://visitmadeira.com/en/what-to-do/nature-seekers/activities/hiking/ for more information on the different hikes you can do.

These are all recommendations from a solo-traveller in her mid-twenties. There are so many other things you can also look to do, like dolphin watching, east tour, rum tasting etc, if you do not like the sound of my recommendations. Have a look at some tour companies online or speak to your hotel for some recommendations. Remember to stay safe and have fun 🙂