A week is the sweet spot for Madeira. Three days only scratches the surface — you spend most of it driving — and ten days starts to feel slow unless you're a serious hiker. Seven days lets you see Funchal, the dramatic north coast, the sunny west, the high peaks and at least one proper levada, without rushing.
This itinerary is the one I most often build for British visitors who land at FNC on a Saturday afternoon and fly home the following Saturday morning. It's a road trip (the island is small — nowhere is more than 90 minutes from Funchal), but it's paced so you actually enjoy each stop instead of ticking boxes. Drive times below are real, door-to-door, on the VR1/VE1 expressways unless noted.
Day 1 — Arrive in Funchal, settle in, sunset at Pico dos Barcelos
Most UK flights land at Funchal (FNC) between 1pm and 5pm. Pick up the hire car (or arrange a private transfer — the airport road is fine but the descent into Funchal is steep and tight if you're not used to it), check into your hotel in Funchal or Caniço de Baixo, and don't try to do anything ambitious on day one.
Late afternoon, drive 15 minutes up to Miradouro do Pico dos Barcelos for the classic Funchal-amphitheatre sunset view — the whole city wraps around the bay below you. Dinner in the Old Town (Zona Velha): O Tapassol for traditional Madeiran with a view, or Akua for modern seafood. Walk the painted doors of Rua de Santa Maria afterwards.
Day 2 — Funchal proper: markets, gardens, cable car, Monte
Start at the Mercado dos Lavradores when it opens (8am) — earlier than the cruise crowds. Fruit tasting is a tourist trap on the upper floor; downstairs the fish market is the real thing. Then walk up to the cathedral (Sé) and along Avenida Arriaga for the jacaranda trees if you're visiting in May.
Mid-morning, take the cable car from Almirante Reis up to Monte (15 minutes, stunning ride over the valleys). At the top: the Monte Palace tropical gardens are world-class — budget two hours. Lunch at Alto Monte (terrace, great espetada).
The famous wicker toboggan ride from Monte down to Livramento is a 10-minute thrill — touristy, yes, but genuinely fun. Taxi back up to collect the car, or take the second cable car down to the Botanical Garden and walk from there. Evening: Funchal harbour, drink at Barreirinha Bar Café.
Day 3 — East: Ponta de São Lourenço, Caniçal, Machico
The east end of the island is volcanic, dry and looks nothing like the rest of Madeira — think Mars meets the Atlantic. Drive from Funchal to the Ponta de São Lourenço car park (35 minutes on the VR1). The PR8 trail to the tip is 8 km return, mostly flat, exposed (no shade, bring water and a hat) — allow 2.5 to 3 hours. The ridges over turquoise water are the most photographed view in Madeira.
Lunch in Caniçal — Amarras do Sal does excellent grilled limpets and tuna steak straight off the boats. Afternoon: Prainha (Madeira's only naturally black-sand beach, 10 minutes back west) for a swim, then Machico for the old town and the gold-sand beach (imported sand from Morocco, but it works). Back to Funchal for dinner — 30 minutes.
Day 4 — North coast loop: Santana, São Vicente, Seixal, Porto Moniz
This is the big scenic day and the one most visitors remember. Leave Funchal early (8am) and drive to Santana via Ribeiro Frio (45 minutes) — stop for the trout farm and the Balcões viewpoint (20-minute easy walk, huge view over the central mountains). Continue to Santana for the traditional A-frame thatched houses (palheiros) — quick photo stop.
Then the old north coast road from São Jorge to Boaventura and São Vicente (slow, 1h, but worth it for the cliffs). At São Vicente, take the ER101 west along the coast — this is the stretch with the waterfalls falling onto the road, the tunnels carved through cliffs, and Seixal's natural pools and tiny black-sand beach. Lunch at Casa de Palha in Seixal (octopus rice, eat it on the terrace over the ocean).
Continue to Porto Moniz for the natural volcanic pools — bring swimwear, €1.50 entry, the seawater pools are formed by lava and the surf crashes over the outer walls. Drive back to Funchal via Paul da Serra and Encumeada (1h, dramatic plateau road). Long day — 8 to 10 hours total — but unforgettable.
Day 5 — A levada walk (pick one to match your fitness)
Day five is a hiking day. Pick one based on what you have left in the tank:
- Easy: Levada do Caldeirão Verde from Queimadas (Santana) — 13 km, 4–5h, mostly flat through laurel forest with four tunnels (bring a torch) and a waterfall amphitheatre at the end.
- Moderate: 25 Fontes + Risco from Rabaçal (Paul da Serra) — 11 km, 4h, the most popular walk on the island, ends at a lagoon fed by 25 separate waterfalls. Get there before 9am or the car park is full.
- Hard: PR1 Pico do Areeiro to Pico Ruivo — 7 km one way, 4–5h, the high-mountain crossing above the clouds. Needs two cars (or a transfer) and good weather.
Day 6 — West coast and wine country: Câmara de Lobos, Cabo Girão, Ribeira Brava, Calheta
Lighter day after the hike. Drive west from Funchal — first stop Câmara de Lobos (15 minutes), Winston Churchill's favourite painting spot. Coffee on the harbour. Then Cabo Girão (20 minutes more) for the glass skywalk — 580m straight down to the ocean, one of Europe's highest sea cliffs.
Continue to Ribeira Brava (charming small town, great parish church) and on to Calheta for the man-made golden-sand beach and a long lunch at Vila do Peixe (grilled fish over charcoal, eat on the terrace facing the marina). Afternoon: a Madeira wine tasting at Henriques & Henriques in Câmara de Lobos on the way back (book ahead) — far better than the tourist tastings in central Funchal.
Day 7 — Slow morning, last swim, fly home
Most flights to the UK leave between 1pm and 6pm. Late breakfast at The Ritz on Avenida Arriaga, last walk along the Funchal seafront promenade, last swim at Doca do Cavacas (natural seawater pools, 10 minutes west of the centre — much quieter than Lido). Allow 40 minutes from central Funchal to the airport, including returning the hire car.
If your flight is in the evening and you still have energy, a final morning at Jardim do Mar (40 minutes west) for a quiet coffee on the sea wall is a beautiful way to close the trip.
Drive times you can trust
- Funchal → Airport (FNC): 25 minutes on the VR1.
- Funchal → Ponta de São Lourenço: 35 minutes.
- Funchal → Santana (via Ribeiro Frio): 45 minutes.
- Funchal → Porto Moniz (via north coast): 1h 30 each way.
- Funchal → Porto Moniz (via Paul da Serra, fast): 50 minutes.
- Funchal → Calheta: 45 minutes on the VR1.
- Funchal → Pico do Areeiro: 40 minutes — but watch for cloud.
When the weather goes sideways
Madeira has six microclimates and the forecast for Funchal tells you almost nothing about the north coast or the mountains. If the high peaks are in cloud, swap the PR1 for a low-altitude levada (Caldeirão Verde, 25 Fontes, Levada do Rei) which usually stays clear. If the north coast is wet, the south stays sunny — flip days 4 and 6.
Check ipma.pt the evening before each driving day and pick the side of the island that's forecast clearer. Locals do this every morning; visitors who don't end up doing scenic drives in fog.
Where to stay for a 7-day trip
Most British visitors base themselves in Funchal or Caniço de Baixo for the whole week and day-trip out — the island is small enough that this works perfectly. Funchal hotels with sea views: Belmond Reid's Palace (iconic), Savoy Palace (modern luxury), Quinta da Casa Branca (boutique, garden). For self-catering, the apartments around Lido and Praia Formosa give you a pool and supermarket walking distance.
Splitting between Funchal (4 nights) and Porto Moniz or Calheta (3 nights) is an alternative that saves the long drive on day 4, but you trade dinner choice for sunsets over the ocean — a fair swap if you've already been to Madeira before.
Seven days in Madeira lets you have a proper holiday and still see the headline sights — the north coast, a high-altitude hike, a levada, the volcanic pools, Funchal at its best. If you'd rather not drive (the mountain roads are spectacular but tiring), most of these days can be done as private tours with a local driver-guide so you can actually look out of the window. See our private Madeira tours or contact us to build a custom 7-day plan around your flight times, fitness and the weather forecast on your dates.
