Madeira in 3 Days for Cruise Passengers Who Extend Their Stay

A growing number of cruise passengers now book 2-3 extra nights in Funchal before or after their sailing. It makes sense: Madeira deserves more than a 6-hour port stop, flights from the UK and mainland Europe are cheap enough to justify the detour, and Funchal has a strong hotel market that welcomes cruisers.

This is the plan I build most often for clients who arrive on a Sunday cruise turnaround, spend Sunday-Tuesday on the island, then fly home. It's dense — three days is enough to see the highlights only if you cut ruthlessly and pick a driver instead of a hire car. Below: the exact schedule, why each stop is on it, and what to skip on a first trip.

Most cruise passengers land at Funchal (FNC) between 1pm and 5pm on a Sunday. The airport is 25 minutes from central Funchal on the VR1. Check in, drop bags, resist the temptation to do anything strenuous on day one.

Late afternoon: taxi or Uber up to Miradouro do Pico dos Barcelos (15 min from central Funchal). This is the classic amphitheatre view of Funchal wrapping around the bay — best photographed 45 minutes before sunset when the light is warm on the terracotta roofs. Bring a light jacket; it's 3-4 °C cooler up there.

Down for dinner in the Zona Velha (Old Town): O Tapassol for traditional Madeiran with a rooftop view, or Akua for modern seafood at the market. Afterwards, walk Rua de Santa Maria to see the painted-doors project (300+ artist-decorated doorways). Bed early — day 2 is long.

This is the big scenic day and the one every cruise passenger remembers. Leave Funchal at 8am — earlier if a driver is picking you up, so you're at the first stop before the buses. The route: Funchal → Ribeiro Frio → Santana → São Jorge → São Vicente → Seixal → Porto Moniz → Paúl da Serra → Encumeada → Funchal. Total driving time is 4-5 hours; total day 9-10 hours with stops.

Highlights along the way: Balcões viewpoint at Ribeiro Frio (20-min flat walk, huge view of the central mountains), the traditional A-frame thatched houses at Santana, the old cliff-cut coast road from São Jorge to Boaventura (drive it slowly), the waterfalls-onto-the-road stretch between São Vicente and Seixal, Seixal's natural pools and tiny black-sand beach, and Porto Moniz's volcanic lava pools (€1.50 entry, bring swimwear even if the sky looks grey — the sea colour is worth it).

Lunch stop: Casa de Palha in Seixal (octopus rice, terrace over the ocean) or Restaurante Orca in Porto Moniz (fresh fish above the pools). Return via the Paúl da Serra plateau road — dramatic, almost lunar terrain at 1,400 m, often above the clouds. Back in Funchal by 6-7pm.

The best last-day plan on the island. Pickup at 5am (May-October) or 6am (Nov-April) for a 45-minute drive to Pico do Areeiro (1,818 m). You arrive 30 minutes before sunrise for the 'sea of clouds' phenomenon — a thick low cloud layer between 800 and 1,500 m, with the peaks rising above it like islands. It's the single most photographed view in Madeira and, on the right morning, unforgettable.

If you're fit and have the day, walk part of the PR1 ridge towards Pico das Torres (1 hour out, 1 hour back, no need to commit to the full 7 km crossing). Otherwise, stay 45 minutes at the top and drive down to Funchal for breakfast at Villa Cipriani or coffee on the seafront.

Late morning to early afternoon: Funchal city — the Mercado dos Lavradores (fish market downstairs, avoid the tourist-price fruit upstairs), the cathedral, the seafront promenade, cable car up to Monte, tropical garden, wicker toboggan down. Late lunch on the harbour, then transfer to FNC (25 min) or to the cruise terminal (10 min from central Funchal) with time to spare.

The plan above assumes a Sunday arrival, but the schedule is essentially the same for any day of the week — Funchal doesn't have a strong weekly rhythm outside the Sunday farmer's market at Santo António da Serra (bonus stop on day 2 if you land on a Saturday and want to see it Sunday morning).

Watch out for Monday closures: Museu de Arte Sacra and some smaller galleries close, but everything on this itinerary — viewpoints, coastal drives, markets, restaurants — runs 7 days a week.

Don't rent a car for a 3-day trip and try to drive to Pico do Areeiro at 5am on your last morning. The road up is narrow, unlit, weaves through low cloud, and the last 6 km climbs 800 m of tight switchbacks. Even confident drivers arrive at the top stressed and miss the sunrise photographing their own breathing.

For a longer trip (5+ days) a hire car makes sense. For a 3-day cruise extension, a driver for two of the three days is the correct choice — and typically comes in cheaper than the total of car rental + fuel + parking + shore-excursion prices you'd otherwise pay.