Madeira Travel guide

Food, Accommodations, Hiking + more!
And why I fell in love with Madeira!

If you have any questions about Madeira/traveling, just drop a comment below and I will do my best to answer!

I knew I would love the island of Madeira but I didn’t know I would be so IN LOVE! They have the most intense nature, the most beautiful weather, kind people, amazing food/produce and room to BREATHE! I cried several times when leaving and I already can’t wait to go back someday!

We stayed in the countryside/mountain side which was ideal for us! .. the awesome thing is that which ever way you sway, there is a spot for you! Loud and busy city, in the middle suburbs, beach side, mountains etc.

If you plan to stay put near the city, you might not need a vehicle! There is taxis (not sure on the pricing), there is buses and stores are walking distance in Funchal – you would be safe without a vehicle if you stayed directly in the city!

But if you are planning to stay outwards towards the mountains and more rural towns, get yourself a rental car! It was the best decision for us and we got to see EVERY side of the island with ease! Make sure (if you can) to get a manual/diesel – as the roads are windy and hilly!

Now.. onto the good stuff!

FOOD!

The Mercado dos Lavradores

This is a massive building in Funchal overflowing with local produce stalls.
Each stall has similar foods and we would just shop equally from each (although we had 1 guy who we loved and bought most of our goods from!). This is where the bulk of our shopping was done!
Be mindful that the stalls upstairs are OVER PRICED! These are the tourist spots and you can tell (they are set up beautifully and attractive and organized and they will follow you around asking you if you want to try this and that – downstairs in the middle/towards the entrance is where the real stuff is!) We accidentally paid $20+ for a fruit that was maybe $1-2 downstairs haha 😛 Rookie mistake!

Other Farmer’s Markets

Of course, there is several other farmer’s markets all around the island! You can usually ask a local or google search depending on where you are staying. There is even trucks that drive around the smaller/mountain towns that sell produce.
There is a few “stores” that are set up with local produce as well.

Pingo Doce

Pingo Doce is the grocery store chain on Madeira.
There is about 5-6 of them (I believe) all around the island!
This is where you can get your pre-packaged items (breads, milks, oats, rice, pasta, sauces, spices etc etc etc)

Pingo Doce

Pingo Doce is the grocery store chain on Madeira.
There is about 5-6 of them (I believe) all around the island!
This is where you can get your pre-packaged items (breads, milks, oats, rice, pasta, sauces, spices etc etc etc)

Coracao Vegano (Vegan Hearts)

An all vegan restaurant in Funchal serving a Japanese/Caribbean fusion!
Sounds wacky? It is! But in a good way. Jam packed with so many flavors.
Pay mind, this is not healthy food (lots of fried items/oils) but it is delicious and I 100% recommend having dinner or lunch there!

Restaurante O’ Forno

A veg friendly restaurant in Ponta Da Pargo (about 10 min from there we stayed on the island)
The people are amazing, the food is amazing, the prices are AMAZING! We ate here several times.
Several pasta dishes, a Morrocan rice dish, carrot coriander soup, delicious garlic bread and a BBQ stuffed potato are on the menu currently (all are amazing).
There is also a vegan dessert – a fruit crumble!

Accommodations!

AirBNB

This is what we used! We always love using airBNB as it tends to be a lot more cost effective and you get a lot more! (full kitchen/a real HOME!)
We stayed more towards the rural parts of Madeira (out of preference) .. farms, land, mountains and farther from the city!
Here is the linkto our first airBNB.
Here is the linkto our second airBNB (this one was my absolute favorite).
Below is both house tour vlogs from both airBNBs!!

HIKING!

Ponta de Sao Lorenco^

4.5 miles and took about 3 hours total.
Get there by sunrise or before (crowds begin around 930/10AM and you’ll want to be heading back by then.
Sunblock if it’s sunny, very windy // check weather for what to wear. I wore pants, tank and thermal. I was cold at the start, hot as the end!
Strenuous stairs / hills at certain points but not difficult if you are used to hiking!

Levada do Caldeiro Verde

7-8 miles if you start at hotel – 11 if you start where we started!
Took about 5-6 hours.
As always – get there early for no crowds!
Flat ground with minimal effort – just a long distance.
2 water falls! Second is amazing.
Walk along water system – so beautiful.

Levada do Moinho^

About 6 miles (I think) and took around 2/3 hours if I remember)
Took this after failed attempt at Ruvio (way too windy!)
Nice long walk – super easy! Another water system hike.
Beautiful views of a valley and a nice waterfall after the stairs.
Got busier while we headed back but not too busy!
I also took my dad on this one for a second time – he loved it!

Pico do Arieiro to Pico Ruivo^

About 7/8 miles and took us maybe 5-6 hours (again, I didn’t track well but you can find a lot of info on this hike/mileage and different routes to take online!)
We got there at sunrise and WOW – it is almost unreal!! Try to get there at sunrise 🙂
Make sure to check the weather/wind and temps .. it can be too difficult to do during extreme winds!
Tunnels, hills, cliff side – insane and amazing!
Steps .. steps .. steps .. up and up and up. So hard. Haha
You can also get a taxi back to Arieiro from Ruivo, cutting the hike in 1/2.. but we hiked back! And it was just as hard but so rewarding and beautiful and fun!

Levada das 25 Fontes Falls

We did this one with my dad later in the day and it was .. CROWDED (but still nice).
About 5-6 miles total and took us maybe 3 hours.
Beautiful falls, very popular tourist spot and a nice hike (harder than what we expected for my dad’s girlfriend but we made it!)
If you went to this one early, I bet it would be super peaceful! There was just a lot of folks here – which I don’t mind but I definitely prefer to be “alone” haha.

Levada Hikes

The Levadas are a water system that runs through out the ENTIRE island!
There are tons of Levada hikes (you will see marked signs all over!) and they are just amazing.
Most are super easy going and beautiful.. peak around your neighborhood for some random Levada trails!

Other random stuff 😛

Achadas da Cruz

A cable car ride down to a gorgeous coastline (and amazing surf!)
There is a walking path through the small town/homes at the bottom!
We did this several times for the surf and I really loved the vibe down there.
The cable car is crazy, too! Super steep and fun + a gorgeous view of the whole coast + the mountain!
There was puppies. (rescued by the cable car operator!) at the top and cats down in the town!
Cover photo on the blog is from Achadas!

Jardim Botanico da Madeira

Beautiful botanical garden full of all kinds of fun flowers, plants, landscaping and culture.
A cable car leads up and down to Funchal / the garden (we didn’t do this but it looked like fun!) .. you get a beautiful view of the entire city

Madeira Travel guide