🏖️ Relaxation5 days

Five days of Atlantic ease

Monte · sunny coast · north coast · Risco & Calheta · dolphins & Garajau

At a glance

The three-day programme, plus an easy levada to the Risco waterfall followed by an afternoon of paddle and beach in Calheta, and a final day at sea: dolphins from the marina, the Garajau reserve, Pináculo at nightfall.

Difficulty: Easy · one easy levada, one boat trip
Best season: 2026 bathing seasons: from mid-April (Porto Moniz) or early June to mid/late September depending on the beach, with lifeguards; water 18 °C to 24 °C. Off season, seawater pools and caution.

🎒 Packing list

Comfortable shoes
Light jacket for Monte
Swimsuit and towel (Lido, Formosa)
Water bottle and cap
Cash for the market and the sledges (tickets on site)

Day by day

Day 1 · Monte by cable car, sledges and a sunset poncha9

📍 Funchal → Monte → Lido → Praia Formosa → Zona Velha · ⏰ 08:00 · 🚗 ~30 min

08:45 → 09:15Visiton foot · 2 min · ~2 min
Cable car up to Monte
3,200 m of cable from Rua Dom Carlos I on the seafront up to Largo das Babosas: open from 8.45 am daily except Christmas (€22 return, €16 single, free under 6). Going up early leaves the whole morning for Monte.
📍 Teleférico do Funchal (Funchal – Monte)
💡 Insider tip — Maintenance closures are announced on the operator's site (with a shuttle).
09:20 → 09:45Visiton foot · 15 min · ~15 min
Monte church, tomb of Emperor Charles I
At the top of its staircase, the 18th-century sanctuary where Charles I, Emperor of Austria, who died in exile at Monte in 1922, still rests; azulejos and paintings by Nicolau Ferreira. Steps from the cable-car station and the sledge start.
📍 Igreja de Nossa Senhora do Monte
💡 Insider tip — Feast of Nossa Senhora do Monte: novenas from 5 August, main feast on 14–15 August.
09:45 → 11:15Visiton foot · 10 min · ~10 min
Monte Palace tropical garden
70,000 m² and some 100,000 plants, centuries-old cycads, azulejos from the 15th to the 20th century, Buddhist sculptures and the Berardo museum (minerals, African sculpture); open 9–7 daily except Christmas, right next to the cable-car station.
📍 Monte Palace Madeira (jardin tropical et musée)
💡 Insider tip — Paid entry (fare on the operator's site).
11:30 → 11:45Visiton foot · 5 min · ~5 min
Wicker-sledge ride down
Two kilometres and about ten minutes from Monte to Livramento, pushed and braked by two carreiros in white: Mon–Sat 9–6, closed Sundays and holidays, tickets on site (€30 for 1, €40 for 2, €60 for 3) — late morning, after the church and garden.
📍 Carreiros do Monte (luges d'osier)
💡 Insider tip — No three-person sledge in rain or on wet ground; early closing possible when very busy. On Sundays, take the cable car back down.
12:30 → 13:30Mealby taxi · 10 min · ~10 min
Lunch around the market: prego no bolo do caco
The lanes around Largo dos Lavradores serve the island's quick classics: the prego (steak) in a garlic-butter bolo do caco, black-scabbard fillet, milho frito — a short lunch before the afternoon museums.
📍 Mercado dos Lavradores
14:00 → 15:15Visiton foot · 5 min · ~5 min
Adegas de São Francisco: Madeira wine
The island's oldest lodges (17th–18th centuries) tell the wine's journey from vine to ageing, and explain the Sercial, Verdelho, Boal and Malvasia grapes. Open Mon–Fri 10–6.30 pm, Sat 10–6, Sun 10–1 and 2–6.
📍 Adegas de São Francisco – museu do vinho Madeira (Blandy's Wine Lodge)
💡 Insider tip — Closed at Easter
16:00 → 17:45Breakby car · 10 min · ~10 min
Swim at the Lido
Funchal's almost century-old bathing complex: two seawater pools, ocean access, supervised bathing, accessible to all. Open all year; 1 June – 30 September 8.30 am – 8 pm — the late-afternoon swim, outside the strong-sun hours.
📍 Complexo Balnear do Lido
💡 Insider tip — 2026 bathing season: 1 June – 15 September. Blue Flag. Fees on frentemarfunchal.pt.
18:00 → 19:15Breakon foot · 10 min · ~10 min
Praia Formosa, poncha at sunset
The island's largest public beach, over 2 km of pebbles and black sand ten minutes from the centre: beach bars for a beer or a poncha at sunset, promenade towards Câmara de Lobos. Supervised 1 June – 15 September, Blue Flag.
📍 Praia Formosa
20:00Mealby car · 10 min · ~10 min
Dinner in the Zona Velha: espetada or espada
In the evening Rua de Santa Maria becomes the liveliest quarter in town: tables outside, bay-laurel beef espetada, black-scabbard fillet with banana, bolo do caco, and a poncha to finish.
📍 Zona Velha (Rua de Santa Maria)

💡 Take the first cable car (8.45): church, Monte Palace and sledges before noon, when the carreiros still have no queue; on Sundays the sledges do not run — ride the cabin back down.

🌧️ Rainy-day alternative — Madeira Story Centre (daily 10–6), Adegas de São Francisco, Museum of Sacred Art or Quinta das Cruzes (closed Sundays and Mondays); the Lido stays open all year.

🎒 What to bring — Comfortable shoes for the cobbles, cap, water bottle, swimsuit and towel for the Lido, a light jacket for Monte (500 m higher and cooler).

Funchal cable car: 8.45 am – 5.45 pm daily except Christmas, €22 return, €16 single. Monte sledges: Monday–Saturday 9 am – 6 pm, closed Sundays and holidays, tickets on site, no three-person sledge in wet weather.
Sun: the National Maritime Authority advises avoiding the sun between 11 am and 4 pm and drinking regularly — hence beach time early and late in the day.
Swimming: lifeguards only during the bathing season set by a regional order of 2026; follow the flags — red = no swimming — and never go into the water to rescue someone: call 112.
Regional museums (Direção Regional da Cultura): most close on Sundays, Mondays and public holidays; the Mercado dos Lavradores closes on Sundays and at 2 pm on Saturdays.

Day 2 · Cabo Girão, Fajã dos Padres and the Ponta do Sol sun6

📍 Câmara de Lobos → Cabo Girão → Fajã dos Padres → Ponta do Sol · ⏰ 07:45 · 🚗 ~55 min

08:45 → 09:30Visitby car · 15 min · ~15 min
Câmara de Lobos bay, Churchill's easel
The fishing bay Churchill painted in January 1950 from the Espírito Santo viewpoint: colourful "xavelha" boats, the 15th-century Nossa Senhora da Conceição chapel, lanes of bars — the first stop on the west coast, a quarter of an hour from Funchal.
📍 Câmara de Lobos (baía)
09:45 → 10:30Photoby car · 10 min · ~10 min
Cabo Girão skywalk
A sheer 580 m, Europe's highest promontory and its glass platform over the cultivated fajãs; 2026 access: €5 per visitor over 12 via SIMplifica, free for children up to 12 and residents. Early morning, before the coaches.
📍 Miradouro do Cabo Girão (Skywalk)
💡 Insider tip — Nossa Senhora de Fátima chapel (1951) nearby; paragliding site.
11:00 → 15:00Breakby car · 10 min · ~10 min
Fajã dos Padres, the Eden below the cliff
A cable car drops down the 250 m cliff to a strip of mango, banana and avocado trees, a pebble beach and a sea so clear you see the bottom, above 24 °C in summer. The couple's lazy afternoon, after neighbouring Cabo Girão.
📍 Fajã dos Padres
💡 Insider tip — lifeguards not guaranteed: take care.
15:45 → 16:30Visitby car · 20 min · ~20 min
John dos Passos cultural centre
In the centre of Ponta do Sol, the 19th-century house of the American writer's family, whose grandfather was born in the municipality: permanent room, exhibitions, library.
📍 Centro Cultural John dos Passos (Ponta do Sol)
17:00 → 19:00Breakon foot · 1 min · ~1 min
Ponta do Sol, sunset over the cove
The 160 m pebble cove of the island's sunniest little town: in the evening the sunset reflects on the sea — the best moment. Supervised 10 June – 14 September; summer library on the beach.
📍 Praia da Ponta do Sol
19:15Mealon foot · 1 min · ~1 min
Dinner in Ponta do Sol
The municipality with the most hours of sunshine on the island, bananas and sugar cane: dinner on the seafront after sunset, half an hour from Funchal.
📍 Ponta do Sol

💡 Book Cabo Girão (€5) on SIMplifica the day before and arrive at opening, before the coaches; at Fajã dos Padres lifeguards are not guaranteed — stay near the pier.

🌧️ Rainy-day alternative — Rough sea or red flag: Whale Museum (Tue–Sun 10–6), Madeira Story Centre, seawater pools of the bathing complexes, Aquário da Madeira in Porto Moniz.

🎒 What to bring — Closed shoes, swimsuit and towel, hat, sunscreen, water, a jacket for Paul da Serra (1,500 m, fog and wind possible).

2026 fees at regional sites: Cabo Girão €5 and Ponta de São Lourenço €4.50 (over 12, via SIMplifica), Ribeiro Frio trout farm €3, Botanical Garden paid for visitors — free for residents of the Region.
Sun: the National Maritime Authority advises avoiding the sun between 11 am and 4 pm and drinking regularly — hence beach time early and late in the day.
Swimming: lifeguards only during the bathing season set by a regional order of 2026; follow the flags — red = no swimming — and never go into the water to rescue someone: call 112.
Narrow, winding mountain roads, tunnels and fog: journey minutes are estimates without traffic or photo stops — allow extra time.

Day 3 · Caves, waterfall and lava pools7

📍 São Vicente → Seixal → Porto Moniz → Calheta · ⏰ 08:00 · 🚗 ~1 h 47

09:45 → 11:15Visitby car · 40 min · ~40 min
São Vicente caves
700 m of lava tubes formed 890,000 years ago, among the first volcanic caves opened to the public in Portugal (1996), with the Volcanism Centre: the visit under cover whatever the north-coast weather. Paid entry (fee and hours not found on an official source).
📍 Grutas e Centro do Vulcanismo de São Vicente
11:45 → 13:00Mealby car · 2 min · ~2 min
Lunch in São Vicente
Between the caves and the road to Seixal, lunch in the town of São Vicente: picado to share, bolo do caco, wine from the valley's vines.
📍 São Vicente
13:15 → 13:30Photoby car · 10 min · ~10 min
Véu da Noiva waterfall
On the old road between São Vicente and Seixal, the "bride's veil" falls to the sea: a roadside stop, free, one of the most shared spots on the north coast.
📍 Miradouro do Véu da Noiva
13:45 → 15:15Breakby car · 5 min · ~5 min
Seixal's black-sand beach
The north coast's postcard, formed naturally beside the harbour of refuge: showers, a bar, kayak hire, bodyboarding and stand-up paddling all year. Supervised 1 June – 30 September; in heavy swell, obey the flags.
📍 Praia do Porto de Abrigo do Seixal
15:45 → 18:00Breakby car · 15 min · ~15 min
Porto Moniz natural pools
3,800 m² of lava pools constantly refreshed by the sea, water at 20–21 °C: open all year (summer 9–7, winter 9–5), €3 (residents €0.50), supervised season 15 April – 15 October, Blue Flag — in the afternoon, when water and air are warmest.
📍 Piscinas Naturais do Porto Moniz
💡 Insider tip — The Cachalote pools (Aquário) next door are free.
18:15 → 18:30Photoby car · 5 min · ~5 min
Santinha viewpoint
The viewpoint above Porto Moniz, its pools and the Ilhéu Mole Natural Monument: the photo stop as you arrive on the road from Seixal. Free.
📍 Miradouro da Santinha
19:45Mealby car · 30 min · ~30 min
Dinner in Calheta, late sunsets
The municipality with the island's latest sunsets and lowest rainfall: dinner near the marina, espetada or fish, after the beach.
📍 Calheta

💡 The Porto Moniz pools are warmest in the afternoon and open until 7 pm in summer; drive back over Paul da Serra to Calheta for dinner, with possible fog on the plateau.

🌧️ Rainy-day alternative — Rough sea or red flag: Whale Museum (Tue–Sun 10–6), Madeira Story Centre, seawater pools of the bathing complexes, Aquário da Madeira in Porto Moniz.

🎒 What to bring — Closed shoes, swimsuit and towel, hat, sunscreen, water, a jacket for Paul da Serra (1,500 m, fog and wind possible).

North coast: lively sea, swell, and water access often limited by sea conditions — the natural pools (Porto Moniz, Seixal) are the safe option.
Swimming: lifeguards only during the bathing season set by a regional order of 2026; follow the flags — red = no swimming — and never go into the water to rescue someone: call 112.
Sun: the National Maritime Authority advises avoiding the sun between 11 am and 4 pm and drinking regularly — hence beach time early and late in the day.
Narrow, winding mountain roads, tunnels and fog: journey minutes are estimates without traffic or photo stops — allow extra time.
On Paul da Serra and in the Maciço Montanhoso, fog, wind and cold are possible in any season; the peaks often rise above a sea of clouds: dress warmly and start early.

Day 4 · Risco levada then paddle at Calheta6

📍 Paul da Serra → Rabaçal → Calheta · ⏰ 07:30 · 🚗 ~1 h 05

09:15 → 11:15Visitby car · 50 min · ~50 min
PR 6.1 Levada do Risco, the waterfall
The little sister of the 25 Fontes, graded easy and recommended for families: 3 km to the Risco waterfall and back, about 2 hours, same start at the Rabaçal car park. SIMplifica booking €4.50.
11:15 → 12:00Mealon foot
Picnic at Rabaçal
On the Pico da Urze balcony over the island's largest Laurisilva valley: no restaurant in this rest-and-quiet area, so a packed picnic with bolo do caco and market fruit.
📍 Rabaçal
13:30 → 15:00Visitby car · 15 min · ~15 min
Stand-up paddle at Calheta
The beach sheltered by its breakwaters is one of the easiest stretches of water to learn SUP, a sport quickly mastered at any age; schools on site. In the morning, before the wind.
📍 Praia da Calheta (areia)
15:15 → 16:15Visiton foot · 2 min · ~2 min
Engenho da Calheta, cane honey and rum
One of the island's oldest sugar mills, still working: cane turned into honey and aguardente, 19th–20th-century machinery. Mon–Fri 8–7, weekends 10–7 — the visit that breaks up the beach afternoon.
📍 Engenho da Calheta (moulin à canne et musée)
16:30 → 18:15Breakon foot · 1 min · ~1 min
Calheta sandy beach
100 m of imported golden sand (2004) sheltered by two breakwaters, warm calm water, canoeing and windsurfing. Blue Flag, supervised 29 June – 30 September — the late-afternoon swim after Rabaçal.
📍 Praia da Calheta (areia)
19:00Mealon foot · 1 min · ~1 min
Dinner in Calheta, late sunsets
The municipality with the island's latest sunsets and lowest rainfall: dinner near the marina, espetada or fish, after the beach.
📍 Calheta

💡 PR 6.1 (3 km, easy) gives you the waterfall without the 25 Fontes crowds; picnic on the Rabaçal balcony, then the island's driest coast for the afternoon.

🌧️ Rainy-day alternative — Rough sea or red flag: Whale Museum (Tue–Sun 10–6), Madeira Story Centre, seawater pools of the bathing complexes, Aquário da Madeira in Porto Moniz.

🎒 What to bring — Closed shoes, swimsuit and towel, hat, sunscreen, water, a jacket for Paul da Serra (1,500 m, fog and wind possible).

PR trails: since 1 January 2026 you book a 30-minute slot on SIMplifica — €4.50 per trail (full PR 1 €10.50), free for residents and children up to 12, registration compulsory even when exempt.
Closures are decided officially (weather, safety, works); a weather warning does not close a trail automatically. Check the official status the day before and on the morning itself.
On Paul da Serra and in the Maciço Montanhoso, fog, wind and cold are possible in any season; the peaks often rise above a sea of clouds: dress warmly and start early.
Sun: the National Maritime Authority advises avoiding the sun between 11 am and 4 pm and drinking regularly — hence beach time early and late in the day.
Swimming: lifeguards only during the bathing season set by a regional order of 2026; follow the flags — red = no swimming — and never go into the water to rescue someone: call 112.

Day 5 · Dolphins in the morning, Garajau in the afternoon, Pináculo at night5

📍 Funchal marina → Garajau → Pináculo → Zona Velha · ⏰ 08:00 · 🚗 ~45 min

09:00 → 12:00Visiton foot · 5 min · ~5 min
Whale-watching trip from Funchal marina
Waters dropping to 3,000 m close to shore allow dolphin and pilot-whale watching all year; boats also skirt the Garajau marine reserve (1986). Book with an operator — watching is subject to the Region's marine-vertebrate regulation.
📍 Reserva Natural Parcial do Garajau
💡 Insider tip — Turtles and, at the Desertas, monk seals: possible, never guaranteed.
12:45 → 13:15Photoby car · 20 min · ~20 min
Cristo Rei at Garajau
The 1927 statue with open arms over the marine reserve, Funchal bay and Caniço de Baixo; free, at the tip of Ponta do Garajau, right above the beach cable car.
📍 Miradouro do Cristo Rei (Garajau)
13:30 → 16:30Breakon foot · 1 min · ~1 min
Garajau beach: snorkelling in the reserve
A cable car drops you into the Garajau Partial Nature Reserve (1986): calm clear water, dusky groupers and manta rays, no fishing, non-motorised sports only. Supervised 15 June – 15 September; go in the morning, before the strong sun.
📍 Praia do Garajau
💡 Insider tip — scuba diving on SIMplifica booking.
19:15 → 19:45Photoby car · 15 min · ~15 min
Pináculo at nightfall
Roadside, direct access.
📍 Miradouro do Pináculo
20:00Mealby car · 10 min · ~10 min
Dinner in the Zona Velha: espetada or espada
In the evening Rua de Santa Maria becomes the liveliest quarter in town: tables outside, bay-laurel beef espetada, black-scabbard fillet with banana, bolo do caco, and a poncha to finish.
📍 Zona Velha (Rua de Santa Maria)

💡 A three-hour boat trip in the morning, when the swell is usually lower. Garajau beach is reached by cable car, and Pináculo is photographed as the lights come on.

🌧️ Rainy-day alternative — Rough sea or red flag: Whale Museum (Tue–Sun 10–6), Madeira Story Centre, seawater pools of the bathing complexes, Aquário da Madeira in Porto Moniz.

🎒 What to bring — Swimsuit, towel, mask and snorkel, water shoes for the pebbles and volcanic rocks, hat and sunscreen, 1.5 L of water, windbreaker for the boat.

Cetaceans: trips all year from Funchal, Calheta or Machico; watching is subject to the Region's marine-vertebrate regulation — choose an operator that follows it.
Garajau reserve: no fishing, non-motorised water sports only, diving on SIMplifica booking; the beach is reached by cable car.
Sun: the National Maritime Authority advises avoiding the sun between 11 am and 4 pm and drinking regularly — hence beach time early and late in the day.
Swimming: lifeguards only during the bathing season set by a regional order of 2026; follow the flags — red = no swimming — and never go into the water to rescue someone: call 112.

🔗 Maritime Authority — bathing advice

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