12 Unmissable Things to Do in Madeira Beyond the Levadas
12 Unmissable Things to Do in Madeira Beyond the Levadas
The levada walks are why most people book a flight to Madeira, Portugal's lush Atlantic island, in the first place. Fair enough — they're extraordinary. But spend all your days chasing waterfalls through the laurel forest and you'll miss the other half of what makes Madeira worth the trip: a downhill sledge steered by two men in straw hats, a glass floor bolted to a 580-metre cliff, sea pools carved out of black lava, and a fish so ugly it's delicious.
Here are 12 experiences that fill the days between hikes. Prices are in euros with a rough US-dollar equivalent, and every stop is doable on a rental car or the local bus network.
1. Ride a Wicker Toboggan Down from Monte
This is the one you'll tell people about back home. At Monte, above Funchal, two carreiros in white uniforms and straw boater hats push you down a steep public road in a wicker basket mounted on wooden runners, using their rubber-soled boots as brakes. It's been running since the 1850s, when it was actually how locals commuted downhill.
The ride covers about two kilometres to Livramento and takes roughly ten minutes. Expect to pay around €30 (about $33) for two people, cash only, at the top by the church of Nossa Senhora do Monte. Go for it — it's touristy and completely worth it.
2. Walk the Glass Floor at Cabo Girão
Cabo Girão is one of the highest sea cliffs in Europe, and someone had the nerve to bolt a transparent skywalk to the edge of it. Stand on the glass and there's 580 metres of nothing between your feet and the terraced farm plots and blue water below.
Entry is free and the platform is open daily. Drive or take bus 154 from Funchal toward Câmara de Lobos. Arrive before 10am or after 4pm to dodge the tour-bus crush and get the viewpoint mostly to yourself.
3. Swim in the Volcanic Pools at Porto Moniz
On the island's northwest tip, lava flows cooled into a maze of natural rock basins that the sea refills at high tide. The result is a set of sheltered swimming pools with the Atlantic crashing just beyond the walls — if these grab you, the black-lava lidos of the Canary Islands to the south deliver the same volcanic swim.
The main managed complex charges about €1.50 (under $2) to get in and has ladders, lifeguards and changing rooms. There's a free set of wilder pools right next door if you'd rather skip the ticket. Bring water shoes — the volcanic rock is sharp on bare feet.
4. Wander Funchal Old Town and the Mercado dos Lavradores
Start your morning at the Mercado dos Lavradores, the capital's farmers' market. The ground floor is stacked with custard apples, passion fruit in a dozen varieties, and strings of dried chillies; downstairs, the fish hall lays out silver ribbons of espada (black scabbard fish) on ice. Taste the fruit before you commit — vendors will offer, and yes, they'll charge for it, so ask the price first.
Afterward, walk the Zona Velha, the old town, where the narrow lanes off Rua de Santa Maria are lined with painted doors — an open-air art project where each door tells a different story. Most restaurants here open for dinner around 7pm.
5. Catch Sunrise at Pico do Arieiro
You don't have to hike the full ridge to Pico Ruivo to get the best view on the island. Drive up to the Pico do Arieiro car park — at 1,818 metres, it's often above the clouds — and watch the sun break over a sea of fog with the peaks poking through like islands.
Set off in the dark to arrive 30 minutes before sunrise. It's cold up top even in summer, so pack a fleece. If you do want the famous PR1 traverse, this is the trailhead, but even a 20-minute wander from the car park delivers the drama.
6. Taste Poncha in Câmara de Lobos
The fishing village of Câmara de Lobos, just west of Funchal, is where the island's signature drink is done right. Poncha is aguardente de cana (sugarcane spirit) muddled with honey and fresh lemon or passion fruit, mixed with a wooden tool called a caralhinho.
Duck into a small bar like Taberna da Poncha and order the traditional lemon version — expect to pay €2 to €3 (around $3) a glass. It goes down easy and hits harder than you'd think, so pace yourself before driving anywhere.
7. Tour a Madeira Wine Lodge
Madeira wine is fortified, heated and famously indestructible — an opened bottle keeps for months. To understand why it's a global obsession, book a tasting at Blandy's Wine Lodge on Avenida Arriaga in central Funchal.
Guided tours with tastings start at around €7 (about $8) and climb depending on how old the vintages you sample are. Try a dry Sercial as an aperitif and a sweet Malmsey with dessert. The oldest bottles in the cellar predate most countries' independence.
8. Chase the Fog Through Fanal Forest
High on the Paul da Serra plateau, ancient laurel trees twist into gnarled silhouettes, and when the mist rolls in — which is often — the whole forest turns cinematic. Fanal is a UNESCO-listed patch of the laurisilva that once covered much of southern Europe — the same primeval laurel forest still cloaks Portugal's other Atlantic archipelago, the Azores.
Go on an overcast or drizzly afternoon; a clear blue-sky day, ironically, makes it far less magical. Drive up via Porto Moniz and give yourself an hour to wander among the moss-draped trunks. There's a small picnic area and almost no crowds.
9. Hike the Red Cliffs of Ponta de São Lourenço
Head to the island's easternmost tip and the landscape flips completely — green mountains give way to bare, wind-scoured cliffs in rust-red and ochre, dropping straight into the ocean. The PR8 trail runs about 8 kilometres return along the peninsula.
There's no shade and the wind is relentless, so bring a hat, sunscreen and more water than you think you need. Start early; the small car park fills by mid-morning. The reward is the most otherworldly coastline on the island.
10. Glide Up to Monte by Cable Car
Skip the taxi and take the Teleférico do Funchal from the seafront up to Monte — a 15-minute glide over rooftops and terraced gardens with the harbour spread out behind you. A one-way ticket runs about €12.50 (roughly $14), and it pairs neatly with the toboggan ride down.
At the top, the Monte Palace Tropical Garden layers koi ponds, tile panels and imported palms across a steep hillside. Entry is around €15 (about $16). Give yourself at least 90 minutes to work through the terraces properly.
11. Go Whale and Dolphin Watching
The deep Atlantic water close to shore means resident dolphins and passing whales year-round. Boats leave from Funchal's marina, and the smaller RIB operators get you closer to the water than the big catamarans — the same choice you'll face on the dolphin tours out of the mainland Algarve.
A half-day trip costs roughly €40 to €50 (around $45–$55) and most operators offer a free second trip if you don't spot anything. Morning departures usually have calmer seas — book the earliest slot if you're prone to seasickness.
12. Eat Espada com Banana and Bolo do Caco
Madeira's most famous dish sounds like a dare and tastes like a revelation: fillets of that deep-sea black scabbard fish, pan-fried and served with slices of fried banana. The sweet-savoury combination shouldn't work, but it does.
Order it with a basket of bolo do caco — a warm flatbread slathered in garlic-and-parsley butter — at a traditional spot like O Tapassol in the old town. A full meal with a glass of wine lands around €20 to €25 (about $22–$28) a head.
Pro Tip
Rent a car for at least half your trip. Madeira is small but vertical — roads corkscrew up cliffs and through tunnels, and the north and east coasts reward drivers far more than they reward bus timetables. Fuel up before heading into the mountains, download offline maps because the ridge tunnels kill your signal, and never trust a drive time without adding 30% for hairpins. Do that, and you'll fit half this list into a single well-planned day.
