Best Things To Do in Madeira 2026

Madeira packs an extraordinary range of experiences into a single island. Here are the highlights worth prioritising in 2026.

1. Levada Walking 🌿

Madeira's levadas are its most unique offering — 2,500km of irrigation channels that double as walking trails through ancient laurel forests, along clifftops and past waterfalls. The PR1 Levada do Caldeirão Verde is the most iconic: 13km through UNESCO-listed forest to a stunning 100m waterfall. The PR6 Levada das 25 Fontes (25 springs) is shorter and equally beautiful. Book guided tours for safety on the more challenging routes.

2. Whale & Dolphin Watching 🐋

Madeira's deep Atlantic trench makes it one of Europe's premier whale watching locations — sperm whales, pilot whales, fin whales and Bryde's whales year-round. Several dolphin species are almost guaranteed on every trip. 3-hour catamaran tours depart from Funchal marina most mornings.

3. Monte Cable Car & Toboggan 🛷

The Funchal cable car to Monte gives extraordinary views of the bay and city. At the top: the Monte Palace Tropical Garden (one of the finest botanical gardens in Europe) and the famous Monte toboggan — a wicker basket sled guided by men in white suits down 2km of cobbled streets. One of Madeira's great traditions.

4. Pico do Arieiro Sunrise 🌅

Drive to Madeira's third-highest peak (1,818m) before dawn for sunrise above the clouds — one of the most extraordinary experiences on the island. On clear mornings, you look out over a sea of cloud with mountain peaks emerging like islands. Dress warmly — it can be cold even in summer.

5. Funchal Old Town & Mercado dos Lavradores 🛒

The Mercado dos Lavradores is one of Europe's finest covered markets — extraordinary tropical fruits (custard apple, passion fruit, anona), flowers and the Madeiran fish market (black scabbardfish on ice). The Old Town's painted tile facades, cobbled lanes and excellent restaurants make it the best part of the capital.

6. Cabo Girão Skywalk 🌊

Europe's second-highest sea cliff (589m) with a glass skywalk extending over the cliff edge — the view straight down to the ocean is extraordinary. On the drive along the south coast — worth combining with Câmara de Lobos (Churchill's favourite painting spot) and Ribeira Brava.

7. Ponta de São Lourenço Walk 🥾

The dramatic eastern peninsula walk (8km return) through bare volcanic rock and clifftop paths with the Atlantic on both sides — a completely different landscape to the lush west. The contrast with the green interior is striking. Easy to moderate difficulty.

8. Madeira Wine Tasting 🍷

Madeira wine is produced nowhere else on earth — a fortified wine that improves for centuries and was the favoured drink of the Founding Fathers of America. Blandy's Wine Lodge in Funchal has been producing since 1811. Tasting sessions from €10.

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