4 days in Madeira with @baileyturvey

If you’re looking for a summer trip that packs in loads of adventure without the sticky, sweltering heat, Madeira in July is your match. With its cooler Atlantic breeze, you can hike along cliffside trails, set out on sunrise treks above the clouds, and still have energy left for whale-watching or a dip below its towering sea cliffs. The island feels alive this time of year, buzzing with activity but never overcrowded – the perfect playground for travellers who like to keep their days full. So, here’s what I got up to in just four days…

Day 1 – travel day and exploring Funchal

We set off on our adventure to Madeira at around 10am and landed on the island at 2pm. To my surprise, there was no time difference in Madeira, despite being in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. And, despite what I read online, both Uber and Bolt are readily available in Madeira, so it was super easy (and cheap!) to get from the airport to our hotel in Funchal Old Town, with the 30-minute journey only costing €15.

Our hotel was stunning. We were staying at Barcelo Funchal Oldtown, a five-star hotel, right in the heart of the picturesque capital. After having a little explore of the hotel, we headed over to get the cable car to the top of Funchal, where you can then get the famous Toboggan down. Sadly, we ended up being slightly too late to do this, so pushed it back to our final day. Instead, we wandered along the coastline and visited the famous Cristiano Ronaldo Hotel and Museum. If you didn’t know already, Ronaldo was born and raised in Madeira, so everywhere you go, you’ll see something related to him – football shirts, statues and even the airport is named after him.

We headed back to the hotel, got ready and went out for dinner. We actually picked a ramen restaurant, which might seem quite odd for our first meal on a European island. However, we’d read lots of things about the Asian influence in Madeira, so we thought we’d try it out. We went to Buga Ramen Funchal, which I would highly recommend. The next day, we had to be up at 4am for what I was probably most excited for across the entire trip, so we got an early-ish night to prepare…

Day 2 – sunrise at Pico do Arieiro, a coastal hike and whale-watching

If I’m honest, we didn’t stop this entire day and packed so much into it because there was just so much we wanted to do in Madeira. If you’re heading here or have more time to kill, you might want to space things out a little bit more. But if you’re someone who loves an adventure, then this might be the perfect day for you… Starting off with a 4am start for sunrise at Pico do Arieiro.

As we didn’t rent a car, we organised a few transfers for today. We were picked up in the Old Town and hiked our way up to Pico do Arieiro, reaching the top just as we could see the first glimmers of the sun. This sunrise was 100% one of the best sunrises I have ever seen. It was above the clouds, and it sort of had the feeling that you were on a plane in the sky. If there’s one thing I’d recommend getting up early for, it would have to be this – one of the best things I have ever done.

We the did the famous Stairway to Heaven hike, which is only a 3.4km return journey. Make sure you follow the signposts from the café area and don’t use Google Maps. We went off on a trek down the hill to try and find the start point and ended up being ages away from it and nearly missed our transfer. In general, Google Maps wasn’t the best on the island, so I’d go old school with word of mouth and signposts on the Madeira hikes.

After we made it back with two minutes to spare, we headed off on our second hike of the day, which was a coastal route along the Vereda do Larano trail. The views along this trail were absolutely breathtaking throughout, and I can see why they call Madeira the Hawaii of Europe after doing it. You also get to see beautiful little villages and farming highlands along this trail, which was amazing. After this, we got our transfer back to Funchal Old Town and had about an hour to grab a quick lunch before heading to the marina for out next adventure. Here, we had booked a RIB boat adventure to try and see whales and dolphins in their natural habitat.  

 One thing I’m always cautious about with wildlife encounters is respecting the animals and making sure there is little to no interference with their ways of living in the wild. This is why I loved that Maderia has laws and guidelines in place to protect this. You were allowed no more than 10 minutes with one group of dolphins or whales, you had to maintain an acceptable distance away from them, and only two boats are allowed at any one time with the pods. We were lucky enough to see such an array of wildlife on this trip – bottlenose dolphins, pilot whales and we even managed to see a sperm whale breach and dive under the water. The whole trip was incredible.

After three hours exploring the coastline, we docked back at the marina and decided now was a good time to relax for a couple of hours. That evening we went out for dinner at an Italian restaurant called Alforno Madeira, where we got the bruschetta and soy Bolognese, and both were incredible. The setting was lovely, and it had both outdoor and indoor seating. I would recommend booking in advance, though – we didn’t and only just managed to get a table, and this was just on a Wednesday evening.  

Day 3 – 4x4s in the hills and a catamaran cruise

Today was another action-packed day, as we were adventuring across the island on a 4×4 experience. A 9am pick-up meant we had time to grab a quick coffee in the Old Town before setting off into the hills. On this trip, we were taken to multiple viewpoints and ventured off the typical roads through dirt paths to see misty forests and gardens. We finished off by stopping at a vineyard for a quick wine tasting before heading back into Funchal for our catamaran experience. Here, we got to cruise along the coastline, see wild dolphins for a second time and finished off with a swim stop below the tallest cliffs on the island.

The sea isn’t the warmest in Madeira, as you can probably tell from its location in the heart of Atlantic Ocean. So, it was a slightly chilly experience but definitely one that kept us awake. We then made our way back to the marina, made the most of our hotel’s rooftop pool for a swim and headed out for dinner at Mundo Vegan. This is an all vegetarian and vegan restaurant, serving a range of different cuisines. This entire day was all organised for us through a tour we booked with First Choice Experiences, and it honestly was the perfect combo tour! 

Day 4 – cable car adventures, tobogganing and home time

Today was sadly our final day in Madeira but with our flight not being until 5pm, we had a good half of the day to carry on exploring. We tucked into the hotel’s buffet breakfast properly for the first time after all our early morning wakeups, and it was incredible. There was fresh fruit, juices and a huge spread of local continental and cooked breakfast items.

We then made our second attempt to get the cable car, which was successful this time! Be warned, the queue can be long, so you’ll need to factor this into your timings for the day. The cable car ride takes you over the houses and hilltops of Funchal, ending right at the top of the city. Here, you’ll find the botanical gardens and panoramic view overlooking the city. You can then take the famous toboggans back down into the city. These are what locals used to use to commute down, as the quickest route. It was a fun and unique experience, once named one of the coolest commutes to work in the world. The toboggans only drop you half the way down these days, so you can either jump in a very overpriced taxi or walk down. The taxi drivers waiting at the bottom will tell you it’s an hour walk back into the city, but it’s only 25-30 minutes. We decided to walk down, and it was actually great to take in the views.

We grabbed some lunch in the city before making our way back to the hotel to grab a taxi to the airport. And that was the end of our incredible four-day trip to Maderia! As you can tell, it was action-packed. Madeira is honestly one of the most incredible European destinations I have been to – you feel like you’re on an island like Hawaii, with its tropical feel. I’d 100% recommend a visit if you want an adventurous trip. I will definitely be returning one day!  

If @baileyturvey’s trip sounds like a bit of you, have a look at our Portugal holidays and you can find all his picks on our Insiders Hub.     