Madeira, is a region of Portugal comprising 4 islands off the northwest coast of Africa. It is known for its namesake wine Madeira and warm, subtropical climate. The main island of Madeira is volcanic, green and rugged, with high cliffs and pebbly beaches and is a favourite tourist destination.Â
We flew from Manchester to Funchal Madeira on Easyjet. Â Simple, cheap and no frills getting you from A to B. For deals on flights then check out Here.Â
The Aerobus leaves from just outside the arrivals area of Funchal airport and heads towards the Foremosa beach with stops at several hotels en route.  The driver takes the name of your hotel when. you board and shouts when he’s there.  What could be simpler. The bus takes about 30 – 45 mins depending on where your hotel is and costs around €5
We chose the Hotel Maderia for 3 reasons. Â It was reasonably priced. It had good reviews and it was fairly central.Â
As I mentioned earlier, it was Christmas time when we visit Funchal. Â The town twinkled with fairy lights and there were loads of Christmas festivities going on.
In the park right next to our hotel there was a little Christmas market with stalls selling nuts and pretzels and poncha and ginja. Â Now the poncha was new to me but basically its a citrus based drink with loads and loads of white spirit. Â The citrus is muddled (yes we bought a poncha muddler home) and then mixed with the white rum and poured into cups which we drank like lemonade. Â After a few it was clear that the Christmas spirit was alive and well.Â
The Ginja which is a cherry flavoured liqueur was poured into little chocolate cups and that too was delicious. A typical drink from Curral das Freiras “Nun’s valley”. This liqueur consists of cherries, Grape spirit and sugar.  It is much appreciated specially around Christmas along with sugar cane honey cake and biscuits. We loved it.  The whole town was in a party mood and we really enjoyed the entertainment and festivities that the town had arranged.Â
This walk starts in Machico and follows a path that was and still is widely used by local people to travel between the 2 locations of Machico and Porto da Cruz
The Walk takes you thought the rich agricultural fields of Madeira before opening out to the rugged and beautiful outline of the coast and then takes you down to sea level to the beach of Porto da Cruz.
The tour company mini bus picked us up from our hotel – Hotel Madeira at approx 9am and deposited us back around 4pm. Â It is advised to take a packed lunch with you and plenty of water depending on the weather. Â There is a cafe at Porto da Cruz at the end of the hike where you can get refreshments.Â
The full day tour  included
I would advise anyone with a reasonable level of fitness to do this walk as the views are worth it. Â There is a little up and down hill as you make your way through the valleys so anyone that needs assistance then perhaps this is not the walk for you however speak to the tour company and they can advise. Â
Cabo GirĂŁo skywalk is at the top of the second highest sea cliff in the world – 580 metres above sea level. It’s a popular lookout point with spectacular panoramic views and a glass-bottomed platform. The skywalk offers incredible views of the coastline all the way back to Funchal.
Being lovers of public transport we found the bus station in Funchal and took a local city bus – line 27 bus which takes 10 min and costs 1€ – 3€.  Its a short walk up to the cliffs once you alight the bus.  You can also get there by taxi or if you have a car there is plenty of parking near the cliffs which is easy to reach. Some of the hop on /hop off buses of Funchal offer an extended ticket to include this site but times may be limited.  Best to check with the operating company.Â
There is no entrance fee its absolutely free. The skywalk is open 08.30 – 20.00hrs in summer and 08.30 – 18.00hrs in winter.  I would advise to get there as early as possible as it does get pretty busy. When we went we arrived just before 08.30 and within an hour there were coaches arriving and the car park was pretty full.  So to get the best experience I’d get there early.Â
There is a cafe serving snacks and coffee/tea.  Its reasonably priced.There are toilets at the site.  Make sure you have some change with you as they are €0.50 to enter.
There is a little tourist train that runs between the cliffs and Camara de Lobos where there are many more restaurants and cafes and some nice quirky little streets to have a wander. Â The main bus back to Funchal stops here. Â We had a delicious lunch here and spent a pleasant afternoon wandering around.Â
This trail between Pico do Arieiro and Pico Ruivo, is one of the most spectacular mountain walks I have ever done. Â The scenery is breathtaking and it’s like you can see Madeira from end to end.Â
We choose this hike with a tour company recommended by the hotel and they picked us up from our hotel around 9am in the morning and took us to the large parking area at Pico Arieiro. Â The trip in the mini bus from our hotel to the start point was about 45 mins so not that long at all. Â
The tour includesÂ
The walk follows the route PR1 and is spectacular. It takes you through tunnels, up steel staircases, along ledges and up and down steep tracks. Most of the exposed areas where you have a ledge and a drop on the other side has handrails to give you a bit more confidence if you are a bit nervous. Â In fact most of the route has handrails at some point or another to help you.
This hike is for people who have a good level of fitness and have some experience walking in a mountain terrain as its a moderate to hard walk and has some tricky bits. Â On the first part of the walk the guide assessed how you coped with the steep ascents and descents and there were a few people that he advised to take a shorter easier route back to the waiting bus. Â For the rest of us it was onwards and upwards through this spectacular landscape.
We chose the Levada do Rei walk at it seemed the prettiest for some reason from the pictures on the brochure in the hotel reception and I think we chose really well. Levada do Rei, or King’s Levada, is called so because it was built by order or King D. Manuel II (the last king of Portugal).  Levadas are quite unique to Madeira and quite like nothing else we’ve seen. Â
We booked our trip through the hotel reception with a local tour company and they came and collected us from our hotel at around 9am. Â The mini bus then took us to the town of Santana to where the walk started.
Let me start by saying that there are a few stairs to climb at the start of the walk and then its pretty flat the rest of the way. Â Our guide was happy to take his time so this walk is really suitable for all ages and abilities really. Â Check with the tour operator when booking through the hotel reception for more guidance.
Almost immediately you’re immersed in the most wonderful natural environment. Â Its true that most of Madeira is green but this is exceptional. Â To be in amongst it, breathing in the scents of eycaluptys and the constant sound of rippling water its so refreshing. Â At one end of the walk there is an area with flattish stones that we spend a little time having our lunch and exploring the nooks and crannies of the rocks and just chilling in the shade of the trees.Â
Take a ride up the Monte Parish behind Funchal in the cable car.  The views are spectacular as you climb from the sea up the steep mountain side.  The landscape changes and you can see the roofs of houses as you climb up past the town. When you arrive at the top you’ll be in the town of Monte and here’s a few things you can do whilst up there?
You can chose to travel on a round trip or just one way. Â There is a really nice walk back down the mountain that takes you thorough lots of little villages before you arrive back in Funchal. Its quite fun to walk back as you get to see the Monte Sleds set off on their bone rattling ride down the mountain.
Oh my goodness I do believe a town is only as good as its market and this one is fantastic.  Full of beautiful fresh fish, meats, fruits and veg it really is a feast for the eyes. Its located fairly centrally and open from 7am to 7pm.  Get there early if you want to see all the lovely fish as the fish market seems to close after midday.Â
Sabor da India – we went here for Christmas dinner and it does what it says on the tin. Â Excellent Indian food, excellent service and didn’t cost too much either. Â I’d go back anytime
I cant talk about the food without mentioning the fantastic local food we ate as part of the Christmas festivities. Â The tradition seemed to focus around this bread and soup which was made in pop up tents by a team of ladies all cooking it from scratch in big stone bread ovens and big cauldrons of soup. Â We queued with all the lovely local people and sat at trestle tables and enjoyed this fabulous food.Â
We have always tended to use Booking.com having said that if your on a tight budget another good site to try as a comparison is Hostelworld, If your looking to compare different sites you can do that on Hotellook, we tend to look on here first to make sure we are getting the best deal.
You can book your visits as you go at the entrance to your chosen attraction or site.  Or you could use the following links to book in advance or just to find out what your choices are in the area. GetYourGuide and Tiqets are our go to choices you could try Viator to see how they compare.
For a full list check out our resources page. Don’t forget always shop around to find the best deal for you. What works for us should be good for you but it’s always reassuring to check.
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Rio de Janeiro is Brazil’s second largest city and said to be one of the most visited cities in South America. Â When you think of Rio you think of carnival, fantastic beaches, favelas and famous landmarks such as Christ the Redeemer and Sugarloaf mountain.
Our day trip to Cadiz was part of our New Years trip to Seville and as Cadiz was only a train ride away we decided to visit. Â Our trip to Cadiz was inspired by Rick Stein and his Long Weekends TV series.
Often called the gateway to the Cordellia Blanca or the White Mountains in English, Huaraz is the trekking capital of Peru.
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10 thoughts on “Madeira | A wonderful Christmas trip to the Island of Levadas”
This looks great! What a wonderful adventure for over the holidays! Beautiful!
Thank you Barbara
This looks like an amazing trip. I can’t wait to start traveling again. Thanks.
Thanks 🙂
WOW that trip looks and sounds amazing. Portugal is on my bucket list. The cable car looks like fun.
Thanks Angie
Great information! These activities look like so much fun. Thanks for sharing.
Another destination to put on my bucketlist! Great post and thank you for sharing!
Thank you
Oh wow, I’ve always wanted to go to Madeira! Thanks for the excellent post!