Tour 2 – Best of the West (Full-day)

1^st... Lido

The Lido Promenade is a seafront walkway that provides a pedestrian link between the Lido area and Formosa Beach. The entire path affords far-reaching views over the Atlantic.

In the Lido area can be found a seafront walkway that provides a pedestrian link between the Lido area and Formosa Beach. This pedestrian precinct is a welcoming place where wide views over the Atlantic Ocean combine with the gardened areas of the promenade, making this place very attractive from a landscape point of view.
This area can be visited for sport or leisure. 

Another attraction of this promenade is its proximity to beach areas. Various public swimming pools can be accessed from the Lido Promenade, such as the Lido and Ponta Gorda beach complexes and the Naval Club, as well as Poças do Governador and Formosa Beach.

2^nd... Câmara de Lobos

Câmara de Lobos is a pretty fishing town that is located on the south-eastern side of Madeira and makes for a pleasant day trip from Funchal. Câmara de Lobos is a working town specialising in the fishing of the night dwelling Scabbard fish. This hard fishing lifestyle is reflected in the town, with small traditional tenements that house multiple families crowding around the cliffs, while at dawn the returning fishermen head to the bars to drink Poncha, a strong alcoholic drink. For visitors Camara de Lobos is a picturesque location with colourful fishing boats pulled up onto the grey beaches, which are over looked by some of the highest cliffs in Europe. These charming views inspired Camara de Lobos’ most famous resident, Winston Churchill, to paint his celebrated pictures of the region and this history is lovely embraced by the town.

3^rd... Cabo Girão

It is the highest cape in Europe, at an elevation of 580 m, and is famous for its suspended glass platform.

The Cabo Girão viewpoint, situated on the highest promontory in Europe, at an elevation of 580 m, offers a vertiginous view of the fajãs of Rancho and Cabo Girão – small areas of cultivated land at the foot of the cliff – as well as magnificent panoramic views over the ocean and the municipalities of Câmara de Lobos and Funchal.
The viewpoint has been renovated, and a suspended glass platform, called a skywalk, was built.
It is an excellent spot to practice paragliding and base jumping. Recently, the Portuguese parachutist Mário Pardo performed a spectacular motorcycle leap here.
Nearby is the Chapel of Nossa Senhora de Fátima (Our Lady of Fátima), built in 1951 and one of the main pilgrimage sites of the island.

4^th... Ribeira Brava

Located on the south coast of the island, the municipality of Ribeira Brava has a church, in the centre of its town, called São Bento, built in the fifteenth century and possesses beautiful panels of clear Flemish influence, representing the Virgin and the Child, São Bento and São Bernardo.

5^th... Serra D'Água

Located in the centre of the southwest part of the island, Serra d'Água is surrounded by a dense thicket and high hills, among which stand out the peaks of Cruz, Cedro and Pico Grande. It is still irrigated by several streams, which together form the Ribeira Brava stream.
The name of this parish is derived from the construction of a mill for the sawing of timber with the name of “serra de água”. It was in this parish that the first Hydroelectric Station of the island emerged, in 1953.
Via the Serra d’Água road we can go up to Encumeada, a high point of the island that connects Ribeira Brava on the south coast, and São Vicente, on the north coast. Along the climb to Encumeada we can glimpse the stunning panoramic landscapes of the southern and northern parts of the island, with the blue sky on the background and the clouds interspersed with mountains.

6^th... São Vicente

São Vicente is an area characterized by green nature and abundant forest, modelled by volcanic forces and erosion in its beautiful slopes. One of the most representative symbols of the picturesque town of São Vicente is the small chapel built inside a basalt rock at the mouth of the stream that runs through the town.
In the heart of São Vicente one finds the Indigenous Garden where dozens of species of local flora are represented.
The Museum Centre Rota do Cal (Lime Route) situated in this parish, is composed of a pedestrian trip that takes about 30 minutes from the quarries of limestone extraction to the museum.
In the parish of São Vicente there is an extensive area of Laurel Forest. The importance of laurel is due to both its representation in terms of diversity of species of flora and fauna and the respective state of conservation. The Laurel Forest was classified as a Natural Heritage Site of UNESCO in 1999.

7^th... Porto Moniz

The natural pools of Porto Moniz are the highlight of the village of Porto Moniz.
The natural salt water swimming pools are made up of volcanic rock, into which the sea flows naturally.
This space, with a surface area of 3800 m², has also a children’s swimming pool, a children’s play area and access for the disabled.
In addition, the beach has a car park, changing rooms and bathrooms with lockers for storing personal items, a snack bar open during the summer months, first aid, sun loungers and sunshades for hire.

Before leaving Porto Moniz make sure to visit the Madeira Aquarium which boasts an impressive number of endemic fish species.

Tour 1 - Best of the East (Full-Day)

1^st... Explore Pico do Arieiro, the second highest summit on Madeira at 1,810 meters high, offering stunning views.

Most days, visitors can stand and look down on the clouds. The air is fresh and clear and the sun is very bright. On a clear day it is possible to see the neighbouring island of Porto Santo, 30 miles to the north. The footpath northwards towards Pico Ruivo is an important tourist attraction, with a daily average of 1000 tourists trekking on it. There is easy road access to the summit, with a large car park, a restaurant and souvenir shop. In 2011, an Air Defence Radar Station was built at the top of the mountain near the tourist facilities.

2^nd... Poiso is a stunning area surrounded by pine trees. There is a trail that will take you to a brook and an open area called Chão da Lagoa, which is a popular place for doing picnics and barbeques. After crossing the road, you’ll enter an upward trail that takes you to Pico do Areeiro. From this peak you’ll be able to observe Pico Ruivo, the Paul da Serra and all the central mountain peaks of Madeira. The descent is done through the Chão do Areeiro and the Environmental Education Course of Cabeço da Lenha. The return to your initial point (Poiso) is done by walking along the Levada do Blandy.

3^rd... Ribeiro Frio (Cold Stream in English) is a small village situated in the central mass of Madeira. It belongs to the parish of São Roque do Faial, the municipality of Santana , and is located around 15 kilometers from Funchal.

Here you can visit a trout hatchery and eat a grilled trout in the nearby restaurant. The little village is greatly visited by tourists as it is a starting point for many Levada walks. It is located 860 meters high, in a location surrounded by tall trees such as the laurel (Laurus novocanariensis) and heather undergrowth (Erica madeirensis). It is also populated by native birds of the island such as the Trocaz pigeon (trocaz pigeon), the chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs madeirensis) and Madeira firecrest (Regulus madeirensis).

4^th... Santana, short form for Santa Ana (meaning Saint Anne) is a municipality situated on the northern coast of Madeira. Santana is best known for its enchanting red and white coloured A-shaped thatched dwellings. These were mainly rural homes, used by local farmers, during the settlement of the island.  Today, most of the surviving dwellings are tourist attractions.

While visiting Santana you ought to visit the Madeira Theme Park, which covers an area of about 28,000 m² of land. The aim of this park is to take you back to the island's early history. Here, you will also re-discover Madeiran culture in a unique way. This includes exhibits on the island's history, artifacts used in daily life and cultural presentations, in a scenic environment.

5^th... Faial is a civil parish in the Madeiran municipality of Santana located along the northern coast of the island of Madeira. It was founded on February 20, 1550 by settlers who named the area “Faial” due to numerous shrubs called Myrica faya, which are indigenous to the area, and that grew abundantly within the valleys between the mountains.

6^th...Porto da Cruz is a civil parish in the municipality of Machico in the northeastern tip of Madeira. The origin of the community's name came from the fact that the original discoverer affixed a steel cross at the port, in order to better identify the location to ocean travelers. During the early settlement of the northern coast, goods destined for the northern communities were offloaded in the harbor. Cultivation and harvesting of sugarcane occupied the activities of early settlers. The aguardente factory, completed after 1858, was part of this industry, converting the grapes and juice into a local spirit, uniquely cultivating the American caste of grape in this territory.

7^th... Portela, located between Porto da Cruz and Machico, provides one of the most beautiful landscapes of Madeira. At 670 meters, the viewpoint in Portela stands with its impressive rock formations. Here you will find magnificent scenery, with mountains that seem to flow down a valley towards the sea. 

8^th... Machico is a municipality, parish and city in the southeast part of Madeira.

The easternmost municipality on the island, it is also the third most populous area. The economy is focused on agriculture, tourism, and fishing, although a small number of businesses and commercial establishments have concentrated in the center of town. The main harbor is a mixture of personal and public uses, that includes a lighted promenade, scenic landscapes of the town, as well as a small harbor that is used as a fishing port and public harbor. Not far away you can dip yourself into the deep blue waters of the manmade sandy beach of Machico. Be sure to visit Pico do Facho before you embark on your next stop.

9^th... Santa Cruz, or Holy Cross, is a municipality, a parish and a city in the eastern part of the island of Madeira. It is the second most populous municipality of the island. It is located southeast of Santana, southwest of Machico and northeast of the capital city of Funchal. Santa Cruz is linked by an expressway to Funchal and Machico, as well as an ancillary road linking it to Santana. Agriculture and fishing are still considered the primary industries in this region, although widespread expansion of tourism in the south, and the development of the international airport has increased the number of commercial and tourist-related activities, primarily in the city of Santa Cruz.

10^th... Camacha is situated in the mountainous interior of the island, 3 km north of Caniço, 7 km northeast of Funchal and 6 km west of Santa Cruz. Achada is the centre of the parish of Camacha, a picturesque place where people who visit it often go to visit the Café Relógio with its tower and famous wicker work factory. There is also a large square, which was built for folklore performances and traditional festivities, as well as a children's playground and a small football field in homage to the place which provided the launch pad for the “king of sports” in our country. Interestingly, the son of William Hinton, Harry Hinton, was educated in England and as an 18-year-old student, brought the first football to Madeira in 1875. The first game of football in Portugal was played at the Hinton family quinta in Camacha at that time.