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Madeira Walking tours

Our most recommended Madeira Walking tours

Funchal: Old Town Walking Tour

1. Funchal: Old Town Walking Tour

Meet your guide at Jesuit's College of Funchal, Madeira University to begin this 2-hour guided walking tour of Funchal. Learn how the history of Madeira and Funchal shaped the city centre as you visit the most important points of interest. Travel down the 19th century public walkway between the Municipal Theatre and the Cathedral, where sugarcane was first planted in Madeira, during the 15th century. Explore the city’s medieval heart dating from the Golden Age of Sugar and discover the beautiful 17th century religious monuments. Visit the ruins of the old Pilory Square and other remnants from past floods and the area damaged by the Great Fire of Funchal in 1584. This tour helps to support students at the University of Madeira who are facing financial difficulties.  

Funchal: Food and Wine Walking Tour

2. Funchal: Food and Wine Walking Tour

Discover the exciting history of Funchal as you sample its flavors on a 3-hour guided walk. Hear about the city’s past, admire its architecture and of course try some famous Madeira wines. Taste traditional foods from restaurants and the local market. Enjoy 9 stops in all, with 11 food and 6 drink tastings. The following venues are stops on this tour: • O Calhau • Uau Cacau: a 100 percent Madeiran chocolate factory, that’s all about elegant chocolates and traditional flavors that are simply Irresistible • Blandy's Wine Lodge: the wines from this producer are appreciated all over the world, and their older wines enjoy the highest reputation among top professionals • Fabrica de Santo Antonio: a factory that produces the best-known Madeira cookies and sweets from traditional recipes • Cristalina Chique: this typical bar is popular among the locals, who enjoy eating the black scabbard fillet sandwiches or fresh tuna, at any time of the day • Mercados dos Lavradores: the farmers market in Funchal offers up colorful flowers, seasonal exotic fruits and a wide variety of fish • A Mercadora: this typical Madeiran grocery store sells various spices as well as beans, potatoes and much more – try the famous sugar cane spirit poncho • Venda da Donna Maria: sample tasty regional and home cooking at this old town restaurant that offers a menu of typical Madeiran cuisine • Chocolate e Menta: a tea house where you end off your morning filled with delicacies. From here you’ll return to the departure point.

Larano: Mountain/Cliff Walking Tour

3. Larano: Mountain/Cliff Walking Tour

Take part in this fascinating full-day journey, through rich agricultural land and crops from the city of Machico, complemented with superb views over São Lourenço Península, Porto Santo Island and the northeastern coast. In the past, this was the only way to travel from Machico or Caniçal to the village of Porto da Cruz, located in the Northeast. Starting from a lower altitude, you will walk up through the more challenging section of this beautiful path, where you will traverse a section of a cliff and mountain that takes you all the way to the northern part of the island.    Your walk lasts from around 9 AM to 5 PM. The 12-kilometer path takes approximately 4 hours and 30 minutes to complete. Come and explore this beautiful walking tour!

Madeira: Food, Wine & Culture Walking Tour

4. Madeira: Food, Wine & Culture Walking Tour

On this exceptional cultural and gustatory experience, you will be taken to off the beaten track to sample amazing traditional food from Madeira while sipping a glass of Madeira wine or a cup of Portuguese tea.  The tour starts in the charming historic center with a qualified tour guide who has many years of experience. Your guide will explain the historical and cultural details of the city as well as the traditions behind each dish, which will surely enrich the tour. This 4-hour tour includes 7 stops with a visit to the market. From an artisanal chocolate tasting to the famous local custard tarts, the choices of delicious treats will be enough to satisfy anyone’s cravings.

Madeira by Night with Traditional Dinner

5. Madeira by Night with Traditional Dinner

Immerse yourself in the color and spectacle of a typical night in Madeira and see what an evening of traditional entertainment is all about as you experience the Bailinho da Madeira, as its known to the locals. Watch a performance of song and dance by artists in traditional attire. You will also be offered some tasty food in the form of top-quality local specialties. Savor the traditional main dish of espetada. Made from succulent, seasoned pieces of beef cooked on huge skewers, it is often served with other local produce, including traditional bolo do caco (flat bread). End the evening with a stop at one of Funchal’s viewpoints for a stunning view of the city before you return to the meeting point, where the tour ends.

Funchal: Historical Walking Tour

6. Funchal: Historical Walking Tour

Explore historic Funchal on a 2-hour guided walking tour. Begin at the walls of the city and learn about the attack on Funchal by the French army in 1566. Enter the English Church and hear about the foreign community that inhabited Madeira for over 5 centuries. Take in Funchal from the Cruzes viewpoint and see the area where João Gonçalves Zarco, the founder of Madeira, used to live. Learn why the nuns of Santa Clara were a tourist attraction some 200 years ago and where the foreign princes used to enjoy the island’s best queijadas. Visit some of the most notable churches in Funchal and hear about the individuals that sponsored their construction.

Funchal: Wine and Sugar Walking Tour

7. Funchal: Wine and Sugar Walking Tour

Join a former student of the University of Madeira, or a volunteer of the university's Erasmus Madeiran Heritage program, and get fascinating explanations about the cultural history of the island and its importance to the historical trade routes of the Atlantic and Indian oceans. Learn more about some of the famous visitors to Madeira and what they contributed to the island. Explore the wine-making industry and its impact on global history, and visit emblematic buildings, such as the 15th-century Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption. Go to the Old Customs House, built at the height of Madeira's importance to the sugar industry, and discover one of the oldest tourist centers.

Funchal: Sightseeing Tour by Sidecar

8. Funchal: Sightseeing Tour by Sidecar

Discover this 600-year-old city, while riding on a sidecar through Old town’s narrow winding roads and it's historical centre. Your driver will provide you with information about Funchal´s history, the inhabitant's ways of life, typical products, and monuments, including the defensive fortresses built to protect the city from the pirate’s attacks. Different monuments and notable sites will be pointed out, such as Museu das Cruzes (Gonçalves Zarco's first house), the convent of Santa Clara, the main Cathedral, the Jesuits Church, the Municipal Square and Garden, and the City Hall building, which was an old Palace that belonged to Conde de Carvalhal. You'll get the opportunity to take plenty of photos while seeing Funchal. Admire Old Town’s painted doors and walls and the old mountain carved road. As the tour continues, you'll be presented by a breath-taking view on the eastern side of the city where Funchal’s ocean-facing bay presents stunning views.

Funchal: Cabo Girão Trip Aboard A Traditional Madeiran Boat

9. Funchal: Cabo Girão Trip Aboard A Traditional Madeiran Boat

Come and discover madeira through the Dragao, a typical Madeiran Boat, where you can be dazzled by beautiful landscapes and have the possibility to discover and dive into the amazing protected area of Cabo Girao. Feel the breeze while you admire the natural landscape of the Island. Have a drink at the on board bar and sit back in the gorgeous weather. Come and enjoy this fantastic experience for you and the whole family.

Madeira: Local Food Experience w/ Harvesting & 3-Course Meal

10. Madeira: Local Food Experience w/ Harvesting & 3-Course Meal

Our experience will create unique and unforgettable moments for our guests. The objective is to show a 3-course menu with drinks, where the products of our island and our plantation will be highlighted. Since we call for the use of "seasonal products" our menu will vary according to the same, always keeping "Madeira traditional Espetada" as the protagonist. (There are vegetarian options) Upon arrival, our guests will be welcomed with a "Welcome drink". The second moment will be a visit to our space and our agricultural production, where we will harvest some products that will be present on our menu. Then we start making our menu, where we want our guests to be an integral part of it, in order to make the whole process known and create bonds. After the tasting phase, our experience ends with a self-made digestive, typical of Madeira Island.

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What people are saying about Madeira

Overall rating

4.6 / 5

based on 2,295 reviews

My husband and I did the tour on Valentines Day (this was an accident, just the best day for us) and were lucky enough to be only two people in the group so Roberto was able to answer all our questions and talk more about the things we were interested in. He was knowledgable about the history, architecture and obviously well known and liked as we were welcomed at each location with big smiles!

Hannah was very knowledgeable about the history and culture of Madeira. The tour was thorough and we have been well introduced to Funchal. Excellent.

Very good experience! Eliana Marques has a very good knowledge about the history of Funchal and is a super tour guide. We recommend this tour!

Knowledgable guide and friendly guide. It was an enjoyable and informative tour.

An excellent introduction to Madeira's food and wine culture.