Madeira quickly became one of the highlights of our trip. Despite being part of Portugal, this island is closer to Morocco than the Portuguese mainland, and it felt completely different, especially when it came to the food.

This was where I had the best wine of my life – Madeira wine, and one of the best cocktails I’ve ever tasted: a Nikita.

But Madeira isn’t just about the food and drinks. The famous toboggan ride was great fun, and the levada hikes offered a unique experience.

 

Day 1 – Flying to Funchal. Trying espatada.

We flew from Porto to Funchal, the capital of Madeira. The flight took about two hours, and we stayed there for four nights.

We were excited to try espetada, a traditional Madeiran dish cooked on skewers over an open fire. The beef was a little tough for me, but the flavour was excellent. I also tried poncha, Madeira’s famous local drink made with rum, honey, and fresh citrus juice. It was strong and refreshing!

 

Day 2 – Hiking PR6: 25 Fontes and Risco Waterfall, then Praia Formosa

Some say you haven’t truly visited Madeira until you’ve explored beyond Funchal. One of the island’s most popular activities is hiking, especially its famous levada walks.

Madeira’s hiking routes are numbered, with some of the most famous being PR1 and PR6. PR1 is too challenging for us, so we chose PR6, which takes us to the 25 Fontes and Risco Waterfall.

We didn’t dare drive ourselves, so we booked a hiking transfer which cost around AU$120 for two people. We could choose between a 6am or 8am departure, and we picked 6am to beat the crowds.

To be honest, I didn’t enjoy the levada hike as much as I expected. It was very wet and cold, and my feet were constantly soaked. Still, it’s a unique experience, as levada hikes are specific to Madeira. Never try, never know!

Seeing 25 Fontes in person was incredibly impressive. The best part was having it almost entirely to ourselves in the early morning. By the time we were walking back, the crowds had already started to arrive. We also made a short detour to another famous spot, Risco Waterfall – but it didn’t impress us as much after seeing 25 Fontes.

When we got back to Funchal, we took a Bolt to Praia Formosa. The first thing we did to find lunch because we were starving. We tried some popular Madeiran food: espada (the ugly fish), bolo do caco (garlic bread) and limpets (sea snails). The limpets were surprisingly delicious! 🤤

Praia Formosa is famous for its black stones. There is also a paved walkway stretching about 5.5 kms along the coast. We didn’t complete it because we were exhausted from the levada hike that morning.

 

Day 3 Highlights – Toboggan ride, Nikita, and Madeira wine 🍹🍷

One of Madeira’s top attractions is Monte Palace Madeira, a botanical garden and museum. We originally planned to take the scenic cable car there, but it was not operating that day, so we took a Bolt instead, as the uphill walk is about 4 km and very steep.

The entrance fee was €18 per person. We only stayed for about 1.5 hours because we probably don’t have the artistic cells to fully appreciate it 😂 We mainly visited a few popular spots. I did like the flamingos though.

Just a short walk from the entrance was the famous toboggan ride (downhill basket ride). It cost €35 for two people and lasted only about 10 minutes, but it was very fun and thrilling!

The only downside was that our drivers chatted throughout the entire ride and still expected tips at the end. We heard they could become quite aggressive if you didn’t tip, so we gave €10. We also bought the photo below (physical + digital copy) for another €10.

After that, we explored Funchal in the afternoon.

We visited Mercado dos Lavradores, but didn’t spend too much time there as it mainly sold fresh fruits and vegetables.

Later, I had the best cocktail of my life: Nikita! 🍹 It is a traditional Madeiran drink made with pineapple ice cream, white wine, and beer. I highly recommend trying it at Rei da Poncha.

We then joined a free walking tour. At the end, the guide surprised each of us with a pack of cookies from Fábrica Santo António. The cookies go very well with Madeira wine. He also recommended the free Madeira wine tasting at Pereira D’Oliveira, where we happily finished the cookies while tasting the wine 😋

Both Port wine and Madeira wine are fortified wines, but personally, I preferred Madeira wine more.

 

Day 4 – Sick day 🤒

Unfortunately, I felt sick – maybe I caught a cold from the levada hike. Otherwise, we most likely would have been soaking in a lava pool at Doca do Cavacas.

I felt much better by the late afternoon. Our main mission then was to find bubble wrap so we could bring some Madeira wine home (although we later discovered the same wines were also sold in Lisbon, just slightly more expensive).

We went back to Pereira D’Oliveira for another free wine tasting and ended up buying three bottles. I also bought some chocolate from UauCacau, an artisanal chocolate brand from Madeira.

Later, we walked around the city and tried more Madeiran food: sandes de carne vinho e alhos (pork sandwich), picado (beef with fries), chicken espetada, and queijadas (cheese tart). Everything was so delicious 😋

While Ben was taking photos of me at a café, a man suddenly put a hat on my head to try to sell it to us. It shocked me a little, so we quickly asked him to leave.

Before we came to Madeira, I asked Ben if we really wanted to visit because the flights aren’t cheap. But we didn’t regret it at all – it’s very unique and feels quite different from the rest of Portugal. If we hadn’t visited this time, we probably wouldn’t have come again, as it’s quite far.

My only regret is not having more Madeira wine and Nikita!

Previous destination: Porto
Next destination: Lisbon