Madeira day trips and excursions: a local guide

If you are not renting a car, the standard tourist itinerary on this island runs through two full-day excursions: the "East" tour and the "West" tour. Both are sold by every coach operator, both have hotel pickup as standard, and both have settled into a familiar route over the years. They are also reasonable value if you only have three or four days.

The East full-day tour

The standard East tour covers Camara de Lobos, Cabo Girao (the cliff viewpoint with the glass-floored skywalk), Faja dos Padres (banana farm and cliffside cable car), and the Pico Ruivo viewpoint. Around 35-60 EUR with hotel pickup. Eight to nine hours door-to-door. Light hiking optional.

This is the standard first-day excursion if you are easing in. Less driving than the West, plenty of stops, easier on motion sickness.

The West full-day tour

The West tour reaches Porto Moniz (volcanic natural pools), Sao Vicente caves, Fanal forest (the laurissilva trees), and a viewpoint or two on the way back. More dramatic terrain, longer drives between stops, and the coastal road to Porto Moniz has tight switchbacks if you are prone to motion sickness.

Skip the West tour if you cannot tolerate winding roads. Otherwise it is the more memorable of the two.

Multi-activity packages

Some operators bundle activities into one-day packages: a half-day canyon plus a half-day hike plus lunch, or a boat tour plus a wine tasting. These typically save 15-25% over booking each separately. Useful if you want one operator handling the logistics, but the per-activity choice is constrained to that operator's affiliations.

Where to go next

For the per-tour itinerary detail, operator comparison, and current pricing, see the Madeira excursions hub at madeiraexcursions.org. The site has a Madeira day trips overview by region, a Multi-activity packages comparison with savings calculations, and a Best day trips from Funchal shortlist sorted by season.

By Filipe Pereira, Madeira local travel guide. Last verified 2026-05-04.