Two-Day Island Tour from Funchal: Pico do Arieiro & Cabo Girão

See the whole island in two days without planning the route yourself

A two-day guided tour from Funchal covering the full perimeter of Madeira, with stops at Pico do Arieiro (1,818m peak), Cabo Girão (Europe's highest cliff viewpoint), Porto Moniz volcanic pools, and villages like Santana and Câmara de Lobos. Pickup is included, the guide speaks English, Spanish, Portuguese and French, and the itinerary may be reordered depending on weather and conditions. Lunch breaks of 1.5 to 2 hours are built into each day.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1: Around the Island - First Day

• Visit Cabo Girão viewpoint
• Visit Ribeira Brava village and church
• Visit Madalena do Mar banana plantations
• Stop at Fonte do Bispo viewpoint
• Lunch and free time in Porto Moniz
• Stop at Seixal viewpoint and waterfalls
• Visit São Vicente village and church
• Visit Câmara de Lobos fishing village

Day 2: Around the Island - Second Day

• Visit Cristo Rei statue in Garajau
• Visit historic city of Machico
• Visit Ponta de São Lourenço nature reserve
• Visit rum distillery in Porto da Cruz
• Lunch and free time in Santana village
• Visit Ribeiro Frio natural park
• Visit Pico do Arieiro peak

The experience

You start each morning at 9am from your Funchal hotel and spend the next eight hours moving around the island's coast and interior. The first day takes you west and north: Cabo Girão opens with a glass balcony 580 meters above the ocean, claimed as Europe's highest cliff and the world's second highest. From there the route follows the coast past Ribeira Brava's 15th-century church, banana plantations at Madalena do Mar, and the Laurissilva forest around Paúl de Serra, where levada trails branch off into the interior. Porto Moniz arrives mid-afternoon with natural volcanic pools and a lunch stop lasting 1.5 to 2 hours: swimming is possible in good weather, so pack a suit. The descent back toward Funchal passes the Véu de Noiva waterfall and the fishing village of Câmara de Lobos, a favorite subject of Winston Churchill's paintings.

Day two heads east and north. Cristo Rei in Garajau, a statue on the coast, opens the morning. Machico follows: the island's second-largest city and its first capital in the 1440s, before Funchal took over. Ponta de São Lourenço, the easternmost point, is a nature reserve with Atlantic views and rock formations unlike anywhere else on the island. Porto da Cruz holds an old rum distillery where visitors can walk through freely and see steam machines still operated by original workers. Santana, known for triangular thatched houses dating to the 16th century, provides another lunch and rest window of 1.5 to 2 hours. The day ends at Pico do Arieiro, the third-highest peak at 1,818 meters, where clear skies reveal the south coast, Curral das Freiras valley, and sometimes Porto Santo island in the distance. A stone well called Poço da Neve, built by an English family to store mountain ice, sits on the approach.

The guide speaks your language and the operator notes that the sequence of stops may shift. You'll receive updated details if the order changes. Infants travel free in a pram or stroller, and specialized infant seats are available. The tour suits all fitness levels, though the days are long and involve frequent stops rather than sustained hiking.

What’s included

• Two full days of guided sightseeing with a live guide.
• hotel pickup from Funchal.
• visits to Pico do Arieiro, Cabo Girão, Porto Moniz volcanic pools, Santana village, Machico, Ponta de São Lourenço, and seven other named stops.
• lunch and free-time breaks of 1.5 to 2 hours on each day.
• GST included.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery day except WednesdayDeparts at 09:00

Book up to12h before

AgesAdult (7 and older) · Child (under 7)

GroupUp to 16

Live guideEnglish, Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated yesterday

Good to know

Low physical effortStroller-friendlyInfant seats availablePets welcome

Operated by Feeling Madeira - Tours & Walks

Is this one for you?The two-day commitment means you need two consecutive mornings and afternoons free, but it covers the entire island in one trip. The stops are arranged so you don't have to choose between the west coast and the east, or between the peaks and the villages. If you're new to Madeira and want to see the range of it without renting a car or booking separate tours, this schedule holds it together.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English, Spanish, French, German and Portuguese.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (under 7).

What is Cabo Girão and why is it the first stop on day one?

Cabo Girão is a cliff viewpoint 580 meters high with a glass balcony, famous as Europe's highest cliff and the world's second highest. It opens the tour because it sits on the western coast near Funchal and sets the scale of the island's geography immediately.

Can I swim at Porto Moniz during the lunch stop?

Porto Moniz has natural volcanic pools and swimming is possible in good weather, so the tour recommends bringing a swimsuit. The lunch and free time there lasts 1.5 to 2 hours, giving you time to enter the water if conditions allow.

What makes Pico do Arieiro different from other mountain viewpoints on the tour?

Pico do Arieiro is the third-highest peak on Madeira at 1,818 meters and offers views of the south coast, Curral das Freiras valley, and sometimes Porto Santo island when the sky is clear. The approach passes Poço da Neve, a stone well built to store ice and snow, and the peak has easy access and famous trails leading to neighboring peaks.

What is there to see and do in Santana on day two?

Santana is a village on the northeast coast known for colorful triangular thatched houses that date to the 16th century and remain a tourist attraction. The tour includes a lunch and free-time stop of 1.5 to 2 hours, and the area is noted for authentic Madeiran culture and panoramic views.

Will the order of stops stay the same both days?

The operator notes that the sequence of activities may be changed based on conditions. If the itinerary is modified, you will receive updated information before the tour begins.