West Side Madeira Island Tour: Private Full Day Swimming Pools

A fishing village where Winston Churchill painted, and volcanic pools you can swim in.

A private full-day guided tour around Madeira Island departing from Funchal, visiting coastal villages, a 580-meter glass platform on a sea cliff, and natural volcanic swimming pools on the northern coast. The tour runs 5 to 6 hours with an air-conditioned vehicle and English or Portuguese-speaking guide. Pickup from the Funchal area is included. Groups max at 4 or 7 people depending on the option you choose.

Step-by-step itinerary

Stops and time spent at each2 stops

1. Cabo Girão20m
2. Porto Moniz1h

Full day tour around Madeira Island

• Visit typical Madeiran fishing village
• Enjoy morning coffee watching fishermen
• See 580m glass platform at Cabo Girão
• Stroll coastal municipality with river and market
• Visit small coastal municipality with picturesque church
• Drive scenic coastal roads through Seixal
• Swim or relax at natural volcanic pools in Porto Moniz

The experience

The day starts with pickup from your Funchal accommodation and heads to a traditional Madeiran fishing village where Winston Churchill once painted landscapes. You'll have morning coffee watching fishermen at work before moving on to Cabo Girão, a 580-meter glass platform suspended on a sea cliff with coastal views that stretch across the island. A small fee applies at the platform. From there, the route takes you through a coastal municipality with a river running toward the sea, where cafes and a small market line the waterfront.

The scenic drive continues north through Seixal's coastal roads, where roadside waterfalls often appear during the journey. You'll pass a small northern municipality with a church set into lush mountainous forest valleys before reaching Porto Moniz, the highlight of the tour. Here, natural volcanic swimming pools sit at the edge of the sea. Bring swimwear if you want to swim, or settle into one of the seaside cafes for a drink. Entry to the pools runs around €3 per person.

Your guide handles the route and timing throughout, so you move between stops without arranging transport or navigation. The vehicle is air-conditioned, and the group stays small: either 4 or 7 people depending on which option you book. Infants and small children can travel in a pram or stroller, and specialized infant seats are available if needed.

What’s included

• Air-conditioned private vehicle.
• English or Portuguese-speaking guide.
• pickup from Funchal area.
• stops at a traditional fishing village, Cabo Girão platform, coastal municipalities and Porto Moniz volcanic pools.

Options for this experience

2 options

Full-day tour for a maximum of 4 peopleUp to 4 per booking · Guide in English or Portuguese · 09:00Private tour with lunch break and drink stops, in a Mercedes Viano or Vito, for up to 4 people; pickup is included

Full-day tour for a maximum of 7 peopleUp to 7 per booking · Guide in English or Portuguese · 09:00Private tour with lunch break and drink stops, in a Mercedes Viano or Dacia, for up to 7 people; pickup is included

You'll see the exact price of each option when you check availability.See dates and prices

Information

Lasts 5h–6h, runs every day at 09:00, from € 260 per group, with a live guide in English and Portuguese, as a private tour and with free cancellation up to 24 h before.

Days and timesEvery dayDeparts at 09:00

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish and Portuguese

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.

Book up toStart time

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

ConfirmationConfirmation within 48 h

Prices and times updated yesterday

Good to know

Low physical effortStroller-friendlyInfant seats availablePublic transport nearby

Operated by Madeira Tours by Diogo

Is this one for you?Choose the 4-person option if your group is small and you want a more intimate pace. The 7-person option works if you're traveling with a larger party and want to share the cost. Either way, the fixed route and included guide mean the day holds together without anyone building an itinerary or managing transport between stops.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English and Portuguese.

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

What is Cabo Girão and what do you actually do there?

Cabo Girão is a 580-meter glass platform suspended on a sea cliff on Madeira's south coast, offering panoramic views across the island and out to sea. You walk onto the platform to take in the views and photograph the coastline. A small entry fee of around €2 per person applies as of March 2023.

Can I swim during this tour, and where?

Yes, Porto Moniz has natural volcanic swimming pools at the edge of the sea where you can swim if you bring swimwear. Entry to the pools costs around €3 per person. If you prefer not to swim, cafes nearby serve drinks and food with sea views.

How many people can join this tour?

The tour is private and runs in two group sizes: a maximum of 4 people or a maximum of 7 people, depending on which option you select at checkout.

What's included in the price?

The tour includes an air-conditioned vehicle, a live guide speaking English or Portuguese, and pickup from your Funchal area accommodation. Entry fees to Cabo Girão (around €2) and Porto Moniz pools (around €3) are paid separately on the day.

How long does the full day tour take?

The tour runs 5 to 6 hours from pickup through the final stop, covering the west and northern coast of Madeira Island.