Madeira Wine Tasting Tour: Vineyard, Cable Car & Lunch

Taste six Madeira wines at a working vineyard, then ride the cable car to a hidden beach.

A full-day wine tour of Madeira's North Coast combines vineyard and cellar visits with tastings of six local Madeira fortified wines, a three-course lunch at a wine estate paired with selections from the producer, and a cable car descent to Faja dos Padres beach. Hotel pickup is included from Funchal, Câmara de Lobos, Ponta do Sol and Calheta.

Step-by-step itinerary

Madeira wine tour with tasting and lunch

• Visit Madeira Wines Route vineyards
• Walk around Fajã dos Padres property
• Guided vineyard tour and wine tasting
• Enjoy lunch at Madeira Wine Estate
• Explore northern coast scenery
• Sample local Madeira fortified wines

The experience

How do you spend a day tasting Madeira wine without renting a car or planning the stops yourself? This tour handles the route through the North Coast vineyards, the winery visits and the logistics. You show up at your hotel and the driver and guide handle the rest. The morning starts with a walk through the vineyard property itself, where you'll learn how Madeira grapes grow in the island's steep terrain, then move into a guided tasting with a wine enologist at a selected producer. You'll taste three white wines, one rosé and two reds, paired with traditional tapas, before sitting down to lunch at the wine estate.

The meal is the centerpiece: espetada, a local skewered meat dish made with ingredients sourced from the estate's own suppliers, arrives paired with wines chosen to match each course. After lunch, the tour follows the northern coastline (a drive that passes through vineyards clinging to the slopes below the Laurel forest), before reaching the cable car station. The ride down to Faja dos Padres takes you to a secluded beach surrounded by exotic fruit plantations and the kind of quiet you don't find on the main island. Once there, you'll sample five more Madeira fortified wines at a glass-fronted lodge dating from 1850, one of the largest producers on the island.

The full day runs eight hours from pickup to drop-off. A vegetarian lunch option is available if you request it when booking. Minimum group size is two people, and the tour operates with a live guide in English or Portuguese.

What’s included

• Hotel pickup and drop-off in Funchal, Câmara de Lobos, Ponta do Sol and Calheta.
• air-conditioned vehicle with driver and live guide.
• vineyard and cellar tour with a wine enologist.
• wine tasting of six wines in the morning and five fortified wines in the afternoon.
• lunch with wine pairings.
• cable car ride to Faja dos Padres.

Options for this experience

2 options

Local vineyard visit with wine tasting, lunch includedGuide in English or Portuguese · 09:00Pickup is included

Private wine tasting and lunchGuide in English or Portuguese · 09:00Private full-day tour, pickup included

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

Information

Lasts 8h, runs Tuesday to Saturday at 09:00, from € 195 per person, with a live guide in English and Portuguese and with free cancellation up to 24 h before.

Days and timesTuesday to SaturdayDeparts at 09:00Other times ›

AgesAdult (18 and older) · Under 18: can't be booked

GroupUp to 30 · max 8 per booking

Live guideEnglish and PortugueseOther languages ›

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 today

Good to know

Low physical effort

Operated by Madeira Island Tours

Is this one for you?Book this if you want a full day combining vineyard visits with a cable car descent to the beach. The structured itinerary handles transport and routing, while the beach break splits wine tastings across the day rather than back-to-back.

Traveler reviews

4.97★★★★★★★★★★

37 verified traveler reviews

5 ★36

4 ★1

3 ★0

2 ★0

1 ★0

Read all the reviews ›

Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English and Portuguese.

What's the difference between the two purchase options for this tour?

One option is a private wine tasting and lunch experience. The other is the full vineyard tour with wine tasting and lunch included. Both follow the same route and include the same stops. The difference is in how the booking is structured at checkout.

How many different Madeira wines do I taste on this tour?

You taste eleven wines in total: three white, one rosé and two red at the vineyard in the morning, then five more Madeira fortified wines at the lodge at Faja dos Padres after the cable car ride.

Is the cable car ride to Faja dos Padres included in the price?

Yes, the cable car ride is included. It takes you down to the beach at Faja dos Padres, where you'll spend time exploring the exotic fruit plantations and the lodge before the return cable car ride back up.

What happens if I'm vegetarian?

A vegetarian lunch option is available on request. Let the operator know when you book so they can prepare the espetada alternative using local vegetables and ingredients from the estate.

Which areas have hotel pickup included?

Hotel pickup and drop-off are included from Funchal, Câmara de Lobos, Ponta do Sol and Calheta. The driver will collect you from your accommodation in one of these areas and return you at the end of the day.