Grand North Tour

This is the whole north of Madeira in one day, from east to west. We start at Portela for the beautiful view of Porto da Cruz and down into the village itself. Here you’ll see how Madeira’s first big business worked: sugar cane, the island’s “white gold”. Porto da Cruz still has a working distillery where rum is made from sugar cane with old steam machines.

From there we follow the beautiful old local roads along the north coast: Faial, Santana and São Jorge. Then we go deep into the Boaventura valley for its amazing views, and stop at the epic São Cristóvão viewpoint, with a little restaurant right above the ocean. Old local roads and tunnels take us to São Vicente. From there we go to Seixal, with its natural lava pools and famous black sand beach, where we can have a swim. If time and weather allow, we also go up to a secret valley above it. Then we drive on to Ribeira da Janela and finish the route in Porto Moniz, at the island’s wild north-west tip.

On the way back, through the tunnel, we stop for a Poncha tasting in the Serra de Água valley, then come back to Funchal.

On the way we make lots of short stops at beautiful places for photos and sightseeing. Around lunchtime we stop at a local restaurant or for a snack (food isn’t included in the price). There’s almost no walking, just short strolls. Kids and dogs are welcome.

What to bring: swimwear and a towel for the Seixal lava pools, and a warm layer, as the north coast is often cooler and windier than Funchal.

The times are approximate.

Got a place you really want to see? Write it in your booking request and I’ll fit it in.