15 days Madeira tour

Start your 15-day tour of Madeira with the marvellous treasures of Funchal: the Sé Catedral made of twelve different types of stone and lavishly decorated with gold, the historic Cemitério Britânico with the stories its tombstones tell, the mighty Fortaleza de São Tiago, the elegant Palácio de São Lourenço, … Funchal’s architecture invites you to rave about it. You can find background information and fascinating stories in its museums, such as the Museu de Arte Sacra.

Perhaps the most exciting journey through time on Madeira is in Machico. The oldest town was founded by the island’s discoverer João Gonçalves Zarco himself and has wonderfully preserved this time in its historic centre. The small Capela dos Milagres is the oldest church in Madeira and the Igreja Matriz is only a few years younger. In Machico, take a walk through the centuries from its oldest houses to the Mansion Solar do Ribeirinho from the 17th century and the impressive Aqueduto de Machico from the 19th century to the 20th century with the town’s pretty town hall.

For a real treat, leave the hire car on Madeira and cross over to the small island of Porto Santo. Here you can follow in the footsteps of great names: Cristóvão Colombo, better known as Christopher Columbus. His home in Vila Baleira is now a museum, which displays exciting and sometimes little-known details from the explorer’s life.

Madeira is a paradise with imposing mountains, enchanted forests and spectacular coastlines. Many a natural treasure is hidden here. One of them is the 400,000-year-old caves of São Vicente. In the 700 metre long lava channels, you can travel back to the birth of Madeira and marvel at wonders such as the huge Bloco errante, which once got stuck here.

Spectacular heights can be scaled on this 15-day round trip through Madeira on the Pico do Arieiro. The third highest peak on the island beckons with fairytale sunrises, mystical fog banks and varied trails. You hike to the neighbouring Pico Ruivo via a ridge path through a magnificent mountain backdrop. You will enter dark tunnels and even climb the “Stairway of Death” before looking down on the rugged mountains and the sunlit sea of clouds at the summit.

You can get very close to the vast ocean on the Ponta de São Lourenço, Madeira’s easternmost peninsula. Here, huge rocks stretch out into the endless blue of the ocean, covered in low greenery. If you take a closer look, you will also discover real rarities such as the ice plant in this greenery. In spring, the Ponta de São Lourenço glows colourfully in an endless sea of flowers. Millions of seabirds hover above, making their home in the cliffs and on the small islets off the coast. At Ponta de São Lourenço, you will find yourself at the end of the world – where time seems to stand still for a few moments and the soul finds space.

The islanders love to celebrate cooking and eating. Accordingly, Madeira cuisine, which is actually quite simple, is quite varied. Popular appetisers include lapas and gaiado, a fish related to tuna. Typical of Madeira main courses is espada, the black scabbardfish, which you will find on almost every menu. Fish and seafood are also served grilled, fried, deep-fried or steamed. In addition to tuna, you can also savour exotic fish such as bodião, the parrotfish, on the island.

Among the meat dishes, the espetada meat skewer is a culinary symbol of Madeira. Simply seasoned with bay leaf and sea salt, the skewers of beef, veal or chicken are grilled. Alongside pork, these are the most common types of meat in the local cuisine. They are served with side dishes of various vegetables, batata doce and milho frito. If it smells deliciously of fresh bread, it’s probably the bolo do caco. Both fish and meat are also given an exotic flavour with bananas in Madeira.

Fruit is also popular for snacking here, including unusual specialities such as the pineapple banana, the fruit of the Monstera deliciosa, which we cultivate as a houseplant. Bolo de Mel, a honey cake typical of the island, is a refined speciality that you should definitely try. Madeira also produces excellent wines and even distils its own rum, which is essential for poncha, among other things.

Sugar cane is inextricably linked to Madeira, its history and its traditions. Feel this bond during a visit to the Engenhos do Norte distillery as you follow the path of the sugar cane to the rum in the bottle. Between ancient steam engines, you will hear, see and smell the old days. During the harvest between March and May, the distillery comes to life and offers you delicious rum samples as well as many anecdotes about sugar cane, rum and the island itself.

We do not offer standardised packages. Your Geotoura trip is customised according to your wishes.

We make this possible thanks to our high level of expertise and in-depth knowledge of the country as well as our excellent network of partners. You can look forward to extraordinary experiences, charming boutique hotels and very special insider tips on site.

Geotoura stands for the perfect planning of your personalised dream trip. Your individual price will therefore only include what really enriches your holiday.

Compared to standard holidays, this price is competitive. You will usually receive the comprehensive holiday design within 24 hours on working days.

Highly personalised trips are our speciality and the pleasure you deserve.