Madeira with Kids: A Family Adventure

A Portuguese island in the Atlantic Ocean, closer to Africa than mainland Europe, Madeira really does have something for everyone—cliffs, mountains, endless ocean views. It also offers a rich cultural scene and diverse culinary experiences, and of course, it's the home of Cristiano Ronaldo—that was my selling point for my husband. Even the airport is named after him: Cristiano Ronaldo International Airport. Who knew?

What I didn't know was the airport's infamous landing. Apparently, the whole world knew about it—except us. There are entire YouTube videos on crazy landings in Madeira. I had no idea. Our landing there was, by far, the most intense landing I've experienced—and it wasn't even a windy day. The geography makes the approach tricky and windy, with cliffs on one side and the ocean on the other. Our plane was shaking and swaying, and when we finally touched down (back wheels first), the brakes were applied very forcefully. The runway is very short—although it has been recently extended—so the plane halted awkwardly almost immediately. If you've always wanted to visit Madeira and have a fear of flying... I'm sorry but now you know. And don't Google Madeira landing.

Once you land, however, you almost instantly forget the whole landing experience. Because, wow, the beauty! We were incredibly lucky with the weather during our week in February. Unlike the Canary Islands, which are almost always sunny and dry, Madeira can be a bit unpredictable. February is usually wet and gloomy, but we hit the jackpot with warm, sunny days.

Arrival Day & Garajau Nature Reserve (The View)

- Cristo Rei viewpoint

- Garajau cable car

Since we arrived in the early afternoon, we picked up our rental car at the airport and headed straight to our hotel—a beachfront resort in Canico, a village on the southeast coast, 20-minute drive from the airport. As we were traveling in a group of three families (five adults and five children under 13), we let the kids unwind and enjoy the pools once once we settled in.

Around 17:00, we headed out to Garajau Nature Reserve to catch sunset at the Cristo Rei viewpoint. The statue of Jesus overlooks the Atlantic and is surrounded by a scenic walking path—interestingly, it also inspired the famous one in Rio de Janeiro. We then took the cable car down to Garajau Beach. It's definitely not for those afraid of heights—it's one of the steepest cable cars we've ever taken, but the views are absolutely worth it. Just make sure to catch the last ride back up, as the cable car operates only until 18:00.

Southwest Madeira (The Coastal Walk)

- Cabo Girao Skywalk

- Camara de Lobos

- Praia Formosa promenade 

- Pocas do Gomes and Doca do Cavacas

We started the day with a long, lazy breakfast at the hotel before heading to Cabo Girao. It is a suspended glass platform (skywalk) perched 580 metres above the ocean. I pre-booked our tickets online (€5 per adult, free for children under 13), which helped us skip the queues. After taking in the views, we continued to Camara de Lobos, a charming fishing village just below Cabo Girao. From there, we began the Praia Formosa promenade—a scenic 2-km coastal walk leading all the way to Praia Formosa. With kids and many curious stops along the way, it took us roughly an hour to complete. We stopped for lunch at a lovely local seafood restaurant along the promenade. At the end of the path, past Praia Formosa, a tunnel of Pocas do Gomes leads to the natural pools of Doca do Cavacas, where ocean water fills volcanic rock formations to create natural swimming spots. The kids, however, chose the resort's pools, so we headed back and spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing there.

Monte & Funchal (The Ride and the Surprises)

- Monte Tropical Gardens

- Toboggan ride

- Funchal Old Town

- CR7 museum

What were the odds that the very week we were in Madeira, the famous Monte cable car was closed for its regular maintenance? Just our luck. Instead, we took a shuttle bus from Funchal up to Monte. The ride was was an adventure—winding along steep, narrow mountain roads that barely seemed wide enough for one bus, let alone passing traffic. Once in Monte, we headed to the Monte Palace Tropical Gardens (tickets pre-booked to skip queues). This is no ordinary botanical gardens. It's pretty, it's historical, and it's fun for the kids. Ours especially loved the stepping stones in the Japanese garden, spotting flamingos, and, of course, the virgin pina coladas sold inside the gardens. 

After the gardens, we made our way back down to Funchal in the most traditional way possible: the famous toboggan ride. Sitting in a woven basket sled, we were guided downhill by two carreiros dressed in white, navigating narrow streets back to Funchal. I had assumed the roads were reserved just for the sleds, but no, this is Madeira, and cars use them too. It's thrilling, slightly chaotic, completely unique—but you just have to trust the carreiros, who expertly steer and brake using their rubber-soled shoes. It's a historic tradition from the days when nobility lived in Monte and used this as their way down. The kids absolutely loved it. You can't pre-book tickets though, simply wait in line. Back in Funchal, we grabbed a quick lunch—the local prego sandwiches—before heading to CR7 museum, a stop I had promised my husband. And again, what were the odds? The museum was exceptionally closed that very Tuesday due to Carnival celebrations. So we never made it inside, but we did get to enjoy a lively carnival parade instead. A pretty good consolation prize.

That evening, back in Canico, we had one of our most memorable dinners in Madeira at a small but lovely local restaurant called A Traineira. We came across it while walking along the Reis Magos promenade near our hotel. We shared a variety of scallops and shellfish, along with fish and meat dishes, served with homemade bread and wonderfully chilled house wine.

East Madeira (The Mountains)

- Ponta de Sao Lourenco

- Canical Whale Museum

- Lighthouse boat tour

- Machico Beach

- Ribeiro Frio Natural Park & Trout Pounds

If you're coming to Madeira for hiking, the island offers countless mountain trails. For us, though, it was balancing nature, relaxation, culture, and food, so I didn't plan any demanding hikes. The most famous route, the 11-km PR1 trail from Pico de Areiro (around 1,800 metres above sea level), was clearly not for our group—it involves winding mountain roads, proper hiking gear, and well, patient kids. Instead, we chose the PR8 trail at Ponta de Sao Lourenco, a much easier 7-km walk at the eastern tip of the island. We arrived early, so parking was easy. The trail is family-friendly, and the views along the way are simply mesmerizing. At the end, there is a cafe to rest and refresh. Just as we were about to walk back, someone offered us a boat ride back to the parking area—with a lighthouse tour included. Of course, we said yes. By the time we got back, we were all quite hungry. We had originally planned to visit the Whale Museum, but instead decided to head straight to Machico Beach.

Machico is one the few sandy beaches in Madeira, and I had promised the kids one sandy beach afternoon. It turned out to be a perfect sunny afternoon tday—they had so much fun that there was no way we could convince them to move on to Ribieiro Frio trail. So we happily gave in, spent the entire afternoon in Machico, and left Ribeiro Frio trails and trout ponds for another time—because Madeira is definitely a place worth coming back to.

 

 

 

 

Departure Day 

Our fifth day was also our last in Madeira, so we kept things easy with a morning flight ahead. Although our adventure on the island came to an end, our trip wasn't quite over yet. We flew to Lisbon to spend two more days exploring the city before heading home, but that's a story for another blog post!

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