Madeira Best of the West Day Tour
Description
Admire the spectacular views from Cabo Girão, the highest cape in Europe at an altitude of 1,900 feet (580 meters), before arriving in the lively village of Ribeira Brava. Stroll around the village and admire the beautiful church of São Bento, then head north across the dramatic Paul da Serra plateau. Follow a scenic route around the northwest coast, driving through the Ribeira da Janela valley, then arrive in Porto Moniz in time for lunch or a dip at a natural pool, before heading to Seixal, where the Véu da Noiva viewpoint offers impressive views over the surrounding cliffs and waterfalls. Returning to Funchal, stop to take photos from the Encumeada viewpoint, then drive through the UNESCO-listed landscapes of the Laurissilva forest.
Tour Options
Itinerary
At Cabo Girão, you get a breathtaking sea views from the observation platform. At an altitude of 580 meters, it's the highest cape in Europe and the second in the world.
At the village of Ribeira Brava, you will be able to visit the beautiful church of São Bento and enjoy the sea views.
Paul da Serra is the largest plateau of the island.
We do our main stop at Porto Moniz at around lunchtime. Here you can pick from a number of local restaurants, bars, or enjoy the beautiful natural swimming pools.
Observe the great valley of Ribeira da Janela as we continue towards the Village of Porto Moniz where we arrive at around lunch time.
Seixal, where at the Véu da Noiva viewpoint you can appreciate the great waterfall and the old roads along the cliffs.
On our way back, we stop at the viewpoint of Encumeada at the top of a mountain where you have a beautiful overall view of both the north and south coast of the island.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
Pickups from selected hotels in Funchal, Câmara de Lobos and Caniço is available wherever possible. Note that some hotels do not allow for easy access or parking. On those cases we'll send you an alternative pickup point close to your hotel. For hotels in the Lido area, we'll kindly ask customers to meet us at our office in at Monumental Lido. Please make sure to check your e-mail, SMS or WhatsApp for pickup messages or reminders from our staff the day before your tour.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- May be operated by a multi-lingual guide
Reviews(714)
Was a great experience i definitely enjoyed the time to my self to see and explore what I wanted. The guide Patricia was just remarkable she made the trip for me. Her commentary and knowledge was really appreciated by us the customers.
We had a very enjoyable day with lots to see. The vehicle was very comfortable and our guide (Nuno?)was friendly, informative and a confident driver. We stopped a few times and had lots of time to swim in the lava pools and get lunch. (Recommended).
An amazing trip around the north west coast of the Island. Noum was very interesting, being able to speak both Portuguese and English whilst driving up and down those roads was incredible! We made a group consensus not to stop at the first stop as it was too foggy but to do it on the return journey. The next village after that was lovely as was the lunch stop - enjoyed the lido and the waterfall after. The stop after was beautiful although I think 25 was perhaps a little too long?? Return journey was good and stopped at the first stop! All in all a great day out for the family. Would recommend
Our guide was interesting and lots of fun! We loved all the stops and wonderful photo ops. There was some confusion on the pickup however. We were told to look for a white van with a specific license number, and Lido on the side. After waiting way past the pickup time we finally heard someone call our name in a gray, unmarked van. We should have been notified of the change but weren't. I would double check the pickup the morning of the tour!
Very beautiful scenery and knowledgeable guide. Porto Moniz was the highlight of the tour. Many thanks for the memories!
This tour allows you to see the west side of the island. It is good to have someone to drive you around because all the roads are narrow, winding and hilly. Driver was late at pick up due to traffic. The tour is in a mini-van. There is like 13+ of us all together. First stop, Cabo Giro, I would say it is overrated. Just a tiny glass platform at the lookout point. Costs 5 euros to go in. I guess you pay for the price of the view. Toilet at this stops costs 0.50 euros. Next stop, Ribeira Brava, very boring and nothing to see. Driver made an extra effort to stop at Fanal forest which is good but watch out for the cow poops when you are in the forest area. It's like a land mine. Porto Monix has some nice ocean views and natural volcanic made swimming pools. Pretty much the picture you see at the introduction of this tour is the view you will get. Accurate. You can swim here (get tickets online to avoid line) during the 1.5 hours stay at this stop. Seixal is just another boring stop to see a small waterfall clearing into the ocean cliffs from a distance. Boring. Last stop, Ponta Delgada has nothing to see, really boring. Driver/ tour guide (same person) will explain stuffs on the road and you are on your own exploring at each stops. I am ok with that. But if you need someone to lead you by the nose throughout the tour, this is not the tour for you.
The tour was very good. Our guide was Nuno and here knew the area well. Lots of beautiful locations and we didn't feel rushed
We found the experience overall pleasant and at the right price. Our guide was very detailed in each part of the journey. The only suggestion I would give to Lido tours is to try and detail a bit better the location for pick up in Funchal at the pier. We were told go to “the end” of the ship but was at neither after racing on foot. “Exit terminal, turn right and walk 100 meters” would be suggested. Also while I do not fault the tour at all, the glass bridge overlook was a complete waste of money at EUR5 each. First the glass is dirty so you cannot see through it and second you get the same view from the parking lot. Save your money.
Fantastic all day trip. So much information. Just stunning scenery. Definitely a must see when visiting. Patricia was a bundle of knowledge.
Very enjoyable trip. The vehicle was just right everyone had hood views. Our tour guide was brilliant ...loads of information and switched languages seamlessly. Hos driving too was confident and he negotiated the vertical tight bits superbly.
